The San Sebastian Festival will once again provide the Puxika Gorria playroom with a view to fostering work-life balance

Yet another year, the San Sebastian Festival, the San Telmo Museum, CIMA (the Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media), ICAA (the Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute) and the Red Balloon Alliance association, in collaboration with Zorionak Kids & Party Play Center, bring Puxika Gorria, the playroom service offering creative activities running throughout the event, from September 22 to 30.

Now in its fifth edition, children can once again physically attend Puxika Gorria and enjoy its activities in the San Telmo Museum. The service, intended to improve work-life balance during the Festival, is for the children of accredited guests, and of the Festival staff.

Born in 2019 as a crèche, the service developed into a playroom for children between the ages of six months and twelve years in the endeavour to improve the work-life balance of a greater number of families. 

A member of the Red Balloon Alliance, Puxika Gorria is an activity twinned with Le Ballon Rouge and the Berlinale Kindergarten, the day-care services run by the Cannes and Berlin Festivals. As the project expands, it has been joined by the Punto de Vista and Valladolid Festivals. Puxika Gorria enjoys the support of companies and institutions including Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain, AVALON, CIMA (the Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media), ICAA (the Film and Audiovisual Arts Institute), CINANDO, the Danish Film Institute, the Escuela de Cine del Pais Vasco (ECPV), EWA (European women’s audiovisual network), SGAE Foundation, German Films, Le Collectif 50/50, Morena Films and San Telmo Museum, and the collaboration of DonostiKidSS, Itsas Museoa - Maritime Museum eta Zorionak play center and toy shop.

Registration

For the 2023 edition, Puxika Gorria will have an area of 120 square metres in the San Telmo Museum, where an indoor space with covered terrace will be fitted out. The playroom will open every day from 10:00 to 18:00 -except on September 30, when the schedule will be from 10:00 to 13:00- and each registered child can spend a maximum of six consecutive hours there at any one time. The carers, from the company Zorionak Kids & Party, speak to the children in Basque, Spanish and English and have all of the necessary insurance for working in the space. Places are limited and accredited guests attending the Festival will have priority.

Families registered with the service will enjoy free activities for children in the Itsas Museoa-Maritime Museum. The price for the 9 days of the Festival is 50 euros; 30 for three days; and 15 euros for one day. Those wishing to apply for a place should fill out this form, indicating the days for which they would like to book the service, the age of the child, and providing proof of their Festival accreditation. For other inquiries or requests please write to redballoonalliance@gmail.com.

In addition and for the first time this year, the playroom service will be open to the general public on the afternoon of Saturday 23 and Sunday 24. If you have a ticket for one of the Festival screenings of Saturday or Sunday, you will have three hours (from 15:00 to 18:30) of free playroom (until full capacity is reached). It is required to book a place in advance by emailing redballoonalliance@gmail.com and enclosing the purchased ticket.