Exotic fest for all the family

Sculpt a French leaf plate, decorate a North African tile or take a Flamenco dancing workshop before settling down to listen to Spanish and Roman tales, at the Barbican Centre.

Rich colours, rhythmic sounds and exotic stories from around the Mediterranean are at the heart of this year's Family Festival.

Visitors can learn the hand and arm movements, posture, footwork and turns of traditional Flamenco with classical guitar accompaniment or learn the skill of playing palmas, the essential rhythmic clapping that accompanies all flamenco.

Inspired by the work of the 16th century French ceramist Barnard Palissy, children can decorate leaf plates with fish, shells, reptiles and other three-dimensional shapes or cast a Commedia del Arte mask and transform themselves into Pulcinella, il Capitano or Harlequino.

All workshops last about an hour and are designed for families with children age five and over to take part in together, so children must be accompanied by a parent or carer and everyone needs a ticket.

Barbican Centre (020 7638 8891).
Sun 16 Jun
£3 per person, per workshop.