Last weekend I popped along to the IDFB Family Weekend which happened at the MAC.

Despite being child-free, I had a great time watching a world premiere dance perfomance, Spill (touring playgrounds of the West Midlands and beyond this summer; catch it if you can, it really is worth a watch) …

… nosing at what 'home' means to people over in The Hub …

… and seeing teeny kids having brilliantly messy fun decorating the billowy white shapes I'd drawn out for Peg-a-Cloud.

It was a pretty good feeling to see lots of the designs I've been working on for the past few months all in one place, out in the wild, and being well-used – by loads of people. (The Family Weekend was a sell-out.)

It's one of those events which may appear effortless to the folks popping along to enjoy a nice day out, but from working on the IDFB print, I've got a bit of a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the festival workings, so have an idea of the huge amount of effort and planning, and the looooong days, which go into getting these things to come together and run smoothly; not to mention making sure people know what's happening, when and where, when there's a jam-packed programme of events.

So hats-off to the smiley, friendly, helpful and seemingly tireless lot who made the Family Weekend ace for this big kid – and plenty more besides.

My IDFB adventures this coming weekend promise to be altogether more grown-up: Bombay Beach (part of the Light Fantastic film season) and the Digbeth Shuffle.