If the thought of dragging kids through the flyer-packed gauntlets of Edinburgh in August fills you with dread, you might fancy heading east to an altogether calmer and more picturesque Fringe. In its 16th year now, North Berwick’s Fringe By The Sea is filled with family-friendly fun from theatre shows to children’s authors.  

If your youngsters are showing an interest in the great outdoors, CBeebies environmentalist and Strictly superstar Hamza Yassin will be talking about his life and work (Sunday 6 August). For more hands-on marine biology, you could also check out the Bioblitz Mini Rockpool Ramble (Friday 4 August). And Vivian French’s Maps (Friday 4 August) sounds like a great way to introduce very little ones (4–7) to the concept of navigation. 
For kids who love to keep on the move, there are a number of workshops exploring creative ways to exercise. The Think Circus Takeover workshop (Saturday 12 August) promises accessible fun from Edinburgh’s social circus; over 5s can try their hand at juggling, hula hooping and more. For little ones who just can’t get enough of the Latin-flavoured music of Disney’s Encanto, an Encanto Dance Workshop (Friday 11 August) will have them grooving away (though absolutely not talking about Bruno). And for budding skaters and surfers, there’s the Surfskate Sessions (Saturday 5,  Tuesday 8 August), which aim to help you get to grips with the balance and basics needed for both sports. 

If you have aspiring writers or insatiable bookworms in your family, there are author events galore. Skye McKenna will be talking about her enchanted tale Hedgewitch (Saturday 5 August), full of magical fungi and fairy tricks, while Helen Peters, author of World War II middle-grade mystery Friends And Traitors, will be giving the lowdown on spitfires and secrets (Tuesday 8 August).
And at the end of the day, if you just want to sit (or stand) back and watch some theatre as a family, there’s fantastic open-air company Dudendance’s Alien Species (Thursday 10–Sunday 13 August) which explores the damage plastic is doing to the environment by conjuring waste materials into alien life. And who can resist the lure of everyone’s favourite ogre? Shrek Junior: The Musical (Monday 7, Thursday 10 August) is being performed by The Haddington Musical Mill Company. 
Fringe By The Sea runs from Friday 4–Sunday 13 August.