Children's Festival
With the Children's Festival 2023, one of the very big seasonal highlights in Carnuntum is just around the corner! Young Roman friends can playfully immerse themselves in the Roman past with numerous activities. The historical adventure journey already begins upon arrival in the Roman Quarter, when the young visitors are quickly transformed into citizens of ancient Carnuntum by means of Roman garments.
Once arrived, a varied program awaits the young Romans. Roman delicacies can be baked and tasted in the kitchens, and their own strength can be tested by throwing a menhir. Those who want to test their handicraft skills can get tips at various handicraft and participation stations. Roman legends will be told in the Villa Urbana. To list all the program points would go beyond the scope of this article.
What you need to know
The children's festival aims to bring Roman history closer to children in an understandable and playful way. For this reason, admission is free for children under the age of 11 when accompanied by an adult. Children between the ages of 11 and 14 pay an entrance fee of 6 euros, adults pay an entrance fee of 13 euros (reduced: 11 euros). The NÖ-Card is valid during the Children's Festival.
We recommend in any case to buy the tickets online in advance! With a valid online ticket you are entitled to use the fast lane at the cash desk/entrance, which naturally saves you any waiting time. Dogs are welcome at the Kinderfest, but must be kept on a leash at all times and must wear a muzzle on the festival grounds.
Program
1) Painting papyri: Simple bookmarks with pre-printed designs are painted and can be taken home by the children.
2) Table games: Orca, round mill, and the dice tower.
3) Try on armor: Those who want to know how a real legionnaire felt.
4) Shooting wild boar: In the Danube floodplains, the game population in ancient times was much higher than today.
5) Meadow games: Hoop driving, sack hopping, menhir throwing and hobby horses were simple games documented in ancient times.
6) Betty Bernstein
7) Roman legends: Ancient legends and myths are told in a way suitable for children.
8) Sandbox with drum stones for the very youngest visitors.
9) Schola Romana: "We learn not for life, but for school"? Also in Carnuntum there are lessons in the Latin language, they calculate with abacus and write on papyrus and wax tablets.
10) Gluing shards: Being a good archaeologist requires patience above all. Under the guidance of an expert cultural mediator, attempts are made to glue matching shards.
11) Bullae craft: Roman children were given a bulla as a pendant by their parents after birth. These were supposed to protect the child from all evil.
12) Soapstone: under expert guidance, a soapstone blank can be cut and oiled and then worn as a pendant (on a ribbon).
13) Painting mosaics: In Roman times, mosaics were made with the help of different colored stones.
14) Jewelry making: Roman jewelry was formed from metal wire and decorated with glass beads, as is still common today.
15) Baking bread and tasting moretum: Baked out in olive oil, Roman breads are a delicacy.
16) Pulsum: the meal of the poor population consisted of rolled barley, beans or scrap wheat. These were simmered together with vegetables to make a porridge, which in the best case could be enhanced with bacon or sheep's cheese.
17) Pompa: The procession (pompa) through the Roman city with music and festive congregation took place on special occasions.
18) Perfume and cosmetics: Beauty is an important theme in all eras.
19) Globi baking: Globi or globules were balls of semolina and curd baked out in oil and coated with honey.
20) The house slave tells about the life of the family in the house of Lucius.
21) Senate: Periodically the city council had to meet and make important decisions for the city.