Two words for parents considering taking their youngsters to Barney’s Birthday Bash: floor seats! Your toddler or young child will want to dance along to every song, and you the adult companion will have a very satisfactory experience letting your little one dance to her hearts content!

There is also plenty of room for boogying in the first tier seats.

I took my 3 yo daughter to the Bash on Sunday, and she danced, clapped, and sang with such delight! Barney’s repertoire is familiar, so I had no trouble singing along. The large video display offered a combination of lyrics, illustrations, and the interviews with youngsters made popular on the Barney TV show.

The performance theme is, as the title suggests, the celebration of birthdays. This was great because my 3 yo knows what birthdays are and could follow along with every story line. The song and dance numbers were fun and colorful with lots of lights and confetti surprises.

Barney’s friends BJ, Baby Bop and Riff were all there, and so were four dancers who really helped to keep the crowd engaged in the performance. The quality of the production was solid and, as usual, the concessions at Rupp Arena are very fairly priced. Connoisseurs will notice that the Barney shwag is less expensive than some other childhood characters’ souvenirs.

Finally, and this really is the best thing about Barney, the performance is educational and entertaining. It will set young people on a path of good expectations for entertainment and social engagement in the arts.

Mom: What was your favorite part of the Barney show?

Daughter: All of it!

Blogged by: Megan Smith
Photos by: Megan Smith