Brisbane skaters to realise a dream in Disney On Ice first

On July 1, in one history-making show only, a group of young skaters from Brisbane will realize their dream and take part in a pre-show performance before the international skating superstars take over and perform Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy.

For the first time ever, local skaters have been invited to perform on the ice before a Disney On Ice show in Queensland. A troupe of 42 from the Iceworld Figure Skating Club based at Acacia Ridge in Brisbane, home to some of Queensland’s top skaters, will perform their custom-created show, A Disney Dream, at 2pm on Friday, July 1.

All tickets to the 2.30pm performance of Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy include the pre-show, representing a wonderful opportunity to see some of the State’s top skaters, from a 5-year old tot to leading representative skaters, strut their stuff on the ice.

Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy comes to Brisbane from June 30 through to July 3, and stars some of the biggest names in entertainment – Lightning McQueen and Mater from Disney/Pixar’s Cars; Lion Simba, along with Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King; Ariel, Eric and the wonderful Under the Sea creatures from The Little Mermaid, and the magical cast of Fairies from Walt Disney Pictures Tinker Bell, and of course the world famous Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.

The pre-show performance is being choreographed by Iceworld Figure Skating Club’s Tina Wang, a coach and a former Australian representative at the highest levels in world figure skating. Three of the stars of the show include Taylor Dean (Forest Lake) and Rikkilee Smith (Crestmead), who are both Junior National Level Ladies Skaters, and Lochran Doherty (Sunnybank Hills), who is a National Junior Mens Level Skater, along with an ensemble local cast of all ages – all sharing one dream – to skate like their Disney On Ice heroes. (local contact details available for all local skaters on request).

Produced by Feld Entertainment, Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy is performing at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre from Thursday, June 30 to Sunday, July 3 (perfect school holiday entertainment) tickets are on sale NOW through Ticketek on 132 849 or visit www.ticketek.com.au/disneyonice

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?