For its seconds edition, Kidexpo offers a whole bunch of workshops (fun, educative and sports)… where the sponsor’s names will be burnt into your child’s subconsicous FOREVER!


We all love our children. And we love them just that extra special bit more when we don’t actually have to look after them. Want some R&R? Then schlep down to Paris’ Parc des Expositions at the Porte de Versailles this weekend. KidExpo, for children aged 4 and up (including adolescents) seems to have a lot of interesting stuff going on, but a better look at the activities soon show that the event is more like a cynical marketing exercise to get your younguns addicted to brand names.

For example, for the 4 to 7 year-olds, there’s the LEGO® workshop, the ‘Heroes Parade’ with your ‘favourites’ Dora the Explorer and her cousin Diego, Squarebob Spongepants, Franklin, Totally Spies and ‘an avalanche of gifts’. The Parade is sponsored by a website that sells packages for animating kids’ birthday parties (cost – 1,400 euros / $1,800 / £ 1,100). Then there’s a stand for discovering fruit (sponsored by a jam manufacturer), a doll workshop sponsored by a doll manufacturer. I want to go and see the ‘tecktonik’ techno dance workshop. Just for laughs.

For the 7 to 10 year-olds there’s a Buggy Brousse stand (a sort of car on a pole for kids to push around)… sponsored by Renault, a video games village, the presentation of a computer tailor-made for kids (sponsored by the manufacturer), a painting and drawing workshop sponsored by the site that can sell you all the items you need for it…

And for the 10 to 14 year-olds don’t miss the amazing concert by ‘the singers from the theme tune of TV’s Foot2Rue’ (???), go-karting sponsored by the French Federation of Automobile sports and an electro-dance class with Jakarta, a group whose video shows computer-animated babies dancing in space.

Ou personal prize for the most ridiculous sponsor goes to the ‘Village of Food and Taste’, sponsored by… (wait for it, you’re going to laugh) Kinder! At least it’s sure to have more kid in it than the neighbouring ‘Miss Lamb’s Lettuce’ stand with its recipeds for serving up salads.

We have to say that there are a few things that seem a little less frivolous (although they are sometimes accompanied by dodgy sponsors) , like ‘preventing accidents in the home’, ‘the mountain quiz’ to learn more about France’s mountains, ‘on track for health’ explaining preventitive medicine, a stand with firemen, a quiz called ‘Agriculture and forests protect our world’, a world solidarity village, an environment village (sponsored by Total, who contribute to polluting the planet), a sports village (sponsored by Kinder Sport!), a magazine and newspaper village to encourage kids to read, and finally the parent village where the brands have things to sell you rather than your children.

Basically, a few good ideas and a huge amount of product placement, all of which will be innocently inaugurated by our Secretary of State for family matters, Madame Nadine Morano.

Here’s all the essential information for your visit to KidExpo

When: 31st October – 2nd November 2008
Where: Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles, 75015 Paris. Métro Porte de Versailles (line 12), tramway ligne T3, station Porte de Versailles, bus n°s 39 & 80
Opening hours: 9.30am – 6.30pm
Admission: adults (anyone over 14 years old) – 10 €, 4 – 14 year-olds – 5 €, kids under 4 don’t pay. Duo pass (one adult and one child) – 12 €. Family pass (2 adults & 3 children) – only 22 €!
More information (in French): on the official site

Bigger map here