The Vancouver International Children's Festival kicked off this week at its new location on Granville Island—and it'll be hard for some people to accept that it's no longer in Vanier Park.

After a visit yesterday, complete with rain and shine and a preschooler in tow, here's my attempt to objectively run down the pros and cons of the new locale.

THE PLUSES

1. No mud. You don't need to wear your rain boots to slosh from tent to tent.
2. More rain-friendly. With many of the tent stations condensed, and some activities even indoors, it's easier to weather the wet, and travel beneath the odd awning from site to site.
3. It still feels like a festival. Despite its regular ongoing business, the Island is abuzz with stilt-walkers, tents, and a large army of helpful volunteers directing you around. Hubs centre near the Kids Market, Arts Umbrella, and Carousel Theatre.
4. Real theatre shows. Let's face it. The tents could sometimes get a bit chilly and bum-numbing in the park. Now you can catch everything from circus to dance acts in full-fledged, high-tech theatres. We saw Farfalle, complete with digital, animated projections and an all-encompassing, artful atmosphere around the stage. I've seen 45 Circus Acts in 45 Minutes before, too, and it's top-notch. Show tickets aren't supercheap, at $18 to $26, but at least you feel like your'e getting your money's worth.
5. Activity affordability. Wristbands are five bucks, and that'll get you into everything from face-painting to a giant playroom with toys to (our favourite) mask-making at the Taiwanese tent. This is good value.

THE MINUSES

1. Traffic: Granville Island doesn't have sidewalks, and the heavy stream of cars made walking between some sites a bit hairy. Think death grip on a tiny fist. You just can't let your kids run freely the way you would have at Vanier Park. However, there are lots of traffic directors ready to help you cross roads.
2. Parking: There are few spots on the Island with the deluge of people headed to the fest, so take the event's advice and grab a bus or ferry, or park your car in the old kids' fest lot—about a 15-to-20-minute hike from the site, which translates into about five or 10 "Are we there yet?"s.
3. Stroller mayhem: Things are a little more cramped for this kind of wheeled traffic, too, but most of us are used to this from the grocery store, aren't we?

In all, a few parents may be feeling nostalgic for Vanier Park, but the kids didn't seem to mind that the event wasn't at its old site anymore—they were too busy getting dolphins painted on their faces and glueing baubles on door-knob hangers. That and refusing to go when it was time to leave.