Big Fish Little Fish in Leeds

We had our first taste of the Big Fish Little Fish family rave experience in Liverpool in the summer, so when we heard they were putting on another party in Leeds, we were in!

If you’ve never heard of them, the events are like a mixture between a night out dancing and a kids’ party.

It’s a combination of adults letting their hair down and showing their little ones their best dance moves, while letting them have loads of fun crafting, boogying and dressing up – all in a nightclub on a Sunday afternoon.

Each party is themed and this one – We Could Be Heroes – was all about superheroes.

Danny Mac was on the decks playing loads of tunes I used to dance to on nights out in the 90s – I left with Sunscreem’s Perfect Motion going round in my head and had it playing on my way to work for the whole week afterwards.

For someone who loved going out raving in Leeds as a youngster, it really felt like I was turning the clock back and my fellow dancers were too. It was like showing your kids how to party, give them some of your moves and hope they want to join in too.

Mine didn’t really, as it happened, and much as I tried to get Sam to dance with me he was more interested in chasing the balloons round the dancefloor than actually rocking with his old mum. We have video evidence to prove it too, as the lovely Verena who organised Big Fish Little Fish managed to catch us on camera, as you can see here.

There’s lots more to do than just dance though; there were bubbles on the dancefloor, tents and tunnels to hide in and giant balloons to play with.

We went along with our friends Lydia, Adam and their little boy Albie, and all the little ones got stuck in on the craft and play doh table, making superhero wristbands and getting transfer tattoos. Sam especially loved the long sheet of paper on the wall, which had drawings of superheroes on ready to colour in. He couldn’t resist adding his own hero too – a mini Super Mario. You might have noticed he was wearing his Mario outfit, which had its first ever public outing. No rave is complete without a man in blue nylon dungarees, right?!

Sam was definitely happiest when he was crafting or getting a sugar rush off one of the huge doughnuts that were for sale near the bar. They certainly perked the kids up during a bit of a lull, and it was nice to be able to sit and chill for a bit to let the little ones revive.

Flo and Albie had their faces painted quite soon after we arrived, and I was really pleased to see there was no queue. When we went to the Liverpool event, Flo was disappointed to miss out because the queue was too long, so we’d done our own glitter tattoos at home just in case. The lack of queue was fab though, and she went for a rainbow butterfly complete with glitter. Albie had a SpiderMan face, which was really good and he absolutely loved.

We left feeling like we’d had a really fun and different afternoon out, the little ones were partied out and I had a big smile on my face all the way home.

I reckon I could have kept going, I forgot for a moment we were in Sunday afternoon and not Saturday night. I’m already looking out for the next event – they are held in several venues around the country, not just Leeds and Liverpool but also London, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol to name a few.

It’s so good to take your kids out somewhere and just all let your hair down. These events are such fun, friendly afternoons with lots of happy, smiley people and the focus is very much on having a good time. No worrying about children sitting nicely, being noisy, or running around. These 2-4 Hour parties (so-called because they run from 2-4pm, not 24 hours) are most definitely good vibes only.

Maybe see you there next time?

x Julia