Dear Mummy, before I was born you and daddy used to a have pretty hectic social life. Nowadays the invites for clubbing nights have dried up but your disco days are not behind you! Raving doesn’t have to end when you have kids thanks to Big Fish Little Fish. We returned for their 2hr family friendly rave in Farnham, Surrey. Watch our video to see us in action!
Day dancing is the best and a great way to get exercise while having fun at the same time. It was our third time attending a family rave at Farnham Maltings and in the past we’ve also visited the Engine Rooms in Southampton. We’ve also been lucky enough to indulge in festivals shenanigans with BFLF.
Mummy and I in our sequins
But this was no ordinary rave it was a nautically-themed family rave with DJ Chad Jackson. Part of the Camp Bestival and Big Fish Little Fish Tour “Around the World in 18 Raves”. A warm-up tour to get us land lubbers ready for the main event at Camp Bestival 2018 in July. If you haven’t heard of the award-winning Camp Bestival before check out our last adventure to this awesome family festival.
DJ Chad Jackson on the decks
We listened to ‘Hear the Drummer (Get Wicked)’ producer DJ Chad Jackson play acid house, techno, house and some ol’skool classics. We wore our finest sequins and hit the daytime dance floor at Farnham Maltings, a massive arts and community centre in Farnham, Surrey. Families with 0-8 year olds couldn’t wait to get their groove on at this SOLD OUT gig, a true testament to BFLF’s popularity. Shiver me timbers – these parties sell out fast.
Loadsa bubbles!
The dance floor was filled with balloons and folks dressed in their best clubbing outfits and we had fun spotting people dressed in the theme ‘Camp Bestival Sets Sail’ I wore my mermaid costume and had my face painted by the resident face painter.
Getting my mermaid groove on!
These raves are perfect for families with younger children (8s and under) however older siblings are welcome too. The event is standing/dancing with limited seating and it does get busy with several hundred people and in low lighting conditions. It’s just like being in the club and adds to the atmosphere. Glitter canons went off and showered families in foil. We loved the giant balls which also floated across the dance floor, even though they knocked over a couple of drinks that we saw. There is a licensed bar, chill out area and cafe upstairs available for party goers to escape too if it all gets a bit too much.
Making an octopus headdress for the rave
I had fun getting crafty on the Captain Cookie Craft tables making an octopus headdress for the rave and helped to colour in a massive wall mural designed for the event. At the back of the venue there was also a baby soft play area, with a ball pit and tents which was still in the heart of all the action and gave new parents a chance to listen to the music, feed and take in the atmosphere.
Whilst the dance floor was really busy at times there was also plenty of room for us to move around especially at the back away from the DJ Stage. A small face painting table was set up and cost £5 extra and was very busy and saw us standing in the queue for 20 mins but it did look awesome once my face was transformed into a mermaid.
Getting in on the action on stage
This was the first time that we noticed the adults having more fun than the kids, so much so that some of us little ones had been pushed aside as a lot of big groups of parents congregated on the dance floor. We’d had an idea though, imagine if the kids could have a kids pit at the front so that they can enjoy the bubbles on their own without silly big folk getting in the way? Like a Mini VIP Area?
We’d really recommend giving one of the many BFLF events a go. Two hours later we were all partied out and went for a post-rave toastie (sadly the kebab shop was closed). We are warmed up for the main event which is Camp Bestival 2018 and with the line-up looking amazing its set to be the best one yet!
For tickets and information visit the BFLF website or follow @bflfevents on Instagram.
Camp Bestival or follow @CampBestival
Love Bella x
Disclosure: We were offered tickets to BFLF in order to conduct an honest review of the rave. All sequins and dance moves were our own.
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