At 11am on Sunday morning, I was sitting at my dressing table dressed in my sparkliest costume, LED trainers, liberally daubing myself with glitter and bright pink and purple make up. Not your usual Sunday morning. But this wasn’t a usual Sunday, it was a Big Fish Little Fish Sunday!
After a break for the summer, family rave pioneers and 2-4 hour party people Big Fish Little Fish returned to the Rainbow Venues in Birmingham and pulled out all the stops to make it an afternoon to remember - with a circus themed drum ‘n’ bass rave at toddler friendly decibel level.
With a fantastic atmosphere and banging choons you can relive the music of your misspent youth in a convenient 2.5 hour session in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. While the music is firmly aimed at the adults who used to enjoy raving ‘back in the day’, the venue is set up to entertain the children and give them space to play and dance while the adults party at the same time. If you find that your clubbing days are over due to parenthood, lack of energy, wanting to be in bed well before 2am, and the music not being as good at it used to be – then this is the place for you.
These days I barely have the energy to stay up past 10pm, let alone dance the night away until 6am at favourite Birmingham haunts such as the Que Club, Quest, Subway City, Dance Factory, Mr B’s, or the Institute. Those days are long gone, but love for the music remains. With Big Fish Little fish, you can introduce your children to the music that formed such a huge part of your life, get your dancing feet on with your kids and relive the memories and the music – and get home in time for tea and an early night.
The organiser Anna Emery surpassed herself with getting legendary DJ Gershwin to supply the wickedest tunes from 2-4.30pm, keeping the dancefloor full of children and adults alike dancing their feet off, and enjoying a stream of glitter cannons, bubble machines, balloons and giant inflatable balls which delighted the crowd. (Although I wouldn’t want to have been the glitter sweeper-upper at the end). Prancing around to Gershwin in a room full of children instead of a roomful of reprobates at House of God was definitely an unusual experience!
The venue itself was considerably bigger than previous events, with new areas being opened up to allow for a stage for the amazing LED hula hoop shows (Ahem. OK that was me.) , a well-lit area for crafts, a large separate play area with comfy sofas, tents, tunnels, and inflatables for the very little ones, a buggy park, even more toilets, and comfy booths to sit in along the top balcony – not to mention a roof terrace so we could enjoy the October sunshine. And a bar open in both the main room and the play area.
There were also two fantastic face painters, a stall selling the most delicious homemade cakes and sausage rolls, hula hoops for children (and adults!) to play with at the end, and the free glowsticks were a huge hit!
Lots of adults and children dressed up in the circus theme and although the event was a sell out, it never felt overcrowded. There were plenty of spaces to chill out or find a quiet spot if your kids needed a break from all the action.
Plenty of parking is nearby in Lower Trinity Street car park, or it is a short walk from New Street Station and the Bullring.
Big Fish Little Fish originated in London when Hannah Saunders, the founder of Big Fish Little Fish, ex-raver and dedicated festival goer decided to create a event for the post-raver generation that parents would enjoy as much as their children - and has since exploded across the country with sell out toddler raves every weekend. If you haven’t been to a Big Fish Little Fish yet, and want to experience one yourself, get in quick as they sell out soon after the tickets are released. Head on over to the Big Fish Little Fish website or their Facebook page to find out when they are coming to a town or city near you.
This post also appears on my personal blog at www.spinsonicentertainment.com