Last weekend, we were invited to Stanmer House in Stanmer Park, Brighton for our very first (family) rave as part of the Camp Bestival Tour around the UK with Big Fish Little Fish Events.

Although a new experience for us, this isn’t a new collaboration for the folks at Camp Bestival and Big Fish Little Fish. Between them they have been creating family-friendly parties at Camp Bestival for a number of seasons, and BFLF have been partying independently even longer!

We didn’t get round to attending any of the raves when we went to Camp Bestival last year, but after visiting last weekend we will be sure to add it to our list!

Around the World in 18 Raves

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, BFLF create family raves where parents can enjoy awesome live club music alongside their little ravers, whilst also being in a safe and fun environment for all. If you fancy attending one of the many events, you can find more information and future dates online. They’ll also be at Camp Bestival again this year!

Back to last weekend!

Arriving at Stanmer Park a few minutes early, we could already see a sea of leopard print cladded toddlers in tutus wielding glow-sticks waiting in the play area. This was going to be fun, although  by now we knew were incredibly under dressed in our jeans. At least T made an effort in his rainbow attire. Annoyingly, we also forgot our face paint!

Located in the gardens, we only had to wait a few minutes before being let inside. Looking through the windows of the giant gazebo, we could see an array of activities available at every corner; including a soft play area for babies and crawlers, a play-doh-style corner, a colouring in board, and of course a huge dance floor! The music was already playing as we entered.

After being given a sticker, a quick stamp on the hand, and a giant balloon on entry – T was ready to go.

I’m glad we got there early as it got busy very quickly – although not so much that you felt like sardines. You definitely felt like you were at a party or in a club – just with nice rugs and sofas dotted around! If anything, it made me feel like I was in someone’s lounge. It was a lovely atmosphere.

Getting there early meant we could survey our surroundings and work out what we wanted to do. Whilst it was quiet, we decided to play with some play-doh, and then we moved onto the craft table where the task was to make a giant hat in the shape of a shark. With the help of some instructions, we did alright!

On site was also a small tuck shop, where they had party sweets; like fingers of fudge and curly wurlys for sale, as well as cartons of juice and bottles of water, crisps and other snacks, and variety of hot food available in ready-made boxes. We had just had lunch before we arrived, but the bacon baps smelt great! This was a great feature, as Stanmer Park is somewhat out of the way, so if you did suddenly find yourself a little peckish you could rely on getting some food!

There was also a decent bar in the tent, which sadly I didn’t get to explore as I was driving. This area also got busy very quickly, unsurprisingly, although service seemed to be really quick!

Once T exhausted all the activities available, we decided to have a little dance on the dance floor. Here is where everyone was popping bubbles, playing with streamers, or simply dancing with their giant balloons. It was a really lovely atmosphere, taking me back to a variety of tents at Camp Bestival, with everyone getting in the spirit and generally all wanting to have fun with minimal tears! It felt really safe and I didn’t worry when T went off for a stroll around the tent.

T really didn’t know what to do at times, especially as this was his first time doing something like this. He really seemed to enjoy watching others more than getting his groove on, although he eventually got the hang of it and had a little boogie towards the end. We stayed in the tent for around an hour and then made our way outside to play (after raiding the tuck shop).

I’d really recommend giving one of the many BFLF events a go – they’re really fun and they certainly get you in the festival spirit. Even if you’re not that into clubs music, there’s plenty of other activities to keep you busy and you soon find yourself tapping your feet.