Big Fish Little Fish

DadSeptember 15, 2016

So after the preview post here, the debut of Big Fish Little Fish in Leeds finally arrived. Held in the Warehouse nightclub in Leeds, we arrived at 2pm on the dot to find the queue was about 50 deep already . Other were streaming in behind us, clearly not quite knowing where the venue was as it as clearly been a fair few years since we went clubbing!!

A couple of doormen checked people off the guest list and we went in, still not quite knowing what to expect. As we entered the main dance floor, the bar was already busy to one end. As such, we decided to go straight for the face-painters, knowing that the key to a child’s happiness is actually having their face painted! Although the queue was about 20 deep, the two painters were really quick and the line kept moving quickly!

So now I have a 3 year old with a face of a cat and a dress full of frogs (to go with the animal theme!) we decided not to actually explore, but have a little dance for a bit. Although DJ Mixmaster Morris was a bit late due to train delay, the music still flowed from the Big Fish Little Fish stage. However, the music wasn’t kiddie music, it was normal dance music. It was normal Saturday night music (well, how I would imagine because it has been a while…!)

There was no party games, or synchronised dancing/singing. As a result, you didn’t feel as though you were going to miss anything if you wandered around. This is a bit different to the events that some Leeds based companies hold, so don’t try to compare the two!!

Soon, the human dynamo Verena (because I tried to catch a word with her throughout, but she never stopped working the event!) started the bubble machine down from the first floor, onto the dance floor. The glitter gun followed and this caused great joy for the kids. This was especially so as they seemed to happen every 15 minutes or so!

After a bit of dancing, we decided to explore a little. Upstairs was the chill out area for the babies. It was absolutely lovely up there with soft play for crawlers and a nice quiet atmosphere. Heidi was a bit old for there, which was a bit of a shame. However,it is only fair for the little ones to have their space!!

Hidden away in the basement was the crafts area, alongside a limited number of tents etc for the older children to play in. Crafts with a 3 year old is difficult, even more with upbeat music going on. It was nigh on impossible with dimmed lights on!! How we made our paper plate snake is beyond me. How it stayed in one piece afterwards is another miracle! Maybe the best thing is to do the crafts bit just before leaving!

The final bit of Big Fish Little Fish entertainment were some ice lollies made from real fruit. We had the strawberry one and it was amazing! Probably even more amazing as it was warm in there. There was also a bun stall. We didn’t buy any, but once Heidi saw the buns, her mind was well and truly off dancing!!

Strawberry ice lolly from “the nice lolly co”

All in all, we were at Big Fish Little Fish for just over 90 minutes. We were pretty tired by then as there isn’t really anywhere to sit down, as the idea is that you do dance a bit! The venue was busy, but not crowded and certainly not dangerous. Too few people and you wouldn’t get a good atmosphere. I did see a couple of babies wear proper ear protectors and that was a really good idea. The music is loud, but not deafening to adults, but for babies, you might want to be safe. I did notice someone checking the volume levels throughout the building, which was a good sign.

The part which I thought long and hard about was the fact that there is a bar serving alcoholic drinks. Obviously with some cultures, this might not sit well. It might seem a little strange that there is a bar and people drinking at an event aimed for 0-8 year olds. However, no-one was getting drunk or even tipsy. Everyone knew that they had a responsibility to their children and everyone elses.

However, the fact that they served alcohol and played “normal” music means that this is an event where you can take your child (obviously!) but invite along a couple of friends who don’t have children and who you don’t get to socialise with enough. The event is certainly more adult focused than child focused and so it is an opportunity to be like a normal adult, whilst taking your child out as well!