Yesterday was my second and SPARK Ipswich's fourth annual Little Day Out festival event.
Staged at Ripley Town Centre (14 July), little rockers' parents and chaperones could choose between a 9am or 1pm session – with both sessions selling out. Luckily both sessions received a live music set from 2024's headliners, Junior Burger (aka by mums and dads as Burger Joint).I get a park easy-peasy right adjacent to the site and make my entry. Festival goers have wasted no time getting into the full swing of everything this little festival has to offer.
After a session put on by the Deadly Dancers on the main stage, young punters are keeping the dance momentum going by getting their groove on in front of the stage and elsewhere around the site, to The Smashing Bumpkins.
The Smashing Bumpkins have a bunch of musical genres covered as they encourage dance with instructions to anyone who will listen and wants to find their feet and boogie on down with their music.
The Smashing Bumpkins - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Little ones wiggle hips, shake their legs and make their hokey-pokey moves all to country and folk rock, pub rock and even some metal thrown in for little headbangers – "ya put ya head in, ya put ya head out..." – you get it.
The kids love watching the musicians play their instruments and there is an air guitar and air drums spotted in the wings of the crowd. Oh, and the violin is a hit with some of the little girls at the front!
This quirky and very talented ensemble has a contagious energy that is infecting little ones so much that the new arrivals don't need much encouragement to join in and follow on with the dance instructions or just do their own jive.
They are having a great time under the most glorious blue winter sky as are the others who are quite happy to hang back and soak up the atmosphere and listen to the music from colourful bean bags and huge picnic blankies under the many large umbrellas provided by the event organisers. Wherever you are in the site, you can hear The Smashing Bumpkins give you real rocking songs for rollicking to. Riff on!
Not only has the weather served up a glorious day, but vendors are serving up food and drink to fulfil all our brunch cuisine and beverage needs from sweet to savoury and a little bit in between. Punters are queuing for their fix: some for coffee (I'd be one), and others set their sights on the mini pancakes, burgers, tacos, nachos, pizza, popcorn or ice cream. I noticed there are vegan options and gluten and dairy-free choices too.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
Under shady marquees erected on the boundary of the event site are a bunch of free activities for the kiddos. Children can make their own crafted hanging mobile, paint on a communal mural, whack on a set of headphones and head into the silent disco that is fitted out with a mirrored disco ball too!
It may be winter, but sunburn does not stop no matter the temperature and it is great to see Little Day Out bucket hats everywhere! Looks like we may be creating merch marauders of the future, you just watch.
It is so good that all the activities are undercover as well, except, of course, the likes of the mural, the garden stand where you can pot your own plant or the bubble stations. Yes, bubbles! There is a lovely lady in a red and white polka dot dress roaming around with a bucket of bubble liquid and a special bubble wand that makes many big bubbles all at one time.
I believe she might be a mushroom fairy – but I cannot be sure. She encourages the littles to jump and chase her bubbles and this inspires them to craft their bubble stick to use in one of the bubble stations placed around the festival.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
The gentle wind makes it easy for the real little ones to get some decent bubbles happening as when they lift their wand out of the bubble liquid, the wind does all the hard work for them. Others are learning how to blow them themselves – there are so many giggles to be heard, it is delightful.
No one can miss the two performers on giant stilts roving around. They deftly manoeuvre among the crowd scattered on rugs and bean bags and wooden box seats. I catch my breath hoping they do not come crashing down as they are even taller than the large shade umbrellas.
Little ones hold no fear and raise their hands to wave hello and the performers stop for them. They even pose while parents take photos of their children with them. I see if the children are lucky and IF they are brave enough, the performers each take one of their hands and give them a handheld swing way up high between them, before returning them safely and gently to their loved ones on the ground. What fun!
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
Charlie & The Bin Chicken are next up on the big stage. Along with their silly skits and song and dance, their performance is teaching kids all about the environment. What a fun way to learn.
The kids are being taught that we are ALL responsible for properly discarding waste and cleaning up the garbage – and that means ANY garbage, not just our own. Rubbish (clean stuff) is even brought out the front and the children get to learn how to pick it up, sort it and put it in the bin.
The young punters also learn how the Ibis is misunderstood (even jailed for alleged crimes – for this performance. Ha!) Your children should get to a Charlie & The Bin Chicken show if they missed this one; it's informative but more importantly it's super fun and super silly in the best way.
I check out some more activity tents, and watch some young boys and girls learning how to safely handle hand tools to saw and drill mini logs. Others are painting and creating with nature's gifts, such as seed pods, dry flowers, leaves, twigs and whatnot. Such a great way for kids to explore their creativity.
Young imaginations are further unleashed through the dinosaur-themed tent where little ones can play in the sand pit, get a dinosaur headband, play with toy dinosaurs and puppets, read books and so much more. Many real little ones didn't want to leave this one spot – no tanties, but some got close I reckon. Beware, parents and guardians!
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
It's time for the headliners. Junior Burger hit the stage to a very rowdy welcome. Uncle T-Bone and Uncle G take no time to start dishing up the real concert experience and with each song, more kids are coming towards the front of the stage and sinking their teeth into the live music experience – it is so good. My heart is full.
The funky sounds imprint the lyrics of 'Help Your Mum' that remind kids to pitch in to clean up the dishes and corroborating the key theme from Charlie and the Bin Chickens, they give us 'Bin Night'. We now know if we forget which coloured bin lid needs to go out, then heck, just put 'em all out! Problem solved.
With only a few songs to go, Junior Burger invites four Little Day Out patrons onto the stage to bust a move and rock out. One little girl in pink is breakdancing like she might be a distant relative of one of the '80s Rock Steady Crew.
While the other three are busting their moves in good old rock and punk style moves with energetic bouncing and jumping – what style they have and all go-for-show! Not one shy one amongst them. Even two of the Smashing Bumpkins came to dance at the side of the stage to Junior Burger's rock and roll feast.
Junior Burger - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Young minds are being captivated by the catchy tunes as Junior Burger casts an invisible web of intrigue that has the little ones and even some of their parents and caregivers in on the action. Little ones are jumping, clapping, and singing along and even singing mondegreens if they don't know the words – super cute.
Mini moshers are here today in the making and to real rock, by dead-set legends that usually dish out tunes for us oldies in the crowd at adult events. These kids do not know how good they've got it. Junior Burger even teaches them how to call for an encore. They don't have to work too hard to get it.
I mean we got Romper Room ditties and they get the likes of true rockers like Junior Burger and Smashing Bumpkins this year and Bunny Racket last year. How freaking cool? Awesome! Why would you not teach 'em how to call for an encore?
I tell ya the dreary Play School sing-alongs and the like are no longer needed. They are redundant I say and the Ibis can have them or better still, Junior Burger has shown us why we might just want to put 'em out on 'Bin Night'. I trust that the pm session will be just as big of a knockout bite-size experience for the next round of little punters.
Little Day Out is providing an event for the next generations of children to experience the joy of cool and groovy live music at such a young age. Not any old live music I might add, the good stuff; no, the awesome stuff, from real talented musicians. The phan-tastic vocals, the riffs, the rolls, the thumps and oh yeah, the solos.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
Little Day Out mini punters are getting a solid foundation to grow a love for live music and might be the ones to keep live music alive for future generations. No doubt they will be hard taskmasters for bands of their generation as they will recognise and appreciate real talented musicians and song arrangements played live, from being exposed at such a tender age.
So much earlier than most of us would have. I bet this will also make some of them the ones to make the future music.
Little Day Out is a place and space where fun knows no bounds and where anything when put to live rocking music just might become possible. I think as a little one I would have liked a whole lot of rock with my education and learning and the chance to learn funky dance moves.
What about the chance to show off cool moves on a stage with a live band (Junior Burger) in front of a huge crowd?! Priceless. It is also a fully immersive festival experience that comes with a bit of the stuff some dreams are made of.
More photos from the festival.
