I park in the grassy reserve next to today's destination, SPARK Ipswich's Little Day Out festival right next to the Ripley Town Centre shopping centre in Ipswich.
DJ Ash was meant to open the party at 9am, but word on the grass is they couldn't make it. That meant that the Official Welcome and Leichhardt State School Deadly Dancers got things started instead. I can hear it all going down, but I'm stuck in a slow-moving sea of prams and parents queuing to get in.I did spot the dancers later, though – decked out in their earthy-coloured outfits with hand prints on their black tees. They still radiate that stage energy as they mingle through the crowd, posing for photos mob proud.
By 9:30am, the Urban Utilities Water Warriors are up on the main stage, wrangling kids into saving water like it's the most heroic act in the universe; including the important message about the only three things that should be flushed down the loo!
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
Meanwhile, I'm making my way over to Triangle House where craft tents are buzzing with all kinds of sensory magic. Tiny fingers and wide eyes are in kaleidoscope heaven. Even the big humans are queuing for a geezer – there's a lot of 'wow' moments upon peeking inside the black boxes.
Nearby, over at Creative Kids Brisbane, soft clay chunks are being handed out to tactile loving creatives. Their determined little hands are turning the pliable chunks into happy flower pots, bowls and other yet to be named master pieces.
There's muted blues, splashes of red and even rainbow paint being blobbed on thick. Proud grins are peeking out from the sides of their mouths. I nearly get paint spattered by an enthusiastic elbow.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
It's just before 10am and I hear Junkyard Beats are smashing it on the main stage –literally. A pack of two-foot-tall moshers get in close to the stage, to get right into this one. I make it back to the stage in time to see a booming percussive set that's part bin chicken ballet, part backyard banger.
These kids are loving it – some joining in from the grass with imaginary drumsticks. It's chaotic. It's joyful. It's excellent. After all that noise, I duck back to find something a little more low-key.
The Ipswich Art Gallery's Build A Bee station is getting swarmed – in the best way. Little ones are whipping up pipe cleaner and paper bees with a fresh pair of black and yellow striped socks as the bee body. They walk away grinning, clutching their creations.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
Over at Little Green Thumbs, the pace slows to garden time. Kids are gently (not all) planting seedlings and patting down soil like it's an enchanted material. Looks like I'm now toting home a tomato plant for one little Miss that's become my partner in crime today.
Face-painters at two different stations are going absolutely ham. Parents and guardians are patiently queuing so their tiny tots and older siblings can have their faces decorated. A little miss waiting patiently for her sister to get flowers on her forehead, had a cutesy colourful crescent moon also with flowers on the side of her teeny face.
She kept smiling at me except when my eyes disappeared behind my camera to take her photo. Oh well. Another kid glides past me, painted in a full sparkly rainbow and possibly riding an invisible unicorn.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
Over on the other side, at Wildlings Forest School, there's a pocket of forest-y mischief tucked under the tall marquees. Kids are cubby-building with logs and tarps, painting seedpods, and making nature jewellery tied with soft yarn that looks like something a bush elf might wear to a rave.
Just before 10:30am Blue Tac takes the stage – bringing high-energy chaos and interactive joy. 'Jump In The Pool' is an ear worm if ever I heard one and I swear the littlies dance moves are replicating a foam noodle sword battle. There's yelling. There's at least one interpretive dance happening to a song about our every school day super hero the 'Lollipop Lady'.
After that wild ride ends with a tonne of fuzz through the amps, I wander past Little Locals' sensory tent – an oasis of cushions and soft textures that must feel like a bubble wrap hug for overstimulated sprogs.
A mum who stops me for a chat tells me the Silent Disco has been absolutely going off – dozens of kids locked in their own dance battles, writhing to beats only they can hear. She tells me she joined to bust a move like nobody's watching. Except they were! See, there's something for everyone at Little Day Out!
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
I move on to the Dino Discoveries zone, little hands poking around prehistoric puzzles and play pits with toys, while librarian are gently weaving learning into all the roaring.
I take the time to chat to more parents who without any prompting are singing the festival's praises – many are first timers (not me, I'm third year running lol). The consensus is there's nowhere else on earth that a $5 ticket can buy so much bang for the buck!
I missed it, but one Aunty tells me the unsung hero of the day is a free fruit table. Where wholesome goodness is being handed out like little edible medals of honour. Clearly the quiet MVP, I'd say.
11am arrives and with it, the headliners – Dirtgirl's Garden Party. The stage is blooming in every way as the four female characters perform for the fans. There's garden banter, praise for bringing along reusable water bottles and sing-alongs to 'Change'. A bunch of kids swarm like bees to a musical flower, spinning and singing and shrieking with joy to their song about five bees.
Dirtgirl has the crowd in the palm of their grubby, gardening-gloved hands; or should I say, soles of their gumboots when 'Gumboot Boogie' brings the funk, kids singing "splish, splash". It's chaos – but in the name of fun, and firmly rooted in joy.
Image © Clea-marie Thorne
When it's all said and danced and planted and painted, it's clear that Little Day Out isn't just about keeping the kids busy for a morning – it's about growing something much bigger.
Between the beats and the biodegradable glitter, there are gentle, joyful lessons in recycling, growing your own food, making something with your hands, and treating this shared planet with a bit more care. There's space for chaos and calm, music and mud, disco and dirt – and somehow it all works in harmony.
It's rare to find something this rich, this wholesome, and this ridiculously fun for not much more than a gold coin. No wonder the first session sold out.
I have zero doubt session two will be a banger too – because when kids are learning through laughter and play, and parents are smiling with their coffee cups instead of just surviving the day, something good is happening. Honestly? This is what community festivals should feel like.
More photos from the concert.
