Although a bit knackered after raving at Notting Hill Carnival the day before, the Babes massive were excited to head to Hampton Court for the Jolly Day Out festival.
In the tradition of new boutique family festivals springing up all over the Capital, this four-day event promised high times for young and old, ranging from live acts (Imelda May, McFly, Bjorn Again) to Charlie & Lola on stage.
I won’t lie, the big draw for me was Singalonga Sound of Music – a mass sing-song to one of my favourite films from childhood (you’d be alarmed by just how many Nigerians I know that grew up watching the Von Trapp saga).
I’d invited my sister-in-law and baby (main pic), along with a friend and her 5-year-old boy. On entry, my friend looked around and said, ‘So it’s a funfair then?’
The fairground did seem to be hogging the spotlight and of course the boys couldn’t wait to get on the rides. The cars, that is, definitely not those water bubble things!
But actually there were other attractions that proved equally if not more popular – such as the Science Museum tent or the circus skills workshops, now a staple at family events.
The Henry the Apes tournament, where kids rolled giant monkey balls around, bounced on space hoppers and threw wellies at gorilla targets, was a huge hit.
Apparently the weekend had been rammed with McFly headlining but Monday was not too crowded. It was easy to find Mummy’s Busy World blogger Little M and his grown-ups, Maria and Brian, who hung with us part of the day.
Jolly Day Out had a relaxed, village fete style atmosphere with barefoot kids lolling about on the grass and ‘country aromas’ filling the air.
By 5.30pm the crowd, including a few nuns, gathered at the main stage for Singalonga Sound of Music.
We were given props (e.g. plastic flowers to wave around during Edelweiss) and stage directions and we had a whale of a time, singing along to old faves like Do Re Mi, booing at Nazis and pulling party poppers when Captain and Maria kissed. The boys were hooked throughout.
Final thoughts? I was somewhat underwhelmed by the range of entertainment on offer and would have liked to see more stuff that adults and kids could do together, as well as activities for a wider variety of ages. Also I did hear quite a few parents grumbling about having spent £25 on entry tickets only to be hit with rides costing multiple tokens of £1.
This seems to be a common complaint at an increasing number of family events and I believe a more wallet-friendly, less profit-hungry approach would actually pay off big time for event organisers.
On the whole, however, everyone I spoke to had fun and there was high praise for the fireworks finale that rounded off the Sound of Music. It was a truly spectacular end to the day.
**Thanks to the organisers for hosting us at this event.
Visit Jolly Day Out for further info
Taking the Kids to Notting Hill Carnival
