Techno, trance and house is played quietly enough for babies at Big Fish Little Fish. Photograph: Stephanie Malkoun

Big Fish Little Fish started in London in 2013 with the slogan 2-4 hour party people. On Sunday afternoons, big-name DJs play family-friendly timeslots at licensed premises a welcome antidote to the nauseating mums and bubs activities that fill suburban libraries and yoga studios on weekdays. The events soon spread across the UK and this weekend past, they launched in Australia. Our family was intrigued.

My partner spent his youth raving in London, and devoted several summers to chasing sound systems across Europe. Hes now a 40-year-old father of two who plays classic rave anthems to the newborn. The six-year-old was keen to go because the event promised bubbles, dancing and face paint but at two weeks postpartum, I was less convinced. Taking a newborn to a rave didnt exactly sound like a relaxing Sunday.

At 2pm, Melbournes La Di Da is packed, but the atmosphere is genial, relaxed and wholesome. Half the brightly dressed clubbers totter around at knee height, wide-eyed and ecstatic as if someone spiked the cordial. Parents take selfies to capture this milestone: their familys first rave. A teething baby gnaws on a glowstick. Apparently the biggest security problem is baby shoes going missing on the dancefloor.

Techno, trance and house is played quietly enough for tiny ears. Thanks to a quality PA system, it still sounds rich and bass-heavy. The headline DJ Jamie Stevens is known for playing at grown-up music festivals, and I throw some shapes in an arrhythmic, motherly fashion.

My partner looks at ease bouncing to Underworld, while the newborn sleeps on his chest in a harness

Its hard to cut loose while trying to avoid kneeing a child in the face, plus my daughter keeps tugging at my hem to beg for money to buy cupcakes. I fantasise briefly about creche facilities. But it feels uplifting to dance, as if my body is waking from the hibernation of pregnancy.

The line for face painting is longer than the bar queue. I had expected to see some heavy boozing, but the parents seem to be pacing themselves. Champagne is popular, befitting the mood of tentative, responsible celebration.

Everyone at the event is either under six or over 35. Some parents look like theyve come straight from supervising their kids footy match, but many have dug out their old reflective baggy trousers and furry waistcoats. There are plenty of dads, which is refreshing when so many family activities are targeted to women. I overhear one father reminiscing that he took his now-wife to this same nightclub on their first date.

It seems to be a bonding opportunity, where couples can relive their pre-kids days without forking out for a babysitter. In the UK, music festivals such as Camp Bestival have been tapping into this market for years, and Australia is finally catching up. While cuddling his baby on the dancefloor, one of the DJs tells me he is thrilled to play a gig that his family can attend. My partner looks at ease bouncing to Underworld, while the newborn sleeps on his chest in a harness.

The clock strikes 4pm and, as a finale, a parachute is unfurled over the dancefloor. Kids lose their minds with glee as their parents hold them aloft.

As we walk to the car, the six-year-old says she enjoyed the parachute and drinking a fizzy drink the most. My partner says the event reminded him of the 90s club night Whirl-Y-Gig. Oh, and the newborn? She has slept through the whole event a sure sign of her approval.

Mark Dynamix is DJing the Sydney launch of Big Fish Little Fish at Portugal Madeira Club in Marrickville on Saturday 24 June. A second Melbourne event, on 23 July, is already sold out

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'Techno trance for tiny ears': taking your newborn to a rave - The Guardian (blog)