Tim Hughes looks forward to an afternoon of clubbing, taking old-skool raving to a pre-school generation

DOES the patter of tiny feet mean the end of clubbing?

What is the hardened dance music lover supposed to do when they find themselves swapping the glow sticks and face glitter for baby grows and Farley's rusks?

For the more responsible members of society, the onset of parenthood can put a full stop to all those nights strutting on podiums, sticking our arms in the air. But one group of dance music lovers has come to the rescue, in the unlikely shape of the family rave.

Big Fish Little Fish have won awards for their indoor parties which serve up the big tunes and good times beloved of us clubbers, but make them accessible to a generation better acquainted with Twirlywoos to Tiesto, and Octonauts to Orbital.

This Sunday, they bring their first indoor family mini-festival to The Glee Club – for an afternoon aimed squarely at 2-4 hour party people (2-4pm, that is).

Catering for parents with kids aged 0-8, the club night... sorry, afternoon... has been a fixture in the capital since 2013, was voted Best Family Event for the past two years running at the National Family Arts Festival, and is in the top 10 of Time Out London's 101 Best Things to do with Kids in London.

So what is their secret? "At the heart of our events is a DJ playing quality dance music aimed at the adults," says Anna Emery, who is organising the Oxford event.

That DJ is old skool legend Glenn Aston, who was resident at London’s first all-night legal dance event Raindance.

"Our family rave includes a multi-sensory dance floor with club visuals, bubble machines, glitter cannons, huge bouncy balloons and a giant parachute dance helping to create the atmosphere of a real rave," she adds.

"We also have a play area with tents and tunnels, a safe-space for babies with a ball pool and soft mats, alongside a high quality themed craft area with a colouring mural and a Playdough table."

There's also a bar.

Anna went to her first family rave in Hackney before leaving London after having children. She has two boys, aged two and one.

“My boys loved it," she laughs. "They were waving their little glow sticks around, loved the lights and the bubbles, and of course cakes. My eldest was happily in and out of the tents and tunnels in the play area while the baby was in the mini-ball pool in the baby space.”

Big Fish Little Fish was set up by Hannah Saunders in Brixton in 2013.

“Hannah is an old raver, big festival goer and clubber,” says Anna.

“She was going to baby groups and finding she wasn’t doing anything that she really wanted to do, and it was all about the children, so she decided to set something up for families that both the grown-ups and the kids could enjoy together.

“They happen on Sunday afternoons so there’s no late night involved. They’re just about everyone getting on the dance floor and having a good time listening to some fantastic tunes. And the sound levels are checked to make sure they are safe for even the smallest ears.”

She adds: “I cannot wait to bring Big Fish Little Fish to Oxford. I’m hoping to see lots of Oxford rave mums and dads letting their hair down and throwing some shapes with their little ones on the dance floor!

"I’m also looking forward to working with all the talented local DJs and performers, as well as bringing in the occasional star DJ from further afield.”

Hannah agrees, saying: “I am so pleased that Big Fish Little Fish is launching in Oxford.

"The city has a great music tradition – Radiohead, Supergrass, Foals – that has soundtracked my life, and regularly pulls in techno legends like Levon Vincent. Plus our friends at Bestival ran the new Common People festival this year. It seems like the people of Oxford are up for the party – bring on the Big Fish Little Fish family ravers. See you on the dance floor!”

And how does club legend Glenn Aston feel about playing to 500 parents and children on a Sunday afternoon in Oxford? “I’m really looking forward to it," he says. "I’ll be dropping a selection of classic house and old-skool rave tracks. It’s great to be part of something that helps to keep people of all ages involved in the scene, and introduce the music to a new generation.”

* Big Fish Little Fish, The Glee Club/Wahoo on Sunday, from 2-4.30pm.

Go to bigfishlittlefishevents.co.uk

Top 10 family rave tunes

Voodoo Ray – Guy Called Gerald

Incredible – M Beat feat. General Levy

Circles – Adam F

Yeke Yeke (Hardfloor Mix) – Mory Kante

Bombscare – 2 Bad Mice

Rip Groove – Double 99

I’ll House You – Jungle Brothers

Dooms Night (Timo Maas mix) – Azzido De Bass

Superstylin’ (Skool of Thought Remix) – Groove Armada

Chime – Orbital