When Heather Murphy had her first child she looked forward to visiting the zoo, the children’s museum and other family friendly places. But she was concerned that the junk food, gift shops and merchandising were overly commercial for children. And while the kids-only activities were fun for her son Max, she would have also enjoyed a more “adult-relevant” experience. So Murphy created Baby Disco as a way for kids and big people to have fun together. She rented a local club for a Saturday afternoon, decorated it with balloons and equipped it with a bubble machine, diaper changing station, egg shakers, healthy treats, and a professional DJ to spin disco tunes. Two hundred people attended the first Baby Disco event.
Just over two years later, Baby Loves Disco has spread from Philadelphia to eighteen U.S. cities, and will soon head over to Europe to open in London, Manchester and Amsterdam. Parents can enjoy a glass of wine while their little ones nosh on crackers and string cheese. Local businesses provide parents with on site pampering including massages and facials. Baby Loves Disco hires local parents to organize the dance parties, gives them a share of the profits and helps them with their first event. Toys, giveaways, insurance, cleaning and food run between USD 2,000 to USD 4,000 per event, says co-founder Andy Hurwitz. Organizers keep expenses low by contracting with nightclubs, which are normally empty during the day, and offering them a percentage of ticket sales.
Given BLD’s expansive growth over the past few years, mom- and dadpreneurs might want to set up something similar in their own city, getting local business owners to offer samples of their services or wares at the events. And why not offer baby discos as an alternative to kids’ birthday parties? Legions of parents will no doubt thank you.
Website: www.babylovesdisco.com
Contact: info@babylovesdisco.com
Spotted by: Sarah Rottenberg
A very similar concept, that's also catching on and spreading from its origin in Austin, is Rock-n-Romp.
From their website: "Rock-n-Romp is a DC-area family friendly concert series showcasing fantastic local musicians and bands. Shows are held during the day in a relaxed, kid-safe environment. The volume might be low, but the music is designed for parents and kids both in mind. Kids enjoy the music, experiment with instruments, dance, or just enjoy the other activities available to them, and parents get the ever-so-rare opportunity to listen to great live music and enjoy a beer with other parents. Romps give parents who miss their social life a chance to get out, enjoy some music that might be new to them, and expose their kids to great bands in a safe, friendly environment."
http://rocknromp.com
This concept already exists in Amsterdam: Family Fever, on sundays from 2 p.m. tot 6 p.m. in a well known and hip club in Amsterdam (called Panama). They play kids' music, top-40 en disco classics, with a maximum of 80 decibel, so it doesn't harm the kids' ears. Non-smoking, and with al kinds of activities for kids and parents. On the first occasion, 28 january 2007, there were 400 people. Second time will be held on 9 april 2007.
http://www.familyfever.nl
An organization in Toronto called "Bunch" recently started up Family Dance Parties, hosted at The Drake Hotel (a very trendy bar/club) every few months. They get professional dj's, mix up the themes, and add kid friendly food, drink & other activities beyond dancing. They've also started extending their event offerings with "Bunch Rocks" concerts for families and recently hosted the first "Bunch Salon" - an opportunity for kids and their parents to interact with an enjoy art, music, reading, poetry, etc.
A great activity for families that don't want to "dumb down" the entertainment experiences they share - fun for both the kids & the parents, exposes kids to new experiences that aren't "typical."
http://www.bunchfamily.ca