Parents say raving with their kids brings 'joy'

A couple say raving together at their favourite event is what made their late daughter "light up" and they now want to encourage other families to do the same.

Sue and Jesse, from Bristol, said the event Junior Jungle became a "big part of their lives" once they realised how much joy it brought to their daughter Ella who passed away in 2023, after living with a rare, genetic disorder.

Co-founders of the event Nick Terrific and Rocky Patch from Bristol said it is "empowering" and "healing" for children, including people like Ella, to dance with their parents.

Sue said: "Ella got so much joy out of it. We didn't have many things to look forward to together."

"Ella couldn't walk or talk, but she would sit up in our laps at the front," she said.

"There's not a lot of things she could access, but this was one of them."

Jesse said it it was one of those times where her face would "really light up".

The couple explained how excited they were to find an event that encouraged parents to rave with their children.

"There's events for kids and events for adults, but none for them together.

"The boys brought a lot of positivity into our lives", Jesse added.

Fran Hennessy, from Leeds, who often visits her sister in Bristol said families that "rave together stay together".

"I think it's really important that parents and kids dance more together. What Junior Jungle do is needed," she said.

Ms Hennessy said she discovered Junior Jungle at Shambala Festival with her family and daughter and have been "fans ever since".

"I've taken my mum and want to take my dad.

"It's brought us closer together as a family. Their YouTube channel was also the only thing that kept us going through lockdown.

"It's great that people don't have to stop raving when they have kids," she added.

The family rave event was initially created for a Theaster Gates art installation in Bristol called Sanctum in 2015.

Since then, actor and host Rocky Patch said it has been important for him to help more families connect with each other on their dance floors.

"You see the parents and their kids come out of their shells. We do it for that - for the joy," he said.

"Every mummy and daddy have got to have their drum and bass moment and so does every kid.

"It's also empowering for kids to see their parents acting like children".

DJ Nick Terrific said: "It's a real rave for the whole family, we just put the kids at the front.

"You are there to dance, and parents love rinsing out while their kids are rinsing out."

He said his daughter Willow was another inspiration behind the project because it allowed them to make some special memories together - something he wanted other parents to have access to.

"Willow called it a jungle party, that's where the name came from," he added.

The Junior Jungle team will celebrate their 10th anniversary at the Bristol Beacon on Saturday.

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