Festival Soft Play Children’s Entertainment

Music is playing, food traders are busy, families are moving around the site and somewhere a toddler has decided that sitting down is no longer an option. Festivals are exciting places for children, but younger visitors need activities that suit their age, energy levels and way of playing.

Dancing Cubs provides mobile Soft Play for festivals, fairs, community celebrations and large events throughout London. We can create dedicated play areas with substantial soft play equipment, Ball Ponds, Toys & Big Games and more than 100 metres of White Fencing available to help define children’s activity zones.

From local summer festivals and borough events to large music events attracting thousands of visitors, we work with organisers who want to include suitable entertainment for babies, toddlers and young children.

Giving younger festival visitors somewhere to play

A festival site can contain music stages, bars, food traders, workshops, queues, seating areas and activities aimed at older children and adults. Babies and toddlers experience the same event very differently.

A dedicated soft play area gives younger children a space where the equipment has been selected with them in mind. They can crawl, climb, investigate shapes, play alongside other children and spend time in a ball pond while parents and carers remain nearby.

Our How Children Play on Soft Play, The Benefits of Soft Play and What’s the Point of Play? pages look more closely at why movement, exploration and free play matter to young children.

Commercial soft play for busy festival environments

Festival equipment needs to cope with a very different pattern of use from a small private party. Children may arrive throughout the day, play for a while, leave and be replaced by another group of visitors.

Our mobile soft play equipment is made for commercial use and regular children’s events. The substantial shapes within our Soft Play Packages provide opportunities for active play, while Soft Play Climbing Frames can add climbing, crawling and sliding activities to larger setups.

We have equipment in different sizes, themes and colour combinations, allowing organisers to choose a play area that suits the available space, expected audience and style of event.

White picket fencing for festival play areas

At a large event, clearly defining the children’s play area can be particularly useful. Dancing Cubs has more than 100 metres of White Fencing available for hire.

The fencing is designed for children’s play areas, sits flush to the ground and can be arranged around soft play, ball ponds and other toddler activities. It creates a visible boundary between the play space and surrounding walkways, seating areas and festival activity.

The amount and arrangement of fencing required will depend on the layout of the site and the equipment being hired. Organisers can Contact Us to discuss the practical requirements of their family area.

Soft play for music festivals

Families attend music festivals of many different sizes, from major multi-day events to neighbourhood festivals in London parks. Providing entertainment for younger children can make the family offering more useful for parents and carers spending several hours at the event.

Dancing Cubs has experience providing children’s play equipment at larger events, festivals and public celebrations. You can read more about Festival Soft Play and Large Musical Festivals when planning entertainment for younger visitors.

The photographs on this page show our mobile soft play equipment at a music festival in Tooting, London. More examples of our work can be found in the regularly updated Gallery.

Community festivals, fairs and family events

Not every festival has headline bands and thousands of visitors. Community fairs, school celebrations, cultural events, council activities and seasonal festivals also bring families together.

Our Winter Fair, Fetes, Festival and More range contains ideas for organisers planning public and community events. Depending on the venue and season, soft play can be combined with Bouncy Castles, ball ponds and other children’s entertainment.

For businesses arranging staff festivals or large family days, Corporate Fun Day Entertainment For Toddlers and Soft Play Hire For Corporate Events in London may also be useful.

Ball ponds at festivals

Ball ponds provide a different activity from climbing frames and soft play shapes. Some children want to keep moving, while others are happy to spend much of their visit sitting among the balls, filling containers, moving balls around or playing alongside other children.

Dancing Cubs has a substantial range of Ball Ponds, including different colours, themes and sizes suitable for varied event layouts.

Because children play directly among the balls, their upkeep requires particular attention. Our specialist Ball Pool Cleaning equipment helps us clean and maintain our stock between hires.

Planning for indoor and outdoor festival spaces

Festival soft play is not limited to open fields and parks. Family activity areas can also be created inside marquees, halls, exhibition buildings, leisure centres and other covered spaces.

The surface, access arrangements, available dimensions and expected weather conditions all need to be considered before equipment is selected. Our Setting Up Indoors and Setting Up Outdoors pages provide more information about the practical differences between the two environments.

If space is limited, organisers can also browse Small Spaces for more compact equipment options.

Risk assessments and method statements for festival organisers

Large events often involve detailed planning requirements and multiple contractors working on the same site. Event organisers may require documentation relating to equipment, delivery procedures and setup arrangements.

Our hires are supported by risk assessments and method statements, and we work with organisers to understand relevant access information, event timings and practical site requirements before the booking.

Our Safe Play Guidelines, Delivery & Collection and FAQs provide further information for organisers considering Dancing Cubs equipment.

We handle delivery, setup and collection

Organising a festival involves enough moving parts without adding soft play transportation to the list. Dancing Cubs arranges the delivery, setup and collection of the hired play equipment.

We ask organisers to provide clear information about vehicle access, unloading arrangements, distances to the setup area, surfaces, event operating times and collection requirements.

Our experience working at London events helps us plan for the practical challenges presented by parks, pedestrianised areas, hotels, offices, public venues and larger event sites.

Festival soft play hire throughout London

Our London Soft Play Hire service covers events throughout the capital, including Central London, North London, South London, East London and West London.

We also provide children’s entertainment in individual boroughs and neighbourhoods, including Lewisham, Lambeth, Chelsea and Hackney.

Whether your event takes place in a London park, leisure centre, community venue, festival marquee or large outdoor site, we can help you consider suitable play equipment for the space available.

Long-term festival and event installations

Some organisations need children’s play equipment for longer than a single festival day. Seasonal attractions, visitor venues, exhibitions and extended family programmes may require equipment for several days, weeks or longer.

Dancing Cubs provides Long Term Soft Play Hire and works with organisations planning Play Installations & Exhibitions.

These services may suit leisure centres, museums, visitor attractions and organisations running extended summer or seasonal programmes.

Plan children’s entertainment for your next festival

Festival audiences include visitors of many different ages. Providing suitable activities for babies, toddlers and young children can help make a family area more practical and give younger visitors a place designed around the way they play.

Browse our Soft Play, Play Equipment, Ball Ponds and White Fencing, or view examples of previous setups in our Gallery.

For help planning the size, equipment and layout of a children’s play area, visit Contact Us and speak with Dancing Cubs about your festival or large event.