A "toddler rave" is coming to Tampa Bay
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DJ Lenny Pearce has appropriate props for the song "Five Little Ducks." Photo: Trey Karson
Picture this: A concert venue filled with glow sticks, dance beats — and tiny hands in the air.
- That's a "Toddler Rave," and it's Australian DJ Lenny Pearce's show about to tour the country.
The big picture: Pearce has built a following by turning songs like "The Wheels on the Bus" into EDM bangers, and those tracks into an interactive show that caters both to little ones and to their raver parents.
State of bass: Pearce is coming to St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater on Nov. 12. Tickets start at $31. You can buy them here.
Catch up quick: His first viral hit was a "Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" techno remix in 2023. Last year, he toured internationally and sold out U.S. dates.
- "I must have just been in like a silly head space, maybe a toddler head space" when remixing his first nursery rhyme songs, Pearce tells Axios.
- But the kids' music genre is familiar to the producer: He's the twin brother of a Wiggle and the father of two young kids.
By the numbers: Family-friendly raves are taking off.
- The event category grew 93% from 2024 to 2025 nationally, according to Eventbrite data shared with Axios.
Yes, but: Entertaining the world's most brutally honest audience isn't easy.
- "Kids can stare at you and I'm like, 'Oh my God, is he bored of me?'" Pearce says. He's learned that toddlers do better with action and cues than music alone.
What to expect: "I try not to make it all about 'put your hands up and jump,' so I have props that come out, I introduce characters," including Kuma the monkey, Bubbles the DJ duck and Mr. Glow the glowstick maker.
- Costumes are welcome, even for grownups. "They don't just sit on the sidelines, they participate with the kids, and they come dressed up," Pearce says. "I thought it was all for the kids, (but) parents enjoy it."
- For the hour-long show, doors open earlier than the typical concert —often at 5pm on weekdays and midday on weekends.
- But prices can be adult-sized. Tickets range from $40 to $100+ for VIP packages.
What's next: Pearce, a former boy band member, sees "Toddler Techno" as a launchpad to mainstream music.
- "My three-year-old loves adult music too, because it's just good music," he says. "This is the starting point."
Carly's thought bubble: I went to a techno rave eight months pregnant, and strangers told me my baby would come out dancing.
- He basically did: Now a toddler, my son's always the first one on and last one off the dance floor.
- Pearce's "Hop Little Bunnies" remix is a household staple. So yes, I have a personal stake in this story.