Binks Yard Nottingham reviews by real event-goers

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Was really overpriced for a ticket (£5 would have been acceptable), space was too small for amount of people and activities. Queued for a long time to get in. When there spent the entire time in queues for activities (which you had to pay for on top of very overpriced ticket) and food which was expensive and poor quality, and expensive drinks. Event was over by the time we'd queued for face painting and food. Felt chaotic, cramped and overcrowded and stressful.

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

The event cost more then 10 pounds, my 3 year old had nothing really to do because the bouncy parts were for mainly older kids. Didn't know that face paint and those would cost extra. If he was older he would have enjoyed I assume. Left after 30 min

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

awful that you charge so much to get it, the games were terrible and massive cues, food was ridiculously expensive, we only spent an hour there as there was nothing else to do, will never be attending again

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Definitely won't be doing this again. The tickets were too expensive for what was offered. Face painting was very bad and amateur, food was over priced for tiny portions, there really wasn't much to do either and we left after an hour.

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

We had to que for 35 minutes to get in, inside was very unorganised, there were very long ques for everything, extra charge for some activities, not enough space. Very expensive for what it is. No entertainment on stage. Carnival dancers in huge costumes which looked great but in a very small venue it was not practical at all. Not enough time to que for the few activities in the time we had. Very poor

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Awful. Wouldn't recommend at all. Paid over £42 for family of 3. It's a 2.5 hour event, 40 mins of which was spent queuing to get into the venue, only to then find more queues to actually do anything. They sold too many tickets for the size of the venue. We stood in a queue for face paint (which you have to pay extra for) for 15 mins and it didn't move and then we left because my 5 year old was just having a rubbish time standing in queues. I am waiting for a refund. No way can I accept paying £42 to stand around in queues for an hour with a very disappointed child. She had more fun on the walk back to the car park.

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

A fantastic event that all the children enjoyed with plenty of different things to do. Food was lovely and the event was not only well attended but excellently organised.
Would definitely book immediately if another one is planned.
Well done Binks Yard!

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

We started queuing around 9:45 AM, and initially, we had high hopes upon seeing the stilt walker butterflies, balloons, the number of staff, and the professional-looking banners. However, within 15 minutes of entering, those high hopes turned to disappointment.

Despite the event being advertised for children aged 2 to 12, we found that the selection of activities suitable for our two-and-a-half-year-old daughter was extremely limited and unsatisfactory.

The interactive drum session, which we had high hopes for, was nothing more than an interlocking tiled mat on the floor with a few soft toys, some drums, and small animal-printed mats for each child to kneel on. It appeared to be a poorly conceived afterthought, disorganised and lacking in engagement. Additionally, there was limited ability for adults to sit down within the drum workshop, apart from the dusty concrete floor. Although the lady running the workshop seemed to be trying her best, the setup was inadequate.

Additionally, many of the other attractions were not suitable for younger children. The laser tag was restricted to ages 5 and above, the rodeo bull ride was too large, and the other inflatable games were also not age-appropriate. The sensory area, managed by the charity Footprints, was similarly disappointing, consisting of a small mat with a handful of toys more suited for children aged 12 to 18 months.

The stage playing 90s music was a potential highlight, but the volume was excessively loud. It was concerning that there was no provision for ear protection for children, and we were unprepared for this. Had we known, we would have brought our own ear protection.

We attempted to queue for face painting, but after 30 minutes, our daughter became upset and started covering her ears, unable to endure the wait any longer.

The vintage games section was another letdown, with only three or four games available. Hoopla, placed on the concrete floor with long queues for a turn, was especially disappointing with little organisation. Multiple sets of the same game should have been provided to reduce waiting times. Queuing for 15 minutes to throw five rings is unacceptable.

The event also appeared to cater more for adults wanting to have an early Sunday booze up and eat some food.

While I appreciate the food wasn't supplied by Little-Bop, I saw queues for food taking as long as 15 minutes, adding to the overall sense of disorganisation and poor planning.

Given the limited and unsuitable activities, the £56 we spent felt like a complete rip-off. The event, as advertised for children aged 2 to 12, did not live up to expectations, providing very little for younger children to do other than eat or drink.

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Over £20pp for a small space not many activities

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

It was a lovely idea but the music was far too loud. There were limited activities for younger children (our little boy is 2 1/2).

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

We had a nice time but i feel there is alot of room for improvement, the venue was to small for the event or there was far to many people.
The que when we arrived was huge and we didnt get into the event untill 10.30 which wasnt brilliant as it was only for a couple of hours.
The music was great and the atmosphere was very happy and friendly.
The mascots that came out were very good but was chaotic as people just swarmed around.
Plenty to see but definitely think a larger venue would make it much better.

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

For how much it cost it wasn't worth the price. Food was expensive and not much variety to choose from. Small ice cream was well overpriced. There was no queuing order for face painting or Braiding of hair so could of done with a barrier so you people knew which one to queue up for. I don't feel there was much activities for the children to do considering how much a ticket cost and the queue was long for them as well my son only managed to make it on to one. All in all by time we had one activity, food and face paint it was all over. The saving grace was the weather but I don't think we will be back!

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

It could have been way better organised. People were queuing for upwards of 40 mins for things. No clear queuing system or support for people. Alot of the 'tents' were just thrown together (like drumming and sensory). Ran out of things by the afternoon sessions when it was only on for one day. Alot spent on making great flyers and handouts but not much on the event. Glad I only paid the early bird price. Would not come back again.

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest

Lovely atmosphere. I think the music could have been more children focused and engaged more to get kids dancing and joining in. Food was impossible to get hold of without queuing for a long time. Drinks and ice cream easier to get.

Review of Little Bop Carnival | Family Mini Fest