Is ABBA Voyage suitable for children? You bet it is!
It’s one of those questions that follows a person for a lifetime: what was your first gig? The Spice Girls at Wembley, since you asked – a fact at which I cringed during my goth phase but of which I am now proud.
A young person’s first experience of live music is a defining moment and therefore a heavy responsibility for an accompanying parent. For the rest of her life, my daughter will have to tell people that her first gig was ABBA Voyage.
It may be associated with hen parties and girls’ nights out, but ABBA Voyage – the virtual concert that recreates the Swedish quartet’s 1979 pomp – is also a great family day out. First, it is in the Olympic Park so you get there on the DLR. All children love the DLR – it’s a train in the sky with no driver! It’s not something I thought about before having a child, but I’m now convinced that adults who sit in the front seats, thereby denying children the thrill of “driving” the DLR, are psychopaths (perhaps even worse than those who listen to social media without headphones).
The ABBA arena is super kid-friendly
Second, it is incredibly well-organised. The ABBA arena is purpose-built at a reported cost of $175m so queues are swift, loos are plentiful and staff are friendly. Phones are banned, which means children’s experience is unmediated by a screen – a relief to parents worried about the harms of social media.
The virtual versions of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad are incredible. Watching these ‘ABBAtars’ perform must be what it was like to be a cinema-goer in 1895 terrified that a film of a train was going to run them over. In the words of my daughter’s friend “they look so real!” – there’s not much you can add.
The 70s nostalgia was a bit lost on my on my Generation Alpha companions but the music is timeless and had them twirling in the aisles. ABBA is basically impossible to dislike, especially if you’re a young girl. Mine sang Dancing Queen all the way home.
So I will leave the final words of this review to her: “You should go because it’s so colourful and futuristic”.
• ABBA Voyage is offering half price tickets for under-15s throughout August. Visit the website for more information and to book