Going to a festival with children can be lots of fun, but now its not all about you, its about them!

You may have been to 101 festivals before you had children but you can no longer sling a few things in to a bag, live on beers and burgers and wake up two days later in a hedge.

With so many festival sites now ensuring that they are child friendly, with Kid Zones and crèches, tasty food and safe areas for them to play in, it is perfectly acceptable and doable to take your children with you to a festival.

If your children are engaged and having fun, you will too!

 

 

Our Top Tips and Essentials to take!

• If camping, have a trial run in the garden before getting your tickets – practice putting the tent up, ensuring you have all the pieces and let the children experience sleeping under the stars – better to know now if they don’t like it!

• Baby Wipes! We love them, they cover all the bases – cleaning faces, bums, toilets! Also pack, hand sanitiser, suncream, a first aid kit and insect repellent spray.

• Take some disposable waterproof ponchos can be a cheap and very useful.

• Pushchairs and rain soaked fields are not always a great combination – where possible take/borrow a 3 wheeler all weather terrain one, they cope with the environment better. Better still, if you can, borrow a wagon. They are fab – great for transporting all your ‘stuff’ and travelling around the fields, children can also take a nap in them.

• Take a flag – it can be tricky to find your tent at the end of the day in a field full of tents, tie a flag to yours and you’ll spot it miles away! Balloons, a piece of bright material, even a carrier bag will work.

• Don’t take any valuables – you don’t need them!

• Tag your child – take along some wristbands with your name and contact details on so should they get lost you can be contacted. *don’t write your child’s name on it.

• Ensure your mobile is well charged up.

• Give all your children a water bottle on a strap so they can be carried round their own necks.

• The majority of festivals offer free entrance to under 12y olds, however in most cases they will still need a physical ticket so ensure you check this when booking.

• Food stalls can be expensive, take a picnic/packed lunch/snack food for the children.

• Dress children in bright coloured clothes and take a picture of them in the morning, in the event they do wander off or go missing you will have an accurate picture of them and their outfit.

• If your little ones are going to be spending time near the music stages invest in or borrow some ear defenders.

• Get your child their own bag or rucksack – festivals are not places for a trunki! Include a few activities to do, pens, paper, stickers etc. helpful if you get stuck in any traffic jams on the way there but also helpful if they (you) need some down time whilst away.

 

Acceptance!

“A person’s assent to the reality of a situation, recognising a process or condition without attempting to change it”

You need to understand that going to a festival with your children is a totally different experience to what you may be used to.

You will be spending a lot more time in the circus skills tent or queuing for the face painting.

 

 

 

Our favorite family festivals for 2016

There are so many wonderful family-friendly festivals happening throughout the summer, all varying in size, and duration – here’s a few of our favorites.

 

 

Towersey Festival, Oxfordshire 26th – 28th August

“A life-enhancing welcome offered to all”

This festival has always been family orientated but now has an ‘All About Children’ area new for 2016 which organisers hope will offer exceptional value and a really great space packed with inclusive activities for all the family to share.

Their brilliant programme of events include; Kindergym, Story Telling Workshop, Festival Choir, Climbing Wall, Zumba Kids®, Zane’s Magic Stall, Cardboard Madness, Lantern Making, Poetry Writing

www.towerseyfestival.com

 

 

Camp Bestival – 28th – 31 July, Lulworth Castle, Dorset

Kids are king at Camp Bestival. There is an avalanche of activities for children of all ages – fairground rides, face painting and a Soft Play Tent, Mr Tumble and the lazy town team will also be on hand while smash hit West End production Aliens Love Underpants will put on a special performance.

www.campbestival.net

 

 

The Big Feastival – 26th – 28th August, The Cotswolds

This is a well thought out feel good festival of food and music for all the family, there is definitely something for everyone here, including; family Olympics, fairground rides, face painting and haystack mountain, family yoga, percussion workshop, storytelling, little dudes shopping village – a selection of market stalls handpicked for little ones and even a live performance from CBeebies superstar Justin Fletcher.

www.thebigfeastival.com

 

 

Wilderness (pictured) 4th -7th August, Oxfordshire

Set in a beautiful nature reserve this festival enables you to meet new people, meet new ideas and have new experiences – it combines nature, culture and music with great food.

On offer for the children, puppet making origami, polka theatre, magic show, insect circus, kids comedy corner, overnight camp experience – shelter building, fire lighting and foraging.

www.wildernessfestival.com

 

 

Other festivals include;

Green Man – 18th – 21st August, Brecon Beacons, Wales

Blissfields – 1st – 2nd July, Winchester

Shambala – 25th – 28th August, Northamptonshire

Beautiful Days – 19th – 21st August, Escot Park, Devon

Cornbury Festival – 8th, 9th and 10th July 2016, Oxfordshire