This summer’s 5 most child-friendly festivals [Photo of Green Man Festival 2011 by Mike Richardson] Who says that families and festivals don’t go together? Festival organisers now realise that, with a little foresight, their events
This summer’s 5 most child-friendly festivals
[Photo of Green Man Festival 2011 by Mike Richardson]
Who says that families and festivals don’t go together? Festival organisers now realise that, with a little foresight, their events can be wonderful shared experiences for parents and kids. Here are five wonderful festivals which welcome families with open arms.
Cornbury Festival
Taking place at Great Tew Park in Oxfordshire from Friday June 29th to Sunday 1st July, Cornbury Festival’s children’s zone is always a magnetic attraction for young ones. This is the place to go to for activities like face-painting, mask-making, arts and crafts and clay modelling. There is also storytelling, parachute games and yoga (yes, yoga for kids!)
Not that Cornbury is just about kids – adults can enjoy watching acts such as The Waterboys, Elvis Costello and the ubiquitous Jools Holland perform under the Oxfordshire sun.
Standon Calling
This festival takes place near the Hertfordshire village of Standon from 3rd to 5th August.
The festival organisers boast that Standon Calling is “a more kid-friendly festival than most” and have certainly put their money where their mouths are by operating a policy which sees under-13s enter the festival gates for free.
Once inside they will find that there is a special area set aside for them; a place which is dedicated to arts and crafts like painting, drawing, play-dough and mural-making.
For adults there are lots of great music acts to see – including Field Music, Dub Pistols and headliners Death in Vegas and Beardyman.
Camp Bestival
Isle of Wight’s Bestival festival takes place in September 2012 and if you can’t wait until then why not try out Camp Bestival. This festival is Bestival’s ‘little sister’ and is pitched at families with young children; it takes place at Lulworth Castle in Dorset from 26th to 29th July.
Mr Tumble will be headlining the children’s festivities at this year’s Camp Bestival; he will receive able support from Dick and Dom. Shrek, Fiona and other characters from the West End musical Shrek will also be present to organise a sing-along, while visitors to the Dingly Dell will be treated to a special performance of the Fantastic Mr. Fox opera.
Those looking for more adult entertainment will be delighted to hear that the line-up of live acts will include Happy Mondays, Hot Chip, Adam Ant and Rolf Harris.
Green Man Festival
The Green Man Festival takes place in the beautiful Welsh countryside near the Brecon Beacons on 17th, 18th and 19th August. I went to the festival last year and can vouch for the fact that it has a real family atmosphere – everyone is so well-behaved and friendly. The festival is decidedly small scale but is full of little nooks and crannies and zones – one of them, the Future Generations area, is designed specifically for kids under the age of 18 and has six exciting activity areas.
Literature and comedy tents and several live music stages (Van Morrison is set to headline) will ensure adults will never get bored and all the family will enjoy the ceremonial burning of the Green Man at the end of the festival.
End of the Road festival
End of the Road, which takes place at north Dorset’s Larmer Tree Gardens, is often mentioned in the same breath as the Green Man festival. Both have village-style atmospheres which make them very family-friendly.
Thoughtfully, End of the Road has a dedicated family camping area at the festival. You will find it located near to the most important places on the festival site – the toilets, water taps and showers!
Even better than this is the provision of a boutique babysitting service which lets parents enjoy the festival for up to four hours while CRB-checked child carers look after and entertain the kids.
If parents are canny they can arrange this baby-sitting service around the hours when their favourite bands are due to perform; Boutique Babysitting is sure to be busy at the time when Alabama Shakes, Midlake, Low Anthem and comedian Robin Ince are due on stage!
James Christie writes for arts and crafts company Yellow Moon. Visit http://www.yellowmoon.org.uk/ for a range of craft ideas for kids.
