South West England: Best Family Festivals 2018

The South West of England – wild and hilly with spectacular views. These three festivals are very different but one thing that they all share is you will get plenty of fresh air and exercise. And if you have a children’s festival wagon – make sure you put in a bit of training before you go!

For more festivals please see our special family friendly festival map.

We know there are other amazing festivals that we are missing out – and we’re attempting to get our reviewers around as many festivals as we can. The festivals below are our tried and tested choices, ones our writers go back to year after year.


Beautiful Days

Devon, EX11 1LU

Beautiful Days, beautiful nights, in fact a whole beautiful weekend. This festival is a perfect flashback to how festivals used to be with the added enjoyment of spending a whole weekend having fun with your kids.

Our children always have a fantastic time as the range of entertainment is hard to beat. In recent years children have been taught how to safely use a fire staff, fire poi and even fire hula hooping. There are all sorts of tents in the kids area including crafts and theatre. The main seated theatre tent also caters for families. Last year we watched a show about the women involved in the Great Train Robbery. So the whole family gets to have a whole weekend of fun together and even improve their knowledge of history!

WHAT MAKES BEAUTIFUL DAYS UNIQUE?

Beautiful Days is a perfect festival for those of us who want to share our happy memories of the festivals we loved in the 90s with the next generation. It even has many of the bands from those festivals in its current line up, alongside plenty of new acts.

It is a hugely popular festival with a very loyal crowd despite a refreshing lack of advertising and corporate sponsorship. The tickets sell out every year but they insist on keeping the numbers low to keep it relaxed and not too busy.

Read our reviews: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014

Accessibility: Accessible camping, toilets, showers and parking,  viewing platforms, preallocated pitches, free carer’s ticket, fridge, charging point

Tickets: Adult weekend £142.50, 10-16 £70, 5-10 £40, 0-5 £5.


Chagstock

Devon, EX20 2PR

Not keen on on the commercialisation of big festivals? How about a not for profit festival that instead supports WaterAid and the Devon Air Ambulance, and pulls in some great musical acts along the way?

Throw in some of the most stunning scenery you’ll find at any UK festival and you get Chagstock, a small festival near the Devon town of Chagford. It’s the perfect way to kick off a summer holiday in the west country and if you’re feeling adventurous, the area is the starting point for some of the best wild walks on Dartmoor. Walking boots are entirely optional though, there is plenty to keep all ages entertained at the festival and you actually get to do some good for charity by having a nice pint of cider and watching some bands.

WHAT MAKES CHAGSTOCK UNIQUE?

It’s a small festival with a large lineup, with spectacular views across Dartmoor. It’s like a village green with a music festival attached. With both fantastic entertainment for children and adults and wild walks out into some of the most beautiful countryside in England, Chagstock is a real treat.

Read our reviews: 2017, 2015, 2014

Accessibility: Accessible camping and parking

Tickets: Adult weekend £95, 12-17 £65, 0-12 free, family ticket (2 x adults &  2 x 12-17) £275.00. See website for full details.


Valley Fest

Somerset, BS40 8SZ

Festival Kidz discovered this one last year and we’re so happy we did!Valley Fest is the perfect size for families and runs on a community farm. It has a beautiful setting for a stage as well as lots of farm-related activities that will keep the children happy.

WHAT MAKES VALLEY FEST UNIQUE?

Set on a working organic farm, this festival has charm coming out of its (wheat) ears. With tours of growing plants and workshops in gardening techniques and cooking, after this festival my children asked if they could volunteer there and were upset we were too far away! The tractor ride from the car park to the camp site is an inspired idea.

You can see the stage from the rest of the festival, meaning you can enjoy the activities with your children and catch some of the music. All the food is organic and amazing. There are tons of fun festival activities, bedtime stories and communal campfires, and a very quiet campsite meaning you can sleep at night.

Read our review: 2017

Accessibility: Accessible camping and toilets

Tickets: Adult weekend £110, 13-17 £45, 6-12 £25, 3-5 £15, 0-3 free. See the website for full details.