Bluedot Festival

No festival in 2024

Location: Jodrell Bank Observatory, SK11 9DW

Website: www.discoverthebluedot.com

Parent Reviews: 2022 2019, 2018, 2017

Bluedot Festival is an award-winning journey of discovery at the grounds of a deep space observatory. Set against a backdrop of the iconic Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank, Bluedot combines a truly stellar line-up of music with a ground-breaking programme of live science experiments, expert talks and immersive artworks.

In an era of political divisiveness and environmental uncertainty, Bluedot aims to cultivate a unifying celebration for citizens of the world. Its 2017 message is loud and clear: look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. (Carl Sagan, 1934—1996).

image credit: Lucas Sinclair

Read more…

Bluedot Festival 2023 Review

Have you seen the photos on social media recently, about the 2023 festival that could rival the famous “Year of the Mud” at Glasto 1997? Read on to hear about how our family experienced Bluedot 2023.

muddy bluedot
Read more…

Best Family Friendly Festivals 2023

All the info on one page!

These are our top picks for 2023, with the ticket prices, headliners and some of the activities on offer to help you choose.

We have also added the themes to help you get to work on your costumes now!

Festivals are listed in alphabetical order.

All prices quoted are for weekend tickets with camping (including booking fee) unless stated otherwise, and are correct at time of publishing. Many festivals offer tickets in increasing Tiers, so check the festival’s website for current prices.

Check out our map, calendar and A-Z list for full details of 2023 festivals.

Read more…

bluedot 2022 Review

Out of this world!

It’s some time since we’ve discovered a new festival all the family enjoyed equally. The relatively new but already large-scale bluedot ticked all the boxes as a super well organised family festival and something a little different to the norm.

Read more…

Bluedot welcomes Tim Peake & Clangers!

The award-winning ‘out-of-this-world’ family festival announces UK’s pioneer astronaut plus Clangers and Brainiac Live

Tim Peake will headline the lineup for families at this year’s bluedot at Cheshire’s Jodrell Bank Observatory and we can’t wait.

image credit: Lucas Sinclair
Read more…

Best Family Festivals 2022

festival kidz recommended stamp

It’s wonderful to see the festival calendar filling up. There are a few festivals taking the year off, but most are running again, and we’re incredibly excited about 2022.

So what are the best family festivals for 2022, as recommended by Festival Kidz parents?

Here are our favourites, our tried and tested. The festivals we return to year after year. These are the festivals we give our Festival Kidz recommended stamp of approval.

For all the family friendly festivals running this year, please go to our A-Z, Map and Calendar.


Read more…

Bluedot 2019 Review

One small step for man, one marvellous, muddy weekend for this Festival Kidz family.

Two year old Ada reaches for the moon

Joderell Bank observatory in Cheshire was recently declared a UNESCO world heritage site. It was also home to Bluedot 2019.

The festival made full use of its unique setting, wrapping stages and activities around the gigantic Lovell radio telescope.

Unsurprisingly, there was a strong science theme. This year’s festival even coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings. Read more…

Bluedot Festival 2018 Review

Bluedot Festival is a celebration of intelligence, curiosity and wonder in all its forms.

Scientists are on equal footing with rock stars and there were some beautiful moments where the two come together, such as watching Professor Tim O’Brien, Associate Director at Jodrell bank for Astrophysics interviewing Wayne Coyne, the frontman of psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips.

At Bluedot the queues to see some of the most famous and inspiring scientists are so long that they need security!

Lovell Telescope
Lovell Telescope – the star of the show

Read more…

North England: Best Family Festivals 2018

These are our writers’ favourite festivals in North England. 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.

Read more…

Six reasons to be excited about 2018

A Glastonbury Festival fallow year is always a strange one for the people that go every year. I used to be one of them – and even now I still get a pang every year when it’s on – so I understand that you might have a festival-shaped hole to fill.

Still let’s hope that the 2018 hole isn’t just full of mud! Although even if it is, it won’t stop us from having fun.

The great thing is that now there are so many other festivals to go to (we have over 150 on our site, with more added every year) that you could use this year to explore something completely new. And if you find an amazing one, please do share it with us on our Facebook page, or email us on chat@festivalkidz.com!

Read more…

Bluedot Festival

No festival in 2024

Location: Jodrell Bank Observatory, SK11 9DW

Website: www.discoverthebluedot.com

Parent Reviews: 2022 2019, 2018, 2017

Bluedot Festival is an award-winning journey of discovery at the grounds of a deep space observatory. Set against a backdrop of the iconic Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank, Bluedot combines a truly stellar line-up of music with a ground-breaking programme of live science experiments, expert talks and immersive artworks.

In an era of political divisiveness and environmental uncertainty, Bluedot aims to cultivate a unifying celebration for citizens of the world. Its 2017 message is loud and clear: look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. (Carl Sagan, 1934—1996).

image credit: Lucas Sinclair

Read more…

Best Family Friendly Festivals 2023

All the info on one page!

These are our top picks for 2023, with the ticket prices, headliners and some of the activities on offer to help you choose.

We have also added the themes to help you get to work on your costumes now!

Festivals are listed in alphabetical order.

All prices quoted are for weekend tickets with camping (including booking fee) unless stated otherwise, and are correct at time of publishing. Many festivals offer tickets in increasing Tiers, so check the festival’s website for current prices.

Check out our map, calendar and A-Z list for full details of 2023 festivals.

Read more…

Bluedot welcomes Tim Peake & Clangers!

The award-winning ‘out-of-this-world’ family festival announces UK’s pioneer astronaut plus Clangers and Brainiac Live

Tim Peake will headline the lineup for families at this year’s bluedot at Cheshire’s Jodrell Bank Observatory and we can’t wait.

image credit: Lucas Sinclair
Read more…

Bluedot 2019 Review

One small step for man, one marvellous, muddy weekend for this Festival Kidz family.

Two year old Ada reaches for the moon

Joderell Bank observatory in Cheshire was recently declared a UNESCO world heritage site. It was also home to Bluedot 2019.

The festival made full use of its unique setting, wrapping stages and activities around the gigantic Lovell radio telescope.

Unsurprisingly, there was a strong science theme. This year’s festival even coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings. Read more…

North England: Best Family Festivals 2018

These are our writers’ favourite festivals in North England. 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.

Read more…

Bluedot Festival 2023 Review

Have you seen the photos on social media recently, about the 2023 festival that could rival the famous “Year of the Mud” at Glasto 1997? Read on to hear about how our family experienced Bluedot 2023.

muddy bluedot
Read more…

bluedot 2022 Review

Out of this world!

It’s some time since we’ve discovered a new festival all the family enjoyed equally. The relatively new but already large-scale bluedot ticked all the boxes as a super well organised family festival and something a little different to the norm.

Read more…

Best Family Festivals 2022

festival kidz recommended stamp

It’s wonderful to see the festival calendar filling up. There are a few festivals taking the year off, but most are running again, and we’re incredibly excited about 2022.

So what are the best family festivals for 2022, as recommended by Festival Kidz parents?

Here are our favourites, our tried and tested. The festivals we return to year after year. These are the festivals we give our Festival Kidz recommended stamp of approval.

For all the family friendly festivals running this year, please go to our A-Z, Map and Calendar.


Read more…

Bluedot Festival 2018 Review

Bluedot Festival is a celebration of intelligence, curiosity and wonder in all its forms.

Scientists are on equal footing with rock stars and there were some beautiful moments where the two come together, such as watching Professor Tim O’Brien, Associate Director at Jodrell bank for Astrophysics interviewing Wayne Coyne, the frontman of psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips.

At Bluedot the queues to see some of the most famous and inspiring scientists are so long that they need security!

Lovell Telescope
Lovell Telescope – the star of the show

Read more…

Six reasons to be excited about 2018

A Glastonbury Festival fallow year is always a strange one for the people that go every year. I used to be one of them – and even now I still get a pang every year when it’s on – so I understand that you might have a festival-shaped hole to fill.

Still let’s hope that the 2018 hole isn’t just full of mud! Although even if it is, it won’t stop us from having fun.

The great thing is that now there are so many other festivals to go to (we have over 150 on our site, with more added every year) that you could use this year to explore something completely new. And if you find an amazing one, please do share it with us on our Facebook page, or email us on chat@festivalkidz.com!

Read more…