Advice
Essential information, advice and tips to improve your festival experience. Your first family festival? Here are some things to consider before taking the plunge!
You’ll find answers to the problems of carting your kids around and choosing a festival trolley. As well as advice on the practical side of camping, washing, feeding your family , going solo, sleeping, coping with mud and surviving festival toilets!
It can be difficult to decide what camping equipment to get, so here’s our advice on buying tents, inflatable tents, camping chairs, flags and windsocks, ear defenders and portable fire pits.
Or maybe you’re worried about taking babies, toddlers or teenagers to festivals.
If you have nightmares about packing, make sure you download our handy family camping packing list and have a look at our parents’ top 5 packing tips.
Family Camping Know-How!
There are thousands of useful and not so useful lists and blogs all over the Internet about family camping, there are books and magazines.
There are even videos around telling you what to do and what not to do. It’s up to you if you want to read them or not, but good advice and some camping know-how can sometimes save your sanity and your holiday!
Baby wearing – bitten by the bug!
My neighbour introduced me to baby wearing. She lent me her Baby Bjorn one day after I had complained I couldn’t get anything done because my baby just would not settle.
It was quite a success so I then got my own Baby Bjorn but I soon discovered I couldn’t wear it for long periods of time without it digging in to my shoulders… Read more…
How to choose the right festival for your family
and is a festival the right place for you?
There’s no denying that taking children to a music festival can be very hard work, and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – but for those uber cool, let’s have it, this is how we roll type of parent (that’s you) you might take the plunge and hopefully find the rewards are well worth the effort. Accept that you won’t see everything you would see if you didn’t have children with you, get in the festival spirit of what will be will be, and let the adventures begin…
Finding your tent
At a big festival it’s not easy finding your tent!
Not because someone has nicked it, but because chances are lots of people will have the same tent and you. And it will be in a large field with thousands of other tents which can be very disorientating.
So if you find it hard finding your tent, then take a moment to think about how your kids might feel if they were looking for it?! Read more…
Festival Food for families with kids
Feeding your family at a festival
If you choose to eat from the vast array of tempting catering outlets then you are sure to find some fantastic cuisine to sample. Festivals can be a great opportunity to expand your family’s culinary horizons and try mouth-watering delights from all corners of the globe.
Festival Dos and Don’ts for Families
Based on an interview we did for Made For Mums:
Taking a baby, toddler or your whole family to a festival? Here’s your vital checklist of equipment to take and pitfalls to avoid from FestivalKidz founder Romany Greatrex
Taking your baby or toddler camping can be fun as well as easy!
FestivalKidz believe that having children shouldn’t put a stop to having fun at festivals and camping out with all the family – however young.
How young a baby can you take to a festival?
No age is too young – as long as you’re prepared. In fact, I’d say younger babies are even easier than toddlers, especially if you’re breastfeeding. It’s much easier at a festival than bottlefeeding. You can carry your baby in a sling to breastfeed and don’t have the worry of sterilising bottles.
Tips to avoid Muddy Tents
Keeping your tent clean and cosy when it’s deep mud outside!
A wet muddy festival is most parents main worry because if you’re not prepared for it, it could turn your lovely weekend away into the most hellish few days on earth. But the good news is that a muddy festival can also be really exciting for your kids and provide your family with a lot of hilarious anecdotes for years on end.
Read more…
Glow in the dark kids
How to keep track of your kids at night
So you and your friends have pitched up for the evening near the main stage with the picnic blankets and chairs – the sun goes down and the kids are running round the chairs dancing and playing… before long darkness falls and it’s easy to lose sight of the kids when you’ve got one eye on the band.
Going to a festival pregnant?
Of course you can!…
… if you want to. A lot will depend on how you feel, and on what stage of pregnancy you are at.
All the usual rules apply about eating, drinking, resting, smoking, etc so I’m not going to preach about all that to you. But there are some things you should pay a little extra attention to.
Belly Painting – get into the spirit of fun and show of your gorgeous bump by getting it painted. The Face Painters will love the opportunity to unleash their creativity on you and you will get some very memorable photos.
This gorgeous full-body paint was done at the Acoustic Festival 2011 by the immensely talented artists Cree from Creeations and Liz McAvoy from Flashy Faces.
“Woooha Space Buggy, man”
If you’re well prepared then nighttime at a festival can be the best bit, especially if the little ones fall asleep and you guys get to have a beer and a boogie next to the buggy. Read more…
Family Camping Know-How!
There are thousands of useful and not so useful lists and blogs all over the Internet about family camping, there are books and magazines.
There are even videos around telling you what to do and what not to do. It’s up to you if you want to read them or not, but good advice and some camping know-how can sometimes save your sanity and your holiday!
How to choose the right festival for your family
and is a festival the right place for you?
There’s no denying that taking children to a music festival can be very hard work, and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – but for those uber cool, let’s have it, this is how we roll type of parent (that’s you) you might take the plunge and hopefully find the rewards are well worth the effort. Accept that you won’t see everything you would see if you didn’t have children with you, get in the festival spirit of what will be will be, and let the adventures begin…
Festival Food for families with kids
Feeding your family at a festival
If you choose to eat from the vast array of tempting catering outlets then you are sure to find some fantastic cuisine to sample. Festivals can be a great opportunity to expand your family’s culinary horizons and try mouth-watering delights from all corners of the globe.
Tips to avoid Muddy Tents
Keeping your tent clean and cosy when it’s deep mud outside!
A wet muddy festival is most parents main worry because if you’re not prepared for it, it could turn your lovely weekend away into the most hellish few days on earth. But the good news is that a muddy festival can also be really exciting for your kids and provide your family with a lot of hilarious anecdotes for years on end.
Read more…
Going to a festival pregnant?
Of course you can!…
… if you want to. A lot will depend on how you feel, and on what stage of pregnancy you are at.
All the usual rules apply about eating, drinking, resting, smoking, etc so I’m not going to preach about all that to you. But there are some things you should pay a little extra attention to.
Belly Painting – get into the spirit of fun and show of your gorgeous bump by getting it painted. The Face Painters will love the opportunity to unleash their creativity on you and you will get some very memorable photos.
This gorgeous full-body paint was done at the Acoustic Festival 2011 by the immensely talented artists Cree from Creeations and Liz McAvoy from Flashy Faces.
Baby wearing – bitten by the bug!
My neighbour introduced me to baby wearing. She lent me her Baby Bjorn one day after I had complained I couldn’t get anything done because my baby just would not settle.
It was quite a success so I then got my own Baby Bjorn but I soon discovered I couldn’t wear it for long periods of time without it digging in to my shoulders… Read more…
Finding your tent
At a big festival it’s not easy finding your tent!
Not because someone has nicked it, but because chances are lots of people will have the same tent and you. And it will be in a large field with thousands of other tents which can be very disorientating.
So if you find it hard finding your tent, then take a moment to think about how your kids might feel if they were looking for it?! Read more…
Festival Dos and Don’ts for Families
Based on an interview we did for Made For Mums:
Taking a baby, toddler or your whole family to a festival? Here’s your vital checklist of equipment to take and pitfalls to avoid from FestivalKidz founder Romany Greatrex
Taking your baby or toddler camping can be fun as well as easy!
FestivalKidz believe that having children shouldn’t put a stop to having fun at festivals and camping out with all the family – however young.
How young a baby can you take to a festival?
No age is too young – as long as you’re prepared. In fact, I’d say younger babies are even easier than toddlers, especially if you’re breastfeeding. It’s much easier at a festival than bottlefeeding. You can carry your baby in a sling to breastfeed and don’t have the worry of sterilising bottles.
Glow in the dark kids
How to keep track of your kids at night
So you and your friends have pitched up for the evening near the main stage with the picnic blankets and chairs – the sun goes down and the kids are running round the chairs dancing and playing… before long darkness falls and it’s easy to lose sight of the kids when you’ve got one eye on the band.
“Woooha Space Buggy, man”
If you’re well prepared then nighttime at a festival can be the best bit, especially if the little ones fall asleep and you guys get to have a beer and a boogie next to the buggy. Read more…