Here are our top picks for 2014!
Now is a great time to start thinking about buying your festival tickets – most of the festivals offer ‘early bird’ prices, which means they are reduced if you book them early.
Whether a festival is good for you depends on what music you’re into and what other things you like doing at festivals, as well as the age of your kids. If you are new to festivals with kids, you may want to read our guide to Choosing the right Family-Friendly Festival.
There are so many family friendly festivals in the UK, that’s it’s getting difficult to pick our favourites! And so it must be getting more difficult for you to choose which one will be the best for your family. So what we’ve decided to do for 2014 is create a series of posts – designed to help you pick your way through the choices!
Also have a look at our… Best festivals for first timers, Best festivals for toddlers
2013 GOLD AWARD WINNER!
3 Wishes Faery Fest – Set on a beautiful hillside with stunning views and gardens. There is a Faery School where your children become little pixies and fairies!
2013 GOLD AWARD WINNER!
Bearded Theory – Friendly welcoming atmosphere and a very loyal crowd who return year after year. Family area run by Angel Gardens. Lots of fun to be had by all.
Beautiful Days – Created by The Levellers as a remedy against the increasing commercialism of the bigger festivals, this sells out every year to appreciative fans. There is always a great line up and an exciting and welcoming atmosphere. The kid’s area is set right in the middle of the arena so you can still be part of the festival while you are supervising your kids.
2013 SILVER AWARD WINNER!
Blissfields – Once a small gathering of friends in the Bliss family fields, now grown into a proper little festival, with an excellent children’s area run by Angel Gardens. Boutique yet entirely unpretentious – friendly and fun with an excellent line up of up and coming bands.
Camp Bestival – The king of family festivals – this is one of the largest family friendly festivals in the UK. Great if you want a ‘proper’ festival line up of big names across many genres, however it is a large site and can be crowded, especially for smaller children. So many activities and shows, you’ll struggle to pack it all into the weekend, but great for mixed age kids as there is something for everyone.
2013 SILVER AWARD WINNER!
*Chilled* in a Field – Teeny tiny and organised with passion. Great quality music and incredibly chilled friendly atmosphere. Fantastic place to have a relaxing time – definitely no trudging about here! There’s only one cafe selling lovely grub, but take your own food if your children are fussy – although it’s so small you can easily drive to the nearest supermarket to get supplies!
Cornbury – ‘Posh’, easy to manage, big names on the line up, big kids area and very well organised. Lots for the whole family to enjoy.
Deer Shed – Organised by families with an aim to make the festival enjoyable for all ages. All sorts of nice touches such as kid’s activities in the camping field so they are entertained while you pitch the tent. Children feel included and they are integral to the programming rather than an afterthought.
Elderflower Fields – Oozing quality and celebrating British country-chic… and you can join in a free local produce sampling picnic on Sunday – how lovely is that?!
End of the Road – Intimate and friendly, and a stunning venue. Dedicated children’s and family area.
Feast in the Woods – Not a festival but a family camping weekend with ukulele playing, food and the odd fire-poi spinner. Still, the entertainment’s first class, there’s a small lake for kayaking, there are nature walks and woods to explore – and best of all a sweet dog called Poppy for the children to chase around!
2013 GOLD AWARD WINNER!
Just So Festival – A festival of creativity, arts, stories, fantasy and imagination aimed at families. Super friendly and set in a site of true beauty, this festival is ‘just so’ gorgeous. An absolute must for young families wanting to indulge their artistic leanings.
Glastonbury – If you were lucky enough to get tickets, this is one magnificent party. The Kidz Field and the Green Kids area in the Green Fields offer festival entertainment to kids like no other festival. The line up is staggering and the whole experience is colossal. Go prepared (and make sure you tag your kids!) and this will probably be the best festival you’ll ever go to!
2013 GOLD AWARD WINNER!
Green Man – Hottest acts on the new music scene. Beautiful location in the Brecon Beacons. Great imaginative and inspiring kid’s areas to go above and beyond normal festival expectations. Stay for a week and turn it into a holiday.
2013 SILVER AWARD WINNER!
Lakefest – Great line-up, incredibly affordable accommodations options including bunk-houses, on-site waterpark and a kid’s area make this a good choice for families. And you can even take the family dog!
Latitude – Fantastic Children’s Arena (practically a festival in itself) and a great Inbetweeners Teen Area to keep older kids interested, engaged and thoroughly entertained. A great mix of Literature and Music, and multi-coloured sheep! 😉
2013 GOLD AWARD WINNER!
Larmer Tree Festival – Set in gorgeous surroundings, with excellent facilities including a stunning campsite. Although lacking in an alternative festival vibe, it is friendly and would appeal to families looking for a safe environment. Tons of excellent children’s and adult’s workshops, engaging youth zone, and lots of space. Truly something for everybody, regardless of age.
LodeStar – A great well-chosen line-up of emerging artists coupled with good range of food options and a site as flat as a giant bowling green make this a very relaxing festival to be at. It’s a small festival with loads of space to chill out and play. Winners of ‘Best Festival Toilets 2012’!
2013 SILVER AWARD WINNER!
North Nibley Music Festival – Not-for-profit, family-focused, community event with a relaxed and welcoming vibe.
Penn Festival – Small and friendly with a local feel. Hidden away in a lovely rural location. Perfect festival for those of us who love a throwback to the 80’s and 90’s. And a fab circus area provided by the lovely team at Big Top Mania.
2013 FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR!
Shambala – Truly a ‘festival-goers festival’ – they manage to accommodate and include children in the whole site without removing the festival spirit. The kids’ field includes a fantastic onsite crèche, and there are interactive games and art to climb on across the site. There is separate camping for young families with it’s own entertainment and campfire away from the main festival, and so many workshops, activities and performances your children will be talking about it all year.
Standon Calling – Swimming pool on site. Fantastic music. Fancy dress mayhem. Reasonably small, so it doesn’t get overcrowded. Popular with mixed-age families and has a very loyal following.
Starry Skies – Not quite a festival, but a family camping weekend with a festival twist. Organised by Shambala and includes music and all sorts of back to nature activities for wild free ranging kids to explore.
Sunrise: Another World – With their award-winning kids’ area, the whole family can be entertained with arts, crafts and plenty of undercover activities. Their motto: ‘kids always welcome, adults welcome if they behave!’
Towersey Village Festival – Diverse line up, musicians of all ages hanging out having spontaneous jamming sessions, kid’s playground, and a massive amount of kid’s shows and workshops.
Wilderness – A feast of utter gorgeousness, where nature, art and music come together in a wild yet earthy celebration of our existence. Set in a naturally beautiful site with spas, lake swimming, creative exuberance and expressiveness.
Wild Heart Gathering – Alternative, enchanting and inspirational. A feast of beautiful music, workshops, stories, talks, exquisite nature & transformational learning amongst gorgeous lakes, magical woodlands & wild grassy meadows.
WOMAD – Stunning and eclectic World Music line up and more cultural education opportunities than you could possibly imagine! Lots of workshops, great festival site and a very warm and music-loving crowd.
2013 SILVER AWARD WINNER!
WOOD – Tiny festival in a gorgeous location. Campfires, workshops, yurts, tipis, music, green grass, trees, compost loos, crafts, talks, yoga…
Wychwood – Laid back and mellow. There are plenty of activities and workshops laid on and there’s a Children’s Literature Festival with lots of top kids authors. You can drive up to the campsite to unload. Copes well with rain due to lots of hard standing areas.
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The list could go on and on… and we know you’re all going to tell us we’ve missed some of your favourites off… so come on, what are they? Comment below and share your gems with us! 🙂
It’s not only about the activities laid on for kids, sometimes it’s just about a special ethos or particularly welcoming atmosphere… but not all festivals suit all families – it really depends on the age and stage of your kids, and your level of expectation, experience and personal tastes!
If you’ve been to any of the festivals featured on our website, please leave your comments to help other families decide if that festival will suit them.
PS. If you’re a festival organiser and feel you’ve been overlooked, send a family ticket our way and we’ll send a team member down to check out your family-friendly credentials for future lists – if we don’t know what your festival is like then we can’t recommend you! 😉