After experiencing an amazing Wychwood 2023 we as a family decided to return and 2024 was just as good if not better. The weather was once again kind to us and after being greeted by upbeat, happy volunteers and stewards we settled in quickly on site.
Wychwood had 3 stages, a healing garden, a huge children’s area and a few traditional fairground rides. There were a small number of ethical branded, vintage clothing & crafts stalls plus a wide variety of food and drink vendors. This festival can boast at having everything you need from a festival but all located in a perfectly compact area.
This really is a great family friendly festival. It’s ideal for first time festival goers or families who just want to visit for a day. It’s compact but contains everything a large festival has to offer.
Location & Camping
A pretty location for a festival situated below Cleeve Hill within Cheltenham Racecourse.
Split into general camping, caravan & campervans, glamping and accessible camping all 4 areas were quite close together and easy access to the main event area.
There was cheaper camping options including being able to pitch next to your car in fields further away but it was quite a hike from the festival.
Although we were aware of a couple of glitches regarding toilets we personally didn’t come across any problems. We always found the toilets to be clean with plenty of toilet paper and sanitizer. The organisers have been made aware of the issues so I’m sure they will be ironed out by next year. It certainly wouldn’t put us off going again.
Once again Wychwood had the amazing mobiloos. They were situated in the accessible campsite and next to the accessible viewing platform in the main arena. These are the best facilities I’ve seen at a festival. The main problem for accessibility this year was the unfortunate, uneven ground. This was mainly due to six months of rain the UK had prior to the event.
Kid’s Activities
Away from the hustle and bustle of the main stage was the ‘Village Green’. This contained all of the different children’s areas:- Hillside, Mountainside, Forest, The meadow, Garden Stage, City, Storybox, Fiery Jack’s & Outside. Considering it was filled with numerous tents offering endless entertainment for little people it was pretty chilled and serene.
There were activities to entertain every member of the family from toddler to trendy granny. Board games, historic & heritage games, jamming sessions, samba drumming, book readings, dancing workshops, playing the ukulele, basket weaving and laughter yoga. You could literally fill your day with free activities and not a queue in sight apart from the Ariel arts.
Food & Drink
No food & drink apart from water were allowed to be taken into the main festival area but there were numerous catering options. Greek, Souvlaki, Himalayan dumplings, Mexican, Toasties and bacon rolls. Prices ranged from £8 for a toastie to £13 for a meal. So quite pricey but what seems like the norm for festivals these days.
We kept costs down by returning to our van for lunch which was close to the festival so not a problem.
There were 6 bars all selling draught beers, ales and ciders which were all run super efficiently and I didn’t queue once.
Music
The main headliners definitely gave Wychwood the 90’s vibe feel with some sing along classics. Without a doubt Sister Sledge were the weekend winners getting everyone up and giving us the feeling of being a big family. Texas interacted with the crowd brilliantly and Sea Sick Steve rocked with a range of his homemade instruments, a real legend. But Wychwood wouldn’t be Wychwood without the infectious energy of Thrill Collins who completely rocked the crowd. Other music highlights were The Coral, Seth Lakeman and Dexys Midnight runners and the up and coming Buzzard, buzzard, buzzard.
Summary
Wychwood is a great first time festival for all and perfect for families with young children upto teens. Kids under 10 go free and they also offer day tickets so it’s a cheaper alternative compared to some of the bigger festivals. Not many teens and young adults attend this event which I’d say is probably due to type of bands that get booked which appeal more to the middle aged clientele. (I’m one of these)
It is safe, friendly, easy going, fun and completely stress free. They were no issues on arrival, getting in, no queues, it was just a great family weekend away.
We were also lucky enough to meet up with family and friends which added to the sociable and community feeling of the weekend.
See our Wychwood festival factsheet