Shambala

Shambala is a very family-friendly festival, with a wild side. They do everything they can to make the festival great for the whole family, whilst maintaining the music, magic and mayhem making it a firm Festival Kidz favourite for adults and kids.

Latest family review

The wonderful family yurt located in the family camping area is great as it means the children have somewhere to play without having to go into the festival. There is always a warm welcome, a helping hand or a hug from a kind crew member.

As well as the family yurt – there is a brilliant kids’ field where all the activities are free, a wandering word poetry tent, a puppetry tent, a theatre, dance workshops, a creche, hot tubs, a permaculture and healing area, fun dressed up people and fantastic music and lots of dancing through the night!

What are the highlights for families and children?

Shambala has one of the most jam-packed kids fields on the festival circuit with activities for all ages including a live performance stage, crafts, circus, theatre and bedtime stories with hot cocoa in the family yurt.

The Saturday Carnival is always a huge event at Shambala and the kids love joining in on all the crazy fun! Be sure to bring a fancy dress costume along and check the Shambala website for this years theme.

Huge variety of activities all day every day in the kids field (9am – 5pm) including arts workshops, games, and amazing shows in the dedicated kids mini big-top!

Babies are warmly welcomed because many of the organisers have little ones too, so they understand what it’s like to need to change nappies, breastfeed and suffer broken nights! They offer a dedicated breastfeeding/nappy changing/bottle warming tent, Toddler play space, bedtime stories, and a place to find information at the Family Yurt.

Play sandpits near to the lake to help you relax with a pint on a sunny afternoon! More calm entertainment areas suitable for little ears. Dedicated toddler/early years tent in the main festival with puppet shows, dance classes, workshops, and stay and play sessions.

The Baby Chamber ~ an oasis of calm in the heart of the festival offering changing facilities, bottle warming and a quiet space for breast feeding. As usual you can expect a hugely diverse and vibrant Kid’s Field, the family yurt in the camping area with bedtime stories and cocoa with plenty of kid friendly stuff throughout the festival.

The Woodland Tribe is a whole separate area offering woodland activities such as camp fire cooking and den building, as well as cargo nets, a zip line, a large tyre swing and lots of tree climbing. To find it follow the pink flags to the woods behind the main camping area.

The Enchanted Woods is an area of woodland filled with interesting and interactive art work, as well as walkabout performances and a treehouse DJ booth.

Shambala is full of interesting workshops and activities, and children are welcome and accepted throughout the festival.

Don’t miss the finale – a breathtaking aerial display and fireworks by the lake on Sunday!

PARENT REVIEWS:

Shamala 2023, Shambala 2016, Shambala 2015, Shambala 2014,  Shambala 2013, Shambala 2012 by Lucille, the Shambala Creche 2012 by Naomi, and other parent’s experiences of Shambala 2012  and Shambala 2011 by Louise.

And here Sarah from a field somewhere reviews Shambala Festival… but shhh! don’t tell everyone!

Loads more info for families at Shambala is available on their website:
www.shambalafestival.org/essential-info/families

 Family Camping Facilities:

Designated campsite is for families with kids under 12 only (and their close friends).

• Quiet camping, but still close to all activities.
• Dedicated hot showers and compost loos!
• Only a short walk from the car park.
• Parking near the festival entrance.
• Use of a free wheelbarrow service to help with all your camping kit.
• Enough space for buggies between tents
• 24 hour stewarding, with staffed information huts
• Family Yurt space run by the ‘Mama’s’: A warm welcome from the Mama’s camp team, a quiet space during the day, drying space in wet weather, workshops, a family campfire and bedtime stories with cocoa!

NB: This special camping area is for parents with children under 12 ONLY on a first come first serve basis. Please bear in mind that there is a larger family camping area with similar facilities closer to the activities which is not intended for families with very young kids.

The festivals boasts some of the best eco credentials we have discovered with lovely compost loos and more ground-breaking sustainability vision each year.

Ticket info: www.shambalafestival.org/tickets

 www.shambalafestival.org