2017
Festival reviews from the year 2017
Green Man presents Courtyard
If you can’t wait for a bit of Green Man – their Welsh Beer and Cider Festival Courtyard returns to London this May. From the team behind Green Man, Courtyard brings the open-armed spirit of the Brecon Beacons’ green, rolling hills to the heart of the city.
Read more…
Gig For Life
Discontinued
Location: The Hop Farm Paddock Wood Kent TN12 6PY
Size: 10000
Website: www.gigforlife.co.uk
Gig For Life is a brand new music festival that has been created for families, friends and supporters of Cancer Research UK. The festival will showcase the best local and internationally known talent – but more importantly it will help raise vital funds to beat cancer sooner.
Cancer has touched us all in one-way or another, but it is not always about loss and sadness. It is also about celebrating life, shouting about the success stories, and recognising all of the unsung heroes that help, care and nurse family members and friends to recovery. Gig For Life is a party and it is about having fun.
Gig for Life, a one-day music festival has a cap of 10,000 people. There will be plenty of family-fun to be had on the day including top local food and drink, inflatables and much more!
Headliners
- 10cc
- Maverick Sabre Featuring
- Toploader
- Los Pacaminos Featuring Paul Young
With local support from
- The Standard Lamps
- Steffan James
- Arcelia
Tickets
Adult – £65.00
Concession (Over 60, Student and Disabled) – £55.00
Child Ticket (12 to 17 yrs) – £35.00
Child Ticket (5 to 12 yrs) – £10.00
Under 5’s – £FREE
Social Media
Facebook – www.facebook.com/gigforlife
Twitter – www.twitter.com/gigforlife
Instagram – www.instagram.com/gigforlife
Festival Kidz Award Winners 2017
Announcing the 2017 Festival Kidz Awards!
You voted for your favourite festivals, and this year we have decided to include all the results to show you how close some of them were!
The following awards are based solely on the votes of all of you, our family festival goers! And the winners are….
Our 2017 Festival Highlights
Our festival highlights – Eloise (10) Charlotte (7) & Amelie (7)
The summer of 2017 was amazing. We had rain, we had mud, we had boiling hot sunshine… Yet we managed to dance our way through everything the British weather decided to throw at us.
We made new friends, we had paint fights, we learned to both throw and catch the diabolo, and most of all we found enjoyment in squelching through the mud!
The Big Feastival 2017 Review
First celebrity selfie – tick; first silent disco – tick; first big concert by someone famous (for 7 and 9-year-olds, that is) – tick; first time at the front of the stage among a heaving crowd – tick. The Big Feastival proved to be a big hit with our boys.
The sixth Big Feastival, on Alex James’ Farm near Kingham, Oxfordshire, fell on a gloriously warm and sunny August Bank Holiday weekend and the crowds turned out to bask in it and revel in the fun and frolics.
While we were half expecting to bump into David Cameron or Jeremy Clarkson as part of the Chipping Norton set at Alex James’ annual shindig in the Cotswolds, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a family festival that spanned the generations with enough varied offerings to satisfy kids, parents and even the ‘silver shakers’ of the family.
WOMAD 2017 Review
By Tim Kaye, Caroline Gilbert and Hazel (7) and Gwilym (5)
There is a very good reason why WOMAD is called ‘The World’s Festival’ it is like visiting 50 countries in one weekend.
This is our third foray into the many different sounds and experiences that are on offer here and it didn’t disappoint. The festival was notable again for being on the wet side but the organisation was strong throughout and despite a few near slippages outside the Siam tent we remained fairly mud free!
England’s Medieval Festival 2017 Review
This year England’s Medieval Festival celebrated their 25th year. There was drinking, dancing, feasting, fireworks and (historically accurate) fighting. We were there with Evelyn (8), Martha (4) and baby Ada to party like it’s 1399.
Green Man 2017 Review
The Lights from the Late-Night Lock in
The Lights from the Late-Night Lock inby Julian Lane – and family Vicky, Dylan (8), Matilda (2)
So here we go again. Green Man Festival. Our 7th year, the Festival’s 15th. I have waxed lyrical over this festival for every year we have been, we fell in love with Green Man, we made lifelong friends and have told anyone who will listen that Green Man IS the best festival in the country.
I don’t want to over the same old ground again. Festival Kidz’ review of last year will tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful festival. You can also read our review from last year on our blog.
So, what the hell am I going to write about? What’s new? How do I keep you, dear reader, transfixed?
Lakefest 2017 Review
With a new baby in the family we wanted our first festival this year to be fairly small and very easy. Lakefest certainly fitted the bill and, although it lacked some of the little extras that I’ve come to love about family festivals, everyone had a good time. The kids were wowed by BMX riders, the grown ups saw some old favourite bands and the ducks had a great time too.
Just So 2017 Review
Just So is a land where, for one weekend each year, the line between childhood and adulthood are blurred. This is a place where real and fantasy blend into a smorgasbord of the weird and wonderful. Where pillow fights and midnight feasts compete with live arcade games and roaming theatre. And most importantly, where families can be families without the commitments or worries of the outside world.
Green Man presents Courtyard
If you can’t wait for a bit of Green Man – their Welsh Beer and Cider Festival Courtyard returns to London this May. From the team behind Green Man, Courtyard brings the open-armed spirit of the Brecon Beacons’ green, rolling hills to the heart of the city.
Read more…
Festival Kidz Award Winners 2017
Announcing the 2017 Festival Kidz Awards!
You voted for your favourite festivals, and this year we have decided to include all the results to show you how close some of them were!
The following awards are based solely on the votes of all of you, our family festival goers! And the winners are….
The Big Feastival 2017 Review
First celebrity selfie – tick; first silent disco – tick; first big concert by someone famous (for 7 and 9-year-olds, that is) – tick; first time at the front of the stage among a heaving crowd – tick. The Big Feastival proved to be a big hit with our boys.
The sixth Big Feastival, on Alex James’ Farm near Kingham, Oxfordshire, fell on a gloriously warm and sunny August Bank Holiday weekend and the crowds turned out to bask in it and revel in the fun and frolics.
While we were half expecting to bump into David Cameron or Jeremy Clarkson as part of the Chipping Norton set at Alex James’ annual shindig in the Cotswolds, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a family festival that spanned the generations with enough varied offerings to satisfy kids, parents and even the ‘silver shakers’ of the family.
England’s Medieval Festival 2017 Review
This year England’s Medieval Festival celebrated their 25th year. There was drinking, dancing, feasting, fireworks and (historically accurate) fighting. We were there with Evelyn (8), Martha (4) and baby Ada to party like it’s 1399.
Lakefest 2017 Review
With a new baby in the family we wanted our first festival this year to be fairly small and very easy. Lakefest certainly fitted the bill and, although it lacked some of the little extras that I’ve come to love about family festivals, everyone had a good time. The kids were wowed by BMX riders, the grown ups saw some old favourite bands and the ducks had a great time too.
Gig For Life
Discontinued
Location: The Hop Farm Paddock Wood Kent TN12 6PY
Size: 10000
Website: www.gigforlife.co.uk
Gig For Life is a brand new music festival that has been created for families, friends and supporters of Cancer Research UK. The festival will showcase the best local and internationally known talent – but more importantly it will help raise vital funds to beat cancer sooner.
Cancer has touched us all in one-way or another, but it is not always about loss and sadness. It is also about celebrating life, shouting about the success stories, and recognising all of the unsung heroes that help, care and nurse family members and friends to recovery. Gig For Life is a party and it is about having fun.
Gig for Life, a one-day music festival has a cap of 10,000 people. There will be plenty of family-fun to be had on the day including top local food and drink, inflatables and much more!
Headliners
- 10cc
- Maverick Sabre Featuring
- Toploader
- Los Pacaminos Featuring Paul Young
With local support from
- The Standard Lamps
- Steffan James
- Arcelia
Tickets
Adult – £65.00
Concession (Over 60, Student and Disabled) – £55.00
Child Ticket (12 to 17 yrs) – £35.00
Child Ticket (5 to 12 yrs) – £10.00
Under 5’s – £FREE
Social Media
Facebook – www.facebook.com/gigforlife
Twitter – www.twitter.com/gigforlife
Instagram – www.instagram.com/gigforlife
Our 2017 Festival Highlights
Our festival highlights – Eloise (10) Charlotte (7) & Amelie (7)
The summer of 2017 was amazing. We had rain, we had mud, we had boiling hot sunshine… Yet we managed to dance our way through everything the British weather decided to throw at us.
We made new friends, we had paint fights, we learned to both throw and catch the diabolo, and most of all we found enjoyment in squelching through the mud!
WOMAD 2017 Review
By Tim Kaye, Caroline Gilbert and Hazel (7) and Gwilym (5)
There is a very good reason why WOMAD is called ‘The World’s Festival’ it is like visiting 50 countries in one weekend.
This is our third foray into the many different sounds and experiences that are on offer here and it didn’t disappoint. The festival was notable again for being on the wet side but the organisation was strong throughout and despite a few near slippages outside the Siam tent we remained fairly mud free!
Green Man 2017 Review
The Lights from the Late-Night Lock in
by Julian Lane – and family Vicky, Dylan (8), Matilda (2)
So here we go again. Green Man Festival. Our 7th year, the Festival’s 15th. I have waxed lyrical over this festival for every year we have been, we fell in love with Green Man, we made lifelong friends and have told anyone who will listen that Green Man IS the best festival in the country.
I don’t want to over the same old ground again. Festival Kidz’ review of last year will tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful festival. You can also read our review from last year on our blog.
So, what the hell am I going to write about? What’s new? How do I keep you, dear reader, transfixed?
Just So 2017 Review
Just So is a land where, for one weekend each year, the line between childhood and adulthood are blurred. This is a place where real and fantasy blend into a smorgasbord of the weird and wonderful. Where pillow fights and midnight feasts compete with live arcade games and roaming theatre. And most importantly, where families can be families without the commitments or worries of the outside world.