3 Wishes Fairy Festival

16th - 18th June 2024

Location: Mount Edgcumbe House & Country Park, Cremyll, Torpoint, Cornwall PL10 1HZ

Size: 2000

Website: www.fairyfestival.co.uk

The setting for this gorgeous festival just couldn’t get much more magical than this!  Really stunning views and gardens on this beautiful hillside haven of tranquility.  Join hundreds of faes and visions of mythical loveliness at this very special event.

Under 7’s are FREE, and there is a Faery School where your little pixies and fairies can learn to hula hoop and take part in all the other lovely activities on offer.

Read more…

The Fairyland Trust Fairy Fair

No dates yet

Location: Holt Hall, Kelling Rd, Holt, Norfolk, NR25

Website: www.fairylandtrust.org

The Fairy Fair is family day out where entertainment meets magic, nature and folklore.

Set the grounds of Holt Hall, the Fairy Fair is held over 2 days with activity tents, marquees and other attractions throughout the surrounding woodland area.

The Fairy Fair attracts all ages but is designed mainly for children between 3-8 years. Many families come back year after year even when the children are quite grown up. Read more…

Fairyland Trust Fairy Christmas

 St Andrews Hall, St Andrews Plain, Norwich, Norfolk

The Fairyland Trust returns this December with it’s third event of the year at St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich. This one day event taking place on 15th December, brings you the magic and beauty of a real Christmas experience in true Fairyland Trust style with unique workshops introducing families to wildlife and conservation and their unique vibe.

The event will be a smaller than the charities, Fairy Fair or Real Halloween and is held indoors. Children can take part in bookable workshops including Christmas Fairy’s where they will hear the story of why we put fairies on top of our Christmas trees, and then make one of their own to take home or, new for this year, a Christmas Light where they can create a unique magical woodland-themed Christmas Light to grace any table whilst learning what magical creatures get up to in Mid-Winter.

Father Christmas will also be in residence in his beautiful grotto with Mrs Christmas, ready to meet children.  Other activities include Christmas Tree Animal decoration making, Christmas Pixie Post Office (including a specially designed Lucy LoveHeart postcard), face painting and more.

Abbie Panks from the Fairyland Trust said “we are delighted to be running Fairy Christmas again this year; it’s a beautifully atmospheric event and last year proved incredibly popular with it selling out in just a few hours of going on sale, as with all of our events we advise people to book in advance”

There will be a Christmas Café selling food and drinks including Christmas Soup, Mince Pies, and Mulled Wine And entertainment will come from The E.L.F Ukulele Troubadours with their Christmas songs together with toe-tapping fiddle playing from a variety of wandering minstrels. The trusts lovely Sugar Plum Fairy will emerge on the hour to twirl to Tchaikovsky’s famous music and lead a dance for any budding ballerinas.

And there will be a selection of beautiful hand crafted gifts to buy from the Christmas market.

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at www.fairylandtrust.org . Booking in advance is strongly recommended as spaces are limited.

Entrance tickets:  £4.50/ person, under 3s free.

Doors open at 10 am and close at 4pm.

workshops and activities from 50p to £4

Please note:

No dogs are allowed except for guide dogs.

Sorry but, unlike our outdoor events you will not be allowed to consume your own food or drink.

There is no parking on site, but there are many nearby public car parks to use, the closest being St Andrews. The Hall are right in the middle of Norwich City Centre and only 10 minutes walk from the railway station. Please use public transport if you can.

Fairyland Trust Fairy Fair 2013 Parent Review

How wonderful to wake up to a beautifully sunny day for the 12th Fairy Fair, I just knew it was going to make it even better.  After all this grotty weather we have been having we deserve a bit of sun for festival season don’t we?

Read more…

Best Festivals for Toddlers – 2013

glasto toddlerTweet

The toddler stage is possibly the most difficult age to do festivals, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done!

For really young kids we recommend small festivals, particularly if you are not an experienced festival-goer or camper.  For a successful festival experience with toddlers you need space to run around or relax, less crowds, smaller distances between campsite, arena and carpark, a good selection of child-friendly food and a willingness to take things at your toddler’s pace (see also Naomi’s Top Tips for doing Festivals with Toddlers).

After much debate, we reckon this year’s best festivals for Under 5’s are:

Read more…

The Real Halloween (Fairyland Trust) Parent Review

Who said the festival season ends in September? The Fairyland Trust‘s second jaunt of the year, The Real Halloween was held once again in the beautiful surroundings of Holt Hall, North Norfolk.

The Real Halloween celebrates the magic of Halloween and late Autumn, without the plastic, the horror and the trick or treating and is designed to enchant and not to scare. Read more…

Fairyland Trust Fairy Fair 2012 Review

fairy treeThe Fairy Fair – 3rd and 4th June 2012

11th Fairy Fair at Holt Hall, Norfolk.  I attended with my husband and daughter Eila aged 3 and son Evan aged 5 months.

Getting there

The Fairy Fair is well sign posted once you reach the town of Holt so no problems getting there.

We arrived at 10:45 so we had to queue a bit but this was very well managed by the stewards and we were parked up quickly and ready to go in.

There was a bit of a queue to enter the main site but again this was well managed. I had to go ahead with Eila, as her booked workshop was about to start, but we got there in time

General layout

The main area consisted of the performance tent which had musicians, storytelling and children’s drop in activities and the “pub” which served a range of local beers and pork pies from Brays Cottage.

In the same area, in the shadow of the giant old oak tree, there were pirate based activities and games and cooking for trolls where you could make a mud pie for the trolls. You could also go to the Pixie Post Office and for a small charge choose a postcard to colour and write out to friends or family then the fairies would stamp it and pop it in their post box to post!

Round the corner Read more…

NEWSFLASH: The Festival Angels have landed!

Entrance to Angel GardensAngel Gardens take family festival spaces to a whole new level

My friend Sam, the oh-so-lovely Angel Sam of Angel Gardens, has just told me about their exciting new ventures for 2012.  Anyone who has already had the good fortune to visit Angel Gardens in any of the festivals they went to last year will know how lovely they are.  But not content with being wonderful already, they are ramping up their offering a notch or ten, to be THE most thoughtful family space in the country!

So without further ado…  We are VERY excited to announce Angel Garden’s Plans for 2012:

Kindred Cafe

As some of you may know, Angel Gardens have decided to change their cafe this year, and after lots of chats and careful deliberation they are proud to announce….. Kindred Cafe.  This cafe will be run by Angel Crew Lisa and Kirk as part of Angel Gardens.  Not only will it serve teas and coffees, but it will have a real focus on providing child friendly breakfasts and snacks.

Also part of the space will be an activity table for free creative work, books and games for children to engage with.  With a shabby chic interior, the theme will change yearly and this year will be an Alice in Wonderland theme, this theme will run into Angel Gardens too and also into the new Cabaret Tent.  The Kindred Cafe page will be on www.facebook.com/kindred-cafe.  Lisa wrote us a Guest Blog about her festival summer which makes a nice read.

angel gardens daily scheduleThe Cabaret Tent

This will be decorated to match the cafe and Angel Gardens as a whole, it will host larger activities such as Yoga, Tai Chi, Dance, Drama, Science Demonstrations, Performers, Kid’s Discos and Karaoke, and on an evening it may show films too. There are also plans to host a Cabaret on Sunday evenings, in which children and families can show the things they have learned over the weekend.  With funky lighting, smoke machine and UV lights, you can expect some exciting performances and discos, and even UV painting parties.

The cabaret tent will be attached to the Kindred Cafe and will have a hatch in which folks can get refreshments, the Cafe will also be able to open up into the gardens in good weather.  The Cabaret Tent Facebook page can be found on www.facebook.com/whiterabbitcabaret

baby tent angel gardensBaby Tent

The Angel Gardens Baby Tent has changing mats, nappies and wipes, as well as a few toys and books for older children waiting for mum or dad to sort out the baby.  They also have comfy seating and places to breastfeed or have a little nap too.  All this really helps mummies and babies through the festival.

Kid’s own Loos

PERFEST POOS and WONDERFUL WEES will be part of the space again with free sun cream, loads of loo roll, cleaning stuff, mops and wipes to make the loo situation much nicer for little bums.  They are decorated with Fairy Lights in the evening so there is no need to bring a torch… (we all know how hard it is to balance a torch while trying to wipe little bottoms).  Just don’t forget to sign their guest book when you’ve done!

Lost Kids

The Angel Gardens Lost Kids Service is the best and parents and kids love it!  They have a registration scheme where parents and kids can register details and contact information, both parent and child get a wristband with a number that links to the form with the info on, this means they can start looking for lost kiddies the second they are reported.  With their lovely painted and heated caravan full of toys, snacks, drinks and places to sleep and have nappies changed, kids may get lost just to visit them… 😉

angel gardens kids crewWant to be part of the Team?

Angel Gardens are inviting people with skills and children to apply to work with them.  They have a scheme in which they share childcare and have a Crew Children’s Tent where they do activities and lessons. This gives mums and dads the chance to work the festival with their children in tow.  They will still have the bell tents with activities but will be looking for larger group activities that work alongside in the larger tent.  Of course there will be also be crew opportunities both in the cafe and in the cabaret tent but information will be sent out about that later.  Contact Angel Sam via the Angel Gardens Facebook page.

We are so excited about the changes to Angel Gardens and can’t wait to try them out.  We hope you feel as excited as we do about this…

Well done Angel Sam and all your fabulous team, 2012 is going to be AMAZING!

To find out where Angel Gardens will be at this year, visit:

Angel Gardens TOUR DATES

3 Wishes Fairy Festival

16th - 18th June 2024

Location: Mount Edgcumbe House & Country Park, Cremyll, Torpoint, Cornwall PL10 1HZ

Size: 2000

Website: www.fairyfestival.co.uk

The setting for this gorgeous festival just couldn’t get much more magical than this!  Really stunning views and gardens on this beautiful hillside haven of tranquility.  Join hundreds of faes and visions of mythical loveliness at this very special event.

Under 7’s are FREE, and there is a Faery School where your little pixies and fairies can learn to hula hoop and take part in all the other lovely activities on offer.

Read more…

Fairyland Trust Fairy Christmas

 St Andrews Hall, St Andrews Plain, Norwich, Norfolk

The Fairyland Trust returns this December with it’s third event of the year at St Andrew’s Hall in Norwich. This one day event taking place on 15th December, brings you the magic and beauty of a real Christmas experience in true Fairyland Trust style with unique workshops introducing families to wildlife and conservation and their unique vibe.

The event will be a smaller than the charities, Fairy Fair or Real Halloween and is held indoors. Children can take part in bookable workshops including Christmas Fairy’s where they will hear the story of why we put fairies on top of our Christmas trees, and then make one of their own to take home or, new for this year, a Christmas Light where they can create a unique magical woodland-themed Christmas Light to grace any table whilst learning what magical creatures get up to in Mid-Winter.

Father Christmas will also be in residence in his beautiful grotto with Mrs Christmas, ready to meet children.  Other activities include Christmas Tree Animal decoration making, Christmas Pixie Post Office (including a specially designed Lucy LoveHeart postcard), face painting and more.

Abbie Panks from the Fairyland Trust said “we are delighted to be running Fairy Christmas again this year; it’s a beautifully atmospheric event and last year proved incredibly popular with it selling out in just a few hours of going on sale, as with all of our events we advise people to book in advance”

There will be a Christmas Café selling food and drinks including Christmas Soup, Mince Pies, and Mulled Wine And entertainment will come from The E.L.F Ukulele Troubadours with their Christmas songs together with toe-tapping fiddle playing from a variety of wandering minstrels. The trusts lovely Sugar Plum Fairy will emerge on the hour to twirl to Tchaikovsky’s famous music and lead a dance for any budding ballerinas.

And there will be a selection of beautiful hand crafted gifts to buy from the Christmas market.

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at www.fairylandtrust.org . Booking in advance is strongly recommended as spaces are limited.

Entrance tickets:  £4.50/ person, under 3s free.

Doors open at 10 am and close at 4pm.

workshops and activities from 50p to £4

Please note:

No dogs are allowed except for guide dogs.

Sorry but, unlike our outdoor events you will not be allowed to consume your own food or drink.

There is no parking on site, but there are many nearby public car parks to use, the closest being St Andrews. The Hall are right in the middle of Norwich City Centre and only 10 minutes walk from the railway station. Please use public transport if you can.

Best Festivals for Toddlers – 2013

glasto toddlerTweet

The toddler stage is possibly the most difficult age to do festivals, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done!

For really young kids we recommend small festivals, particularly if you are not an experienced festival-goer or camper.  For a successful festival experience with toddlers you need space to run around or relax, less crowds, smaller distances between campsite, arena and carpark, a good selection of child-friendly food and a willingness to take things at your toddler’s pace (see also Naomi’s Top Tips for doing Festivals with Toddlers).

After much debate, we reckon this year’s best festivals for Under 5’s are:

Read more…

Fairyland Trust Fairy Fair 2012 Review

fairy treeThe Fairy Fair – 3rd and 4th June 2012

11th Fairy Fair at Holt Hall, Norfolk.  I attended with my husband and daughter Eila aged 3 and son Evan aged 5 months.

Getting there

The Fairy Fair is well sign posted once you reach the town of Holt so no problems getting there.

We arrived at 10:45 so we had to queue a bit but this was very well managed by the stewards and we were parked up quickly and ready to go in.

There was a bit of a queue to enter the main site but again this was well managed. I had to go ahead with Eila, as her booked workshop was about to start, but we got there in time

General layout

The main area consisted of the performance tent which had musicians, storytelling and children’s drop in activities and the “pub” which served a range of local beers and pork pies from Brays Cottage.

In the same area, in the shadow of the giant old oak tree, there were pirate based activities and games and cooking for trolls where you could make a mud pie for the trolls. You could also go to the Pixie Post Office and for a small charge choose a postcard to colour and write out to friends or family then the fairies would stamp it and pop it in their post box to post!

Round the corner Read more…

The Fairyland Trust Fairy Fair

No dates yet

Location: Holt Hall, Kelling Rd, Holt, Norfolk, NR25

Website: www.fairylandtrust.org

The Fairy Fair is family day out where entertainment meets magic, nature and folklore.

Set the grounds of Holt Hall, the Fairy Fair is held over 2 days with activity tents, marquees and other attractions throughout the surrounding woodland area.

The Fairy Fair attracts all ages but is designed mainly for children between 3-8 years. Many families come back year after year even when the children are quite grown up. Read more…

Fairyland Trust Fairy Fair 2013 Parent Review

How wonderful to wake up to a beautifully sunny day for the 12th Fairy Fair, I just knew it was going to make it even better.  After all this grotty weather we have been having we deserve a bit of sun for festival season don’t we?

Read more…

The Real Halloween (Fairyland Trust) Parent Review

Who said the festival season ends in September? The Fairyland Trust‘s second jaunt of the year, The Real Halloween was held once again in the beautiful surroundings of Holt Hall, North Norfolk.

The Real Halloween celebrates the magic of Halloween and late Autumn, without the plastic, the horror and the trick or treating and is designed to enchant and not to scare. Read more…

NEWSFLASH: The Festival Angels have landed!

Entrance to Angel GardensAngel Gardens take family festival spaces to a whole new level

My friend Sam, the oh-so-lovely Angel Sam of Angel Gardens, has just told me about their exciting new ventures for 2012.  Anyone who has already had the good fortune to visit Angel Gardens in any of the festivals they went to last year will know how lovely they are.  But not content with being wonderful already, they are ramping up their offering a notch or ten, to be THE most thoughtful family space in the country!

So without further ado…  We are VERY excited to announce Angel Garden’s Plans for 2012:

Kindred Cafe

As some of you may know, Angel Gardens have decided to change their cafe this year, and after lots of chats and careful deliberation they are proud to announce….. Kindred Cafe.  This cafe will be run by Angel Crew Lisa and Kirk as part of Angel Gardens.  Not only will it serve teas and coffees, but it will have a real focus on providing child friendly breakfasts and snacks.

Also part of the space will be an activity table for free creative work, books and games for children to engage with.  With a shabby chic interior, the theme will change yearly and this year will be an Alice in Wonderland theme, this theme will run into Angel Gardens too and also into the new Cabaret Tent.  The Kindred Cafe page will be on www.facebook.com/kindred-cafe.  Lisa wrote us a Guest Blog about her festival summer which makes a nice read.

angel gardens daily scheduleThe Cabaret Tent

This will be decorated to match the cafe and Angel Gardens as a whole, it will host larger activities such as Yoga, Tai Chi, Dance, Drama, Science Demonstrations, Performers, Kid’s Discos and Karaoke, and on an evening it may show films too. There are also plans to host a Cabaret on Sunday evenings, in which children and families can show the things they have learned over the weekend.  With funky lighting, smoke machine and UV lights, you can expect some exciting performances and discos, and even UV painting parties.

The cabaret tent will be attached to the Kindred Cafe and will have a hatch in which folks can get refreshments, the Cafe will also be able to open up into the gardens in good weather.  The Cabaret Tent Facebook page can be found on www.facebook.com/whiterabbitcabaret

baby tent angel gardensBaby Tent

The Angel Gardens Baby Tent has changing mats, nappies and wipes, as well as a few toys and books for older children waiting for mum or dad to sort out the baby.  They also have comfy seating and places to breastfeed or have a little nap too.  All this really helps mummies and babies through the festival.

Kid’s own Loos

PERFEST POOS and WONDERFUL WEES will be part of the space again with free sun cream, loads of loo roll, cleaning stuff, mops and wipes to make the loo situation much nicer for little bums.  They are decorated with Fairy Lights in the evening so there is no need to bring a torch… (we all know how hard it is to balance a torch while trying to wipe little bottoms).  Just don’t forget to sign their guest book when you’ve done!

Lost Kids

The Angel Gardens Lost Kids Service is the best and parents and kids love it!  They have a registration scheme where parents and kids can register details and contact information, both parent and child get a wristband with a number that links to the form with the info on, this means they can start looking for lost kiddies the second they are reported.  With their lovely painted and heated caravan full of toys, snacks, drinks and places to sleep and have nappies changed, kids may get lost just to visit them… 😉

angel gardens kids crewWant to be part of the Team?

Angel Gardens are inviting people with skills and children to apply to work with them.  They have a scheme in which they share childcare and have a Crew Children’s Tent where they do activities and lessons. This gives mums and dads the chance to work the festival with their children in tow.  They will still have the bell tents with activities but will be looking for larger group activities that work alongside in the larger tent.  Of course there will be also be crew opportunities both in the cafe and in the cabaret tent but information will be sent out about that later.  Contact Angel Sam via the Angel Gardens Facebook page.

We are so excited about the changes to Angel Gardens and can’t wait to try them out.  We hope you feel as excited as we do about this…

Well done Angel Sam and all your fabulous team, 2012 is going to be AMAZING!

To find out where Angel Gardens will be at this year, visit:

Angel Gardens TOUR DATES