Family Friendly Festivals: The 5 best summer music festivals

by Rhonda Carrier
23 May 2008

Take the Family's Best Family Festivals

Year on year the number of summer festivals mounts, and many of them are surprisingly family-friendly, even for those with little kids (who normally get in free). So pack up your tent for a long weekend of top bands and other fun for everyone from ageing rockers to bouncing babes. Although there are alternative options, camping is usually part of the fun; see the websites for various quirky permutations on this, in the form of tipis, ‘Podpads’ and ‘Yurtels’. Check ahead on the websites as to whether there’s provision for such essentials as nappies, baby food and sunblock.

Be aware that because of the nature of the events, it’s easy to lose sight of smaller children in all the milling crowds, so make sure you write your mobile number on the back of their hand, and remind them not to disclose their name to strangers. With older kids it’s a good idea to agree on a meeting point should you become unexpectedly separated.

Glastonbury, June

The mother of all performing arts festivals, held in the leafy depths of the myth-swathed Vale of Avalon since 1970, attracts more than 150,000 people to frolic in the sunshine, or more often the rain and mud. Although ‘Glasto’ is on a larger scale to many similar events, it does have the benefit of catering for many tastes: the Kidz Field and Theatre and Circus fields were designed with younger guests in mind, and the bill features comedy, theatre, cabaret, circus, dance and more in addition to contemporary music. Right-on parents note that some profits go to green charities.
Where to Stay: On site, in tents (the Cockmill Meadow zone is for families) or tipis, or towards Bath at Babington House a luxury hotel with a crèche in addition to its indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, croquet lawn, cricket pitch, spa, cinema and two restaurants.

Latitude, July

On another green-field site, this time close to the seaside hotspot of Southwold in Suffolk, this enchanting smaller-scale festival features top bands, some playing on a lakeside stage or in the fairy-lit woods, plus comedy, theatre and literary arenas, and evening film, cabaret and DJ sessions. The children’s area is equally eclectic, with activities based around music, books, art and theatre, including circus skills, puppet shows, storytelling, ‘wild arts’ and craft workshops, ‘Wildlife Detective’ trails, hunts, after-dark ‘bat events’, tree games, den-building and more, a huge parade, drumming and giant Wendy houses to play in. There’s also a Baby & Toddler Tent with bounce and rock sessions and a Parent & Baby Chillout Tent with free fruit, water and sunblock for under-5s, plus tea and coffee, changing and feeding facilities and more (even a ‘bedtime hour’ with baby baths, a chill-out soundtrack and a bedtime story!).
Where to Stay: On site, in the Family Campsite or Family Campervan zones, which have tuck shops, a communal campfire space, and early-morning entertainments for kids. Or rent a cottage in nearby Southwold or the surrounding countryside.

Big Chill, August

As the name suggests, this multimedia celebration of music, art, dance and film –held in a castle grounds amidst the glorious Malvern Hills in Herefordshire – is also on a more intimate and laid-back footing than Glastonbury, with classical music amongst the live performances. Mums and Dads can take it in turns to indulge in treatments in the Body & Soul Area while the sprogs enjoy themselves in the children’s area. New features this year are the ‘Big Warm', with storytelling sessions and songs around campfires, the 'Moonlit Picture House', a late-night outdoor cinema, and a Victorian funfair.
Where to Stay. On site, in the family campsite (which, as of this year, has a playground).


Secret Garden Party, July or Aug

This is another small-scale festival, held in the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse near Huntingdon, complete with lake and river. If that sounds staid, think again – this is the wackiest of all the festivals, with Djs, storytelling, theatre, comedy and art installations, and all manner of wild activities, from snail racing to Space Hopper races and a children’s disco. The Kids Camp, which grows every year, has creative workshops, a ‘doodle den’, a ‘Young Revolutionary's Parade’ with home-made costumes, a fashion show (ditto), pizza baking, and the ‘Hush Hush Hideaway’, where over-stimulated little ‘uns can listen to music, read books or watch cartoons over a soothing mug of cocoa. Special kids-only events include early-morning adventure walks and an adventure aboard a pirate ship.
If all the mayhem proves too much for you, head for the massage and healing space, dance classes, yoga sessions, saunas and hot tubs (a nanny service is provided for an extra fee).
Where to Stay: You can camp in tents, campervans or caravans, or book tipis or safari tents. The family camping area, set away from the loud music and late-night revelry, features campfire storytelling sessions.

Bestival, September

Describing itself as a ‘boutique music festival’, this late-summer event takes over the Robin Hill Countryside Adventure Park near Newport on the Isle of Wight. It was founded by leftfield Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank, so unsurprisingly the focus is on groundbreaking music and discovery – expect a Bollywood Cocktail Bar, a mass fancy dress party and further eccentric goings-on Thogh Robin Hill Park itself has plenty on offer (including a treetop trail, a maze, tunnels, a toboggan run and even a mini village), the festival incorporates a Kids’ Area of its own, offering natural crafts, face painting, a comic club, circus and clown shows, inflatables, a toddlers’ play area, a crèche and more besides.
Where to Stay: On site, in the family camp. 

Other feature articles by Rhonda