Dates of Family Friendly Festivals 2021 from the beginning of the Year to the end. Let’s hope that this year some of these get to go ahead, many of which have already introduced some socially distanced protocols.
If you want to read more on Family Friendly Festivals from us, take a look at our Family Friendly Festivals page too!
1. The Good Life Experience Festival 2021 – Top Festivals 2021
Hawarden Castle, Flintshire, 29th April 2021 to 2 May 2021
This is a back-to-basics festival curated by Catatonia’s Cerys Matthews – perfect for families looking for an enriching festival experience. Kids activities are free: there’s a vintage fairground, axe-throwing for young Vikings, archery and abseiling for the fearless.
Ticket Prices 3 nights camping: Adults £199 – £209, Kids (12-17) £99, Under 11s FREE. 2 night camping tickets and Saturday tickets also available. thegoodlifeexperience.co.uk
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You can read our top tips for The Good Life Experience 2019 here.
2. Elderflower Fields South 2021 – Family Festivals 2021
East Sussex, 28th-31st May 2021
Elderflower Fields is a small, safe and friendly festival, designed especially for families with younger children. They believe in the transformative power of spending time immersed in nature, letting kids be a little bit wild and free, and in appreciating great food and the arts together with friends.
After the necessary cancellation of 2020’s festival due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they’re excited and positive about returning to celebrate together at Pippingford Park in 2021. Find out what they’re doing to make Elderflower Fields safe and buy tickets with confidence.
Here’s what we thought of Elderflower Field Festival 2019 and some tips for Elderflower Fields Festival in 2021.
Weekend Tickets – Tier 4: £143 for adults, £71.55 for kids under 16, £6.50 for 3 years and under. All prices include the booking fee. www.elderflowerfields.co.uk
3. Wychwood Festival 2021 – Top Family Festivals 2021
Cheltenham, 4th-6th June 2021
With its laid back and family friendly atmosphere, everywhere you look there are kids running around, chasing bubbles, practising circus skills and dancing to the live music. A perfect festival to enjoy live music and chill with friends. Consistently nominated as the “Best Family Festival” in the UK Festival Awards.
This family festival takes place within the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, with over 100 acts performing across four stages, plus music, dance and arts workshops, a circus school and a programme of talks, debates and comedy for all ages.
Morning Star
A secret pleasure for those who know their festivals. Highly recommended
You can read Travel Loving Family’s review of Wychwood Festival for 2018 here and Travel Loving Families review of Wychwood Festival 2017 here.
Weekend Camping Tickets – Tier 1: £150 adult, £70 kids 10-15, £20 kids 5-9, Under 5s FREE. All tickets subject to a booking fee. www.wychwoodfestival.com
4. Elderflower Fields Midlands 2021 – Family Festivals 2020
Stanford Hall, Leicestershire 11-13th June 2021
Elderflower Fields is a small, safe and friendly festival, designed especially for families with younger children. They believe in the transformative power of spending time immersed in nature, letting kids be a little bit wild and free, and in appreciating great food and the arts together with friends.
They have been running a festival in Sussex since 2012 and last year decided to expand to the Midlands, Covid put pay to that first one but they are hoping 2021 will be the year!
Find out what they’re doing to make Elderflower Fields safe and buy tickets with confidence.
5. Timber Festival 2021 – Family Festivals 2021
Derby, 2nd-4th July 2021
If you’re looking for a festival with a very relaxed vibe, a festival that truly is family friendly and one where you will feel instantly relaxed then Timber is your festival. If you’re looking for Mr Tumble, neon lights and famous bands then you’ll need to head elsewhere. Timber Festival we absolutely LOVED you! To read our full review for the very first Timber Festival in 2018 just click here.
To read how Rachel got on at Timber Festival in 2019 read here review here.
Timber Festival 2020 will return to Feanedock on 2nd-4th July 2021
Earlybird Weekend Tickets: Adult with camping £100, without camping £70; Child (3-15) with camping £30, without camping £20; Under 3s FREE. Day tickets also available. All tickets subject to a booking fee.
6. Cornbury Music Festival 2021 – Family Friendly Festivals 2021
Cotswolds, 9th/10th/11th July 2021
https://www.cornburyfestival.com/
A high-end open-air party in the heart of Chipping Norton country. Apart from the cost of the fairground rides, most of the children’s activities are completely free. You may not know all the bands but go with the mindset of soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying time with your family.
It was due to be the last festival (see our Cornbury Festival 2017 review, written with that in mind) but the 2018 Cornbury Festival was as fantastic as ever, why not take a look at Travel Loving Families Cornbury Festival Tips here!
Earlybird Weekend Tickets (no camping): Adult £165, Youth (13-16 incl) £75, Child (3-12 incl) £20.
Earlybird Weekend Tickets (with camping): Adult £195, Youth (13-16 incl) £105, Child (3-12 incl) £20.
Featured Image of Cornbury Festival with Photo Credit to What Alex Did
Keep reading for more recommendations on the top family friendly festivals in 2020!
More top family friendly festivals 2021
Ely Folk Festival
Cambridgeshire, 9-11th July 2021
A bijou, family-friendly festival in the wonderful cathedral city of Ely, Ely Folk Festival hosts a mix of great folk & roots music over a wonderful weekend in July. We love looking after our younger visitors with story-telling, crafting, music workshops, free play, a family concert & festival parade. The festival takes place on a flat sports pitch site with camping facilities, food & craft stalls, a beer tent, morris dancing, & workshops.
Tickets are on sale now
www.elyfolkfestival.co.uk. https://www.facebook.com/groups/29810698672/
7. Latitude 2021 – Family Festivals 2021
Suffolk, 22nd-25th July 2021
Latitude Festival 2021 will take place in the beautiful Henham Park, Suffolk.
With activities and entertainment for kids, teens and families now spread across three exciting areas, it’s no wonder Latitude has previously won Best Family Festival and ‘Best Family Day Out’. It’s definitely a top family friendly festival!
A proper pop festival in the beautiful grounds of Henham Park, Suffolk. Arranged around the Latitude Lake is a stunning Kids Area, where children are entertained with fire shows, pizza-making, traditional woodland crafts and a host of exciting science experiments. There is also an Inbetweeners’ Teen Area. Here, teenagers can take part in music, media, fashion and technology workshops, or learn wildlife survival skills.
Weekend Standard/Family Camping Ticket: £218.70 for adults, £148.50 for accompanied teens (13-15), £15 for kids under 12; latitudefestival.com
If you want to read more on Family Friendly Festivals 2021 from us, take a look at our Family Friendly Festivals page too!
Larmer Tree Festival 2021 – Top Family Festivals 2021
Cranbourne Chase, Cancelled – Larmer Tree Festival will not be hosted in 2021
8. Bluedot 2021 – Family Festivals UK 2021
Jodrell Bank Cheshire, 22nd-25th July 2021
Bluedot is a music, science and culture event which has been held annually in July since 2016 at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire. It is a combination of music, live science experiments, expert talks and immersive artworks – but how does that make Bludeot a Family Friendly Festival?
When a festival makes it look cool to be a scientist, when learning is celebrated, and when talks about space are as exciting as the music headliners this sends a brilliant message to the kids .
You can read 10 reasons why Bluedot is a Family Friendly Festival here. But you can also check out this fab video from the Twinkle Diaries who we spent the weekend with.
Bluedot 2021 dates are 22nd to 25th July 2021
Adult Weekend Camping Ticket – Release 2: £168.75, 11-15 yrs £87, Child 10 and under FREE. Prices include booking fee.
10. Nozstock 2021 – Family Friendly Festivals 2021
Herefordshire, Thursday 22nd – Sunday 25th July 2021
Tickets for Nozstock Festival which will take place 22nd to 25th July 2021 are on sale now.
Weekend Tier 1 Tickets: Adult (17+) £130 (Thurs-Sun), £120 (Fri-Sun); Teen (15-16) £110 (Thurs-Sun), £100 (Fri-Sun), Teen (13-14) £110 (Thurs-Sun), £100 (Fri-Sun), Child 12 and Under FREE. (http://nozstock.com/tickets/
“The festival’s ethos is about bringing play to everyone, in whatever form it can. Nozstock believes in the value of not only entertaining, but in participation and contribution. It’s an ever-changing event with a clear agenda; to invite conversation, interaction and serious recreation. Above all, Nozstock The Hidden Valley is a blissful family festival that caters to all ages with activities that little ones can enjoy as well as entertainment for teens, students, seasoned festivalites, party-starters and grandparents.”
To read our reviews of nozstock.com just click here for 2016 and here for 2017!
11. Deer Shed Festival 2021 – Family Friendly Festivals 2021
Topcliffe, North Yorkshire, 30 July – 1 August 2021
It’s the people that make Deer Shed Festival so great! The success of this festival is its ability to cater for everyone and seeing how much fun the babies, children and teens have side by side, instils the festivals aim….. Family friendly. From wash time for babies all sitting in little wash pots overflowing with bubbles; to an abundance of art tents for children to make just about anything, to the science tent where you can be lost for days in exploring the universe with The University of York, to soldering circuit boards.
Our reviewer asked lots of parents what they liked most about the festival set up and they all said … the size. Being able to have a short walk from your car to the camp site and onto the festival site was a huge bonus. You can pop back to your tent for lunch or children’s afternoon naps and the music tents are all in easy striking distance.
Deer Shed 10 was a bit wet so here are Six Top Tips for surviving a muddy festival and along our review of day 1 of the festival.
Here is what we thought of Deer Shed 9 together with top tips for Deer Shed Festival 2019!
You can read reviews of Deer Shed 8 (with a toddler) Deer Shed 7 and Deer Shed 6 by clicking the links!
Full Weekend Early Bird Ticket: Adult (16+) £130, Child (11-15) £70, Child (6-10) £60, Child (3-5) £30, Child 2 and Under FREE. http://deershedfestival.com
12. Kendal Calling 2021 – Family Friendly Festivals 2021
Lowther Deer Park, Lake District, Kendal Calling to 29th July to 1st August 2021
Great music and kids area and carnival-themed crafts. On the website Kendal Calling say” The festival is a safe and family friendly festival. We have a dedicated kids area (Kids Calling) with everything from a mothers and babies tent to workshops for teens and all ages. As part of the standard ticket we have a dedicated Family Campsite. As well as that, we recommend the Emperors Fields campsite to families as it is smaller in size and has all the facilities in one place. However we must remind all that kids remain the responsibility of their parents & guardians and not the festival”
There is a fab review of Kendal Calling 2019 showing why you need to head to Kendal Calling 2021 together with a brilliant video from The Twinkle Diaries.
There is a great review by Potty Adventures of their trip to Kendal Calling with kids here and our latest review of Kendal Calling with a Baby from 2017.
Weekend Camping – Release 2: Adult £148.25, Teen (11-15) £88.25, Child (6-10) £22, Under 5’s FREE. Prices include booking fee. www.kendalcalling.com
13. Camp Bestival 2021, Lulworth Castle – Family Friendly Festivals 2021
Dorset, 29th July to 1st August 2021
Four nights of camping doesn’t seem like enough time. Those who have been to Camp Bestival literally rave about it! A fellow blogger friend of mine Caro at Twinkle Diaries wrote at least 5 posts about it, and I’ll link to one here but do search her site for more posts on this well-known family festival.
Caro’s view is that “There are so many small boutique festivals popping up all over the country. Family, art and food festivals — festivals that cater to all kind of musical persuasion — whatever your taste, there is sure to be a festival to suit you. But if you have children, Camp Bestival is by far one of — if not — the best festivals you can go to.” High praise indeed!
Here in this blog post is what we thought and how to get the most out of Camp Bestival 2019 if you do decide to go!
And why not check out our video too!
You can also read Munchies & Munchkins 5 Top Reasons to Attend Camp Bestival!
Tier 2 Weekend Tickets: Adult £180, Student £175, Teen (13-17) £114, Child (10-12) £90, Child (5-9) £40.50, Child (4 & Under) £20.50, Babes In Arms (1 & Under) FREE (but ticket required). campbestival.net
14. Chilled in a Field Festival 2021 – Family Friendly Festivals 2021
East Sussex, 30th July to 1st August 2021
https://www.chilledinafieldfestival.co.uk/
Chilled in a Field Festival has developed from the ’90’s London party scene. It’s a small, independent Sussex festival for grown up party people and their kids and is held at Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum.
Chilled in a Field Festival really was chilled in a field (and wood). Everyone was so friendly, accepting and welcoming. There was so much for the kids to do and although the site and festival was small it really was perfectly formed. I am a reformed festival convert! You can read our full review of Chilled in a Field Festival here!
Full weekend tickets: Adult from £109, Teen (13-18) £25 (earlybird), Child (4-12) £35, Infant (0-3) £3. Ticket prices subject to booking fee. Day tickets also available.
15. Starry Skies 4th-8th August 2021
Cwm Cayo Farm, Usk, Wales. 4th-8th August 2021
Brought to you by the team behind Shambala Festival, Starry Skies is designed especially to give free-range kids and their grown ups all the best bits of a family festival and camping holiday rolled into one. It takes place on a family farm in the Welsh village of Usk. Starry Skies has a petite capacity – no scary crowds here. This also means that nothing is too far away – not even the children. This rustic farm is complete with rolling meadows, ancient woodlands and even an iron age fort, the perfect setting for four glorious fun-filled days of freedom, under the stars. Swap minecraft for bush craft and screen time for family time!
Tickets : https://www.starry-skies.net/buy-tickets/
16. The Just So Festival 2021
Rode Hall Estate, Cheshire, 20th-22nd August 2021
Tickets for Just So Festival 2021 are on sale now.
An annual, intimate, weekend-long camping festival for children and their families the Just So Festival provides an imaginative outdoor adventure like no other, showcasing the best art, music, literature, comedy and theatre for families in a wondrous landscape of woodland clearings, rolling parkland, arboreal amphitheatres and lakeside spots in the Rode Hall Estate, Cheshire.
Just So was awarded Best Festival in 2015 (You can read our review of 2014 here!) and our reviews of 2015 and 2016 (yes we love it!) and is the only combined arts festival dedicated solely to families in the UK.
You can also read another review here by Actually Mummy and find 9 Foodie Experiences from Just-So Festival by Tin Box Traveller.
Here are our Top Tips for Just So Festival 2019 here!
Why not check out our video from 2017:
and Twinkle Diaries Video from 2018!
Early Bird Weekend Ticket with Camping: Adult £130; Child £45; Under 3s free. Day tickets also available. justsofestival.org.uk
17. Towersey Festival – Family Friendly Festivals 2021
Thame, Oxfordshire, Towersey 27th-30th August 2021
One of the longest running independent music festivals in the UK (54 years and counting), Towersey’s family appeal spans generations of attendees, attracted by the relaxed friendly vibe. Although it’s always had a strong family-friendly offer, Towersey’s All About Children strand (launched in 2016) builds on its previous programme for 5-11 year-olds, with an emphasis on creativity, play and discovery. Activities range from Kindergym and Stone Age skills, to bedtime stories and a festival choir, while daily lantern making sessions culminate in an impressive dusk parade on the final night. There’s plenty to do for ages 11+ too, including DJ workshops, a Big Build challenge, theatre workshops, and space to just hang out.
Early Bird Weekend Tickets With Camping: Adult £159; Child (5-17) £80; Under 5 FREE.
Early Bird Weekend Tickets Without Camping: Adult £134; Child (5-17) £65; Under 5 FREE.
18. The Big Feastival 2021 – Family Friendly Festivals 2020
Cotswolds, Big Feastival 27th-29th August 2021
It started with the food but the Big Festival is now more than that. It’s held on ex-Blur bassist Alex James’s Cotswold farm, and is always a mixture of fabulous food and high-end celebrity spotting. Last year the musical line-up included Mark Ronson, Kaiser Chiefs and Tinie Tempah, along with chefs Raymond Blanc, Tom Kerridge and Jamie Oliver.
There is much for the smaller people to do with cookery classes and a Little Dudes’ Den which includes face painting, jam sessions and giant haystacks. A perfect family friendly festival for foodies.
Weekend Camping Tickets: Adult (18+) £182.50, Teen (13 – 17) £105.00, Child (12 & Under) £40.00. All prices subject to booking fee. thebigfeastival.com
Weekend Tickets: Adult (18+) £152.50, Teen (13 – 17) £85.00, Child (12 & Under) £25.00. All prices subject to booking fee.
19. England’s Medieval Festival 2020 – Family Friendly Festivals 2020 – Still going ahead at this stage
Sussex, 2021 28th-30th August 2021
Englands Medieval Festival takes place at Herstmonceux Castle near to Hastings in East Sussex. A weekend of rustic camping and outdoor medieval-themed activities, and all set in the grounds of an amazing castle. You can wander along a market street with stalls selling clothing, jewellery, books, beautiful handmade fairies and all manner of medieval-inspired goods and make your way towards the front of the Castle where crowds gather to watch the reenactment. Loud beat of drums fill the air and anticipation rises as a procession of soldiers file past and gather in front of the castle. Then the seige commences…
Day Ticket Prices 2021: tbc
Weekend Ticket Prices 2021 tbc:
You can read our review of the Englands Medieval Festival 2018 year here!
Did you love this guide to the best family festivals 2021? Dates and Prices will be updated as they become available.
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Karen Beddow founded Mini Travellers in 2014 while doing what she loves most...going on holiday!
Mini Travellers is for parents looking for holiday ideas, destination reviews, days out and things to do with the kids. We also have family travel tips, activity ideas and all other things family holiday related. Take a look at some of our latest reviews for holidays and day trips in the UK.