Dates of the Top Family Friendly Festivals Last Year

Top Tips for Just So Festival 2019
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A post including the dates of Family Friendly Festivals in the UK in 2017 from the beginning of the Summer to the end. To find dates for Family Friendly Festivals 2018 do head to our Family Friendly Festivals 2018 post!

For Family Friendly Festivals 2019 click here!

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16 Family Friendly Festivals 2018 www.minitravellers.co.uk (1)

1.Elderflower Fields

East Sussex 26-29th May

This festival promises to be a weekend of adventure, discovery and inspiration. All the planned activities are aimed towards families and children. In 2017 Elderflower has over 40 bands, Dj’s, adventurous sports (including climbing and skateboarding), creative workshops and lots more. Importantly, the campsite facilities include free hot showers and toilets. And if you enjoy a bit of pampering (I know I do!) you can also book yourself into the woodland spa!

Adult Weekend – £110 Child Weekend – £60 Under 5 Weekend – £10 www.elderflowerfields.co.uk

Dates of the Top 15 Family Friendly Festivals 2017 www.minitravellers.co.uk

2. Cornbury Music Festival

Oxfordshire, July 7-9th

A high-end open-air party in the heart of Chipping Norton country.

The supervised Kids Zone is right in the middle of the festival, so you can drop in and out. Activities are all free for children. As well as a circus skills tent and toddler disco, a new addition is the Mayflower Project Teen Tent, also supervised. This is a comfortable setting where young festival-goers can take part in activities and workshops or slump on sofas and roll their eyes at parents enjoying themselves.

In 2016 Older party goers enjoyed music from All Saints, Bryan Ferry, Seal and Jamie Callum. You can read about the 2017 (and last ever!) Line Up here in Travel Loving Family’s Post.

Adult weekend with camping: £200; Kids from £35; cornburyfestival.com

Dates of the Top 15 Family Friendly Festivals 2017 www.minitravellers.co.uk

3. Larmer Tree Festival,

Unfortunately taking a break for 2017, but you can read Zena’s Suitcase Review here.

http://larmertreefestival.co.uk

Larmer Tree Festival www.minitravellers.co.uk

4. Latitude

Suffolk, July 13-16th

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’

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 ticket, £205.50 for adults, £8 for kids; latitudefestival.com

Dates of the Top 15 Family Friendly Festivals 2017 www.minitravellers.co.uk

5. Curious Arts Festival

Hampshire, July 21-23rd

Described as ‘one of the UK’s top boutique festivals’ by the Guardian, Curious Arts Festival is a celebration of artistic talent against the lush backdrop of the New Forest. There will be a massive choice of children’s activities on offer in 2017 to engross and exhaust little ones of all ages. Returning to Curious will be the Institute of Imagination with their interactive imagination pods which will complement our own magical and innovative programme of events. The children’s programme for next year already includes Breath of Life Puppetry workshops and Tales from Tall Trees events and a Jabberwocky Hunt.


Full price Weekend Tickets: £128  Full price Family Weekend Tickets: £256 Children Weekend Tickets (5-13): £23

Children Weekend Tickets (under 5): FREE  www.curiousartsfestival.com

Goldilocks, The Bookworm Players

6. 48th Stainsby Festival

Derbyshire, July 21-23

A smaller and more intimate festival which is – say fans – is better than Glastonbury because you see all your friends there.” The website is truly terrible and I have struggled to find lots of reviews but those I have read say it is  great for families.  Held in the picturesque hamlet of Stainsby with views to the beautiful Hardwick Hall. There are music workshops, a singing competition, storytelling, theatre, poetry, film and philosophy throughout the weekend with camping thrown in.

Adults, £60 (early bird); Under 12s go free, youth weekend, £35; stainsbyfestival.org.uk 

Dates of the Top 15 Family Friendly Festivals 2017 www.minitravellers.co.uk

7. Nozstock

July 22-24, Herefordshire

“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 review of nozstock.com just click here. Our reviewer is adamant they must return in 2017 and you can too with a chance to WIN tickets at the end of this post!

Nozstock www.minitravellers.co.uk

8. Deer Shed Festival

July 21-23, Baldersby Park, North Yorks

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.

You can read more reviews of Deer Shed 7 and Deer Shed 6 by clicking the links!

Adult 16+ full weekend ticket (from 3125 to £145) Child full weekend ticket (6 to 15) £45 Child full weekend ticket (3 to 5) £10

Child full weekend ticket (0 to 2) Free http://deershedfestival.com

Deer Shed 7 www.minitravellers.co.uk

9. Kendal Calling

July 28-31, Lowther Deer Park, Lake District

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 great review by Potty Adventures of their trip to Kendal Calling with kids here!

Adult Weekend Camping – Release 4 £135.00 Face Value (Weekend Camping) Teen 11-15 years Weekend Camping £75.00 Face Value (Weekend Camping)Child 6-10 years Weekend Camping £17.50 Face Value (Weekend Camping) Under 5’s FREE www.kendalcalling.com

Photo Credit to Kendal Calling

10. Camp Bestival, Lulworth Castle

Dorset, July 27-30th

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.

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!

You can also read Munchies & Munchkins 5 Top Reasons to Attend here!

Adult weekend ticket, £175 (early bird), down to £10 for ages 4 and under and free for babies; campbestival.net 

Camp Bestival Photo Credit to Twinkle Diaries

11. The Just-So Festival

Rode Hall Estate, Cheshire, August 18/19/20

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 Tin Box Traveller.

Adult weekend ticket, £135; children £50; Under 3s free; justsofestival.org.uk 

Just So Festival www.minitravellers.co.uk

12. Beautiful Days

Escot Park, Devon  August 18/19/20

A small but increasingly popular festival, Beautiful Days is a good option for first-timers. Crucially, it also has a history of award-winning toilets. Reviews write about stacks of free kids activities and an overwhelming feeling of safety because it isn’t far too busy.  It is very much about the music for the adults in the crowd (They had James playing in 2016 which this nearly 40 year old is sad she missed) but events like a Friday night Family Rave mean there is always something going on for the kids too.

Tickets go on sale in the New Year so no prices just yet. www.beautifuldays.com

Photos provided courtesy of Virtual Festivals @ http://www.virtualfestivals.com
Photos provided courtesy of Virtual Festivals @ http://www.virtualfestivals.com

13. Green Man Festival

Powys, Brecon Beacons August 17-20th

The Green Man festival has according to Heledd at Running in Lavender a very laid back feel and is located in the stunning Brecon Beacons. ‘The Little Folk’ area is designed for families with young children and has activities and workshops planned to keep the kids entertained for the whole weekend. The entire family can enjoy the eclectic mix of live music and dance acts. They also have an excellent family camping area that include hot showers, toilets and fresh water taps.

I don’t know about you but I’m feeling the need to rush out to buy boho dresses, flat sandals, large sun glasses and of course a flower crown!

Early Bird tickets are sold out and full price tickets go on sale in January.  www.greenman.net

Green Man Festival www.minitravellers.co.uk

14. The Big Feastival

Cotswolds, August 26-28

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.

Adult weekend camping ticket, £179.50; thebigfeastival.com 

The Big Feastival www.minitravellers.co.uk

15. The Good Life Experience Festival

Hawarden Castle, Flintshire, September 15-17th

This is a back-to-basics festival curated by Catatonia’s Cerys Matthews. Kids activities are free: there’s a vintage fairground, axe-throwing for young Vikings, archery and abseiling for the fearless.

Kids (12-17) camping for the weekend, £59, under 11s free; adults £117 (early bird); thegoodlifeexperience.co.uk 

Why Not PIN this for Next Year

Dates of the Top 15 Family Friendly Festivals 2017 www.minitravellers.co.uk

 

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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.

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