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20 TOP TIPS FOR JUST SO FESTIVAL 2021

We have just spent a fun packed magical weekend at Just So Festival in Cheshire with lots of lovely friends. I’ll share with you throughout this post things we loved but I’ll focus on some tips to help you get the most out of the weekend if you’re planning on heading to Just So Festival …

Just So Festival Day Tickets – the perfect introduction to a family festival! MT Just So Festival 1 While we camped at Just So Festival back in 2017 and had a great time, this year we decided to return for a day. The Saturday to be precise. We’re lucky enough to live under an hour’s drive from the festival location, Rode Hall in Cheshire, and with us heading off on holiday on the Monday morning, we thought we’d completely immerse ourselves in everything Just So from dawn (9am ish) until dusk (8pm ish) and then head home to sleep and get sorted. If you were following the festival antics on social media, you might know that almost a month’s worth of rain fell on the opening Friday afternoon which unfortunately meant long queues to get in to the grounds and a whole lot of mud. By the time we arrived on the Saturday morning, there was a lot of slip-sliding and the decision was made to close the car park to any additional cars later that afternoon and for the whole of Sunday. Obviously, disappointing for those who couldn’t get to the festival by other means of transport but the festival organisers were quick to communicate the change in circumstances and offer refunds. I don’t know what else they could have done. MT Just So Festival 2 How did our day at Just So Festival go? I can’t lie, the mud was a pain. We ventured down to the main stage area, Footlights, where we’d normally spend an hour or two listening to the bands playing, but with no seats and no mud-free ground for a picnic blanket, we lasted five minutes. The Ministry of Games area, a previous favourite with my boys (aged 8 and six), was in a similar state. They found squelching through the mud fun for the first few metres but they got annoyed because their wellies kept slipping off and they couldn’t move around as quickly as they would have liked. But, now the negatives are out of the way, I have a whole load of positives for you. Despite not being able to tick off everything on our list, we experienced a day jam-packed with entertainment, humour and laughter. And a lot of ice cream. SO much ice cream! MT Just So Festival 3 We started our day by meeting with the tribal leaders (we’re a family made up of two foxes and two stags) who were so funny and really got the boys excited for the day ahead. Picking a tribe - be that owls, foxes, fish, stags, frogs, lions or bees - is a really nice part of the Just So experience. You can wear a full costume with face paints, a pair of ears, a t-shirt with your chosen animal, or just wear your own clothes if dressing up is not for you. You can get involved in the tribal tournament and attempt to win golden pebbles for your chosen team as much or as little as you want. It’s fun to keep checking the scoreboard to see who is in the lead as you pass by, especially if you have a divided family and can tease each other. MT Just So Festival 4 One of the joys of Just So is stumbling across the unexpected. You spy so many amazing things as you amble around the grounds. Campfire songs and stories, awe-inspiring marble runs, singing classes, a real actual bath being pedalled round with a family bathing in it (yes, really) and also, quieter spots to take a minute or two to regroup and consult your programme. MT Just So Festival 5  My personal recommendation would be to make a note of a handful of ‘must-sees’ but then to take a walk and see what you come across. Even if you have something pencilled in, if you and your children are having fun, don't be in a rush to move on to the next thing unless it’s something unmissable like James Campbell or The Fabularium. James had my children crying with laughter and The Fabularium had them completely and utterly spellbound. MT Just So Festival 6 How did Just So Festival day tickets compare to camping for the entire weekend? Well, it had its pluses and minuses. The kids gave it their all for one day. We packed in show after show, and explored every corner of the (muddy) site. They had ice cream-covered faces and tired legs when we left and I don’t think a second day could have lived up to the first. But they did miss popping back to the tent for a rest stop now and again. MT Just So Festival 7 As I mentioned, most of the grounds were so muddy that we couldn’t use a picnic blanket (some places were better later in the afternoon when the sun came out) and there didn’t seem to be many chairs around so we were on our feet a lot. And because we weren’t camping and hadn’t brought our own food and drink with us, we spent a small fortune on meals and snacks. MT Just So Festival 8 All in all, we had an amazing time and as we’re not natural campers, I think we’ll continue popping to the festival as day ticket holders. If you’re on the fence about heading to a family festival with your children, a day ticket is a great way of testing the water. Just So is a festival that makes it incredibly easy for families to spend quality time together and take part in so many amazing and unusual things. It's really special.   If you’re tempted to visit Just So Festival in 2020, keep an eye on the website as early bird tickets tend to be released at a slightly cheaper price. Even if it rains, I promise you, you'll leave with incredibly happy children and feeling somewhat nostalgic for your own childhood. MT Just So Festival 9

Is it worth going to Just So Festival for the day?

Just So Festival Day Tickets – the perfect introduction to a family festival! While we camped at Just So Festival back in 2017 and had a great time, this year we decided to return for a day. The Saturday to be precise. We’re lucky enough to live under an hour’s drive from the festival location, …

Review of Timber Festival 2019

This year, we have been lucky enough to have a series of Family Friendly Festivals in the diary and we were really excited to recently go to Timber Festival for the first time in order to kick off our Summer of Family Festivals. Timber Festival takes place in Fearnedock near Ashby in the National Forest …

20 Top Tips for Just So Festival 2019

We have just spent a fun packed magical weekend at Just So Festival in Cheshire with lots of lovely friends. I’ll share with you throughout this post things we loved but I’ll focus on some tips to help you get the most out of the weekend if you’re planning on heading to Just So Festival …

Timber Festival 2018 | Family Friendly Festival Review

So Timber Festival has been and gone and what a festival it was. The first year of this new Family Friendly Festival set at Feanedock, in the heart of the National Forest was a rip roaring success. NB: We were invited to Timber Festival as their guests but all views and opinions are my own. …

Review Keswick Mountain Festival with Blacks

The excitement began as soon as we heard about the Keswick Mountain Festival. What more could you ask for from a festival than camping near the mountains and being able to swim in the lake! We decided to pack two small tents rather than the big family tent as we were only going to be …

Elderflower Fields Festival Review | Taking the Plunge on our First Family Friendly Festival

After seeing Elderflower Fields Festival included in Mini Travellers’ list of Family Friendly Festivals we were delighted to have the opportunity to go. Our daughters, aged 8, 6 & 2, love music, toasting marshmallows, and getting muddy, so we knew they would have the time of their lives. My husband and I weren’t quite as …

What to expect at Deer Shed Festival 9 – Making Waves

The ninth edition of the north’s favourite family festival, Deer Shed Festival 9, is shaping up to showcase its biggest ever programme of family friendly music, arts and science and we are going! Here is what Deer Shed Festival themselves have to say about it! Deer Shed Festival 9 – taking place in Topcliffe, North Yorkshire …

Is Victorious Festival child friendly?

Is Victorious Festival child friendly? We are lucky enough to have done a few family-friendly festivals and have always really enjoyed taking the children so they can experience the sights , sounds, atmosphere and diversity of a festival before they go crazy on their own! We have also found that more and more festivals are …

England’s Medieval Festival for Families at Herstmonceux Castle

This August Bank Holiday my wife, I and our three children were invited to attend the 25th Anniversary England’s Medieval Festival at Herstmonceux Castle near to Hastings in East Sussex. We were delighted as it seemed just the sort of event our family would love: rustic camping and outdoor medieval-themed activities, and all set in …

Ultimate Family Camping Packing List for Festivals

So what do you put on a Family Camping Packing List for Festivals? In reality the answer is LOTS of clothes and as little other stuff as possible ! You basically have to pack for a whole British Summer in one weekend if you head to a family friendly festival, which means it includes wellies, …

Kendal Calling with a Baby

Find out how we got on at Kendal Calling with a 7 week old baby! Before the arrival of our little boy, and in fact even before we decided to try for children in the first place, my wife and I discussed what sort of impact having a child would have on our life. As …

Deer Shed Festival with a Toddler

Our review of Deer Shed Festival 8 – how much fun could my toddler possibly have? Over the weekend of 21st-23rd July 2017 we were invited to Deer Shed Festival at Baldersby Park, Thirsk. I have been to a lot of the big named festivals over the past 10 years, but this was my first …

10 Top Tips for Surviving a Festival with Kids

Family Friendly Festivals are amazing and wonderful for children and adults alike but here are 10 Top Tips for Surviving a Festival with Kids and making it even better! We love a Family Friendly Festival here at Mini Travellers and have some great reviews on the site linked to these posts, Dates of the Top …