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10 Tips for Surviving a Festival with Kids

Festivals

16 Aug

We L O V E a festival and we always try to visit one every year. Over the years we have experienced Camp Bestival, Just So Festival, Love Supreme Festival, Timber Festival, Elderflower Fields Festival and The Big Feastival. We love a festival with kids and there are so many child friendly festivals to choose from.  We sleep in our converted camper van, but  there are always loads of options available including purchasing day tickets, glamping in bell tents, yurts and teepees or camping. Family festivals are a wonderful experience for both parents and families to throw out routine and step into the world of of live music, adventure, imagination, arts, dance, theatre and comedy. Here are our top festival tips for surviving (and enjoying) a festival with kids.

Top Tips for Surviving a Festival with Kids 

  • Top Tips for Surviving a Festival with Kids 
    • festival packing list: Take appropriate Clothes
    • Take Food and Drinks, and plenty of water
    • Enjoy Festivals with friends
    • Pack Essentials  
    • Say no to gadgets
    • Research and Plan
    • Take appropriate wheels
    • If they can walk – they can get lost
  • How to enjoy a festival with children
    • Throw out routine
    • Relax and Have Fun

festival packing list: Take appropriate Clothes

We have experienced some wonderful festivals in beautiful sunshine. We have also experienced some wonderful festivals in torrential rain. Wellies are a must. Warm jumpers, thermal socks, waterproofs, along with summer clothing – vests, dresses etc . Child friendly festivals are awesome fun. We love taking fleece onesies and take the kids out in the evenings with blankets, onesies and warm jumpers. This allows them to settle to sleep during the evening in a pushchair or a festival trolley and the adults can still experience the live music.

Take Food and Drinks, and plenty of water

Taking appropriate snacks for both adults and children is essential. There is always wonderful food on offer but the queues can be long and children always want food and drink the moment you have found a fabulous spot and settled down to watch your favourite act. All the festivals we have been to have had great facilities for kids to eat and take a break – but always worth packing a few extras in your rucksack to last the weekend.

Enjoy Festivals with friends

 We have visited festivals both on our own and with friends. The benefit of enjoying festivals with friends who have children of similar ages, is that the kids enjoy the company, and you can share the toilet runs, coffee stops or split up and take children back to the camp if they are tired.

Pack Essentials  

We have always used ear defenders for the little ones and found they have worked a treat with the live music. Lil_E slept all the way though Fat Boy Slim and Kelis. 🙂 don’t forget the sun hats and suncream!! We had a wonderful time at Camp Bestival last summer and we were so lucky with the weather. It was hot, hot, hot. Although there is often shaded areas, there is also vast space with little shade and suncream and sun hats and appropriate cover ups are a must. Nappies, milk, bottles, comforters, baby wipes, medicines…  Many festivals do have great facilities for babies including feeding tents,  highchairs, breast feeding areas, baby change, baby massage etc.

Say no to gadgets

Festivals are all about imagination… You don’t need expensive iPads and computer games. Kids love dressing up, and the festivals often have weekend themes for the fancy dress – so do your homework before you go. We always take a lot of glitter, and flower head garlands and fairy wings. Balls, balloons, bubbles and glow sticks are great fun.  The truth is – anything goes.

Research and Plan

The Festivals always have wonderful activities on offer for children, with live acts, theatre shows, bouncy castles, man made sand pits, arts and craft tents, circus skills…. the list is endless! Buy a programme. Research and plan your weekend so you don’t miss your favourite activities.

festival tips with kids, take fancy dress and pillows

     

Take appropriate wheels

The activities are often spread out over a vast space and this can be tough for little legs. We purchased a wonderful double pushchair a couple of years back and its not only allows us to store anything we need to take for the day, but also provides rain and sun shelter, and offers a safe place for tired heads and legs to rest.  There are often festival trolleys to hire – but these usually sell out prior to the festival so do organise these before you go.  Baby carriers are also a great option for the little babies too.  It really does come down to personal preference.

If they can walk – they can get lost

If the children are old enough to understand, try to have an identifiable meeting point if you were to get separated. For the younger children  – ensure they wear a wrist band with your  mobile number on.

How to enjoy a festival with children

Throw out routine

Yes there really are pillow fights organised in the evenings, and early morning football clubs. The children love to break the rules and dance to music at 10pm dressed head to toe in glow sticks. They do enjoy chocolate and milkshakes at 9pm at night. Kids adapt so well to changes in routine, enjoy the weekend!

pack fancy dress, suncream, hats and wellingtons when visiting a festival with kids

Relax and Have Fun

The children will get dirty, muddy,  glittery, tired.. the works… children love to see their parents having fun, happy and relaxed…so soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the weekend 🙂

top tips to enjoy a festival with kids. what to pack, and festival hacks

I hope you enjoyed  our festival tips for surviving a family friendly festival with kids.  Do you have any other tips to share?

Here are a selection of our child friendly festival reviews

Elderflower Fields Festival review

Just So Festival review

Timber Festival review

9 Comments

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tania @ Larger Family Life says

    January 19, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    Throwing out the routine is definitely the best tip there! Looks like you guys have a lot of fun!

    Reply
    • otisandus says

      January 29, 2017 at 9:02 pm

      I agree with you there! We do enjoy the festivals! Thank you 🙂

      Reply
  2. Anderkins Family says

    March 1, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    This is a fantastic guide, lots of useful tips.

    We love Just So Festival too!

    Reply
    • otisandus says

      March 1, 2017 at 9:39 pm

      I’ve just had a lovely read of your post! Just so festival is so magical we love it too! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

      Reply
  3. Baby Loves Travel says

    March 4, 2017 at 10:31 am

    I’ll be taking these tips on board for our first festival experience with our toddler this summer – thanks! #GetGone

    Reply
    • otisandus says

      March 4, 2017 at 9:43 pm

      That’s wonderful I really hope that you will have such a great time ! We do love a festival 🙂 xxx

      Reply
  4. Helena says

    March 10, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    Great tips. I love the outfits your littlies are wearing in these photos too. #GetGone

    Reply
  5. Julia @ Rainbeaubelle says

    May 4, 2017 at 8:48 pm

    Thanks so much for this! I am taking the kids to a festival this year for the first time – Just So – and am a bit nervous about it but so so looking forward to it!! I always overpack!! haha x

    Reply
    • otisandus says

      May 4, 2017 at 8:50 pm

      Just so is one of my favourite festivals you will have such a wonderful time, it really is magical and the kids love it ! Have a wonderful time- we will be there too! X

      Reply

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Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟

Fairy lights dotted around a
Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟

Fairy lights  dotted around a climbing frame
 
= A few more extra hours outside over the winter months 

Add in a flurry of snow ....

#1000hoursoutside 

#wickeyadventure #wickeyplaytime #lockdown3


🚐Vanlife with kids 🚐

I often get messages a
🚐Vanlife with kids 🚐

I often get messages asking “where do you all sleep” and where did your toddler or baby  sleep in the camper ?

We bought our #t5 when our eldest was just 2, and we have had to adapt as our family has grown. We didn’t have the roof converted until much later so we tried a fair few sleeping options! 

I thought It might be helpful if I listed all of the sleeping options we have tried in our vwT5 because I often get questions about sleeping options with young kids.

⭐️Our new born baby slept in a sleepyhead in the camper as it was easily transportable and worked as  crib.

⭐️ We then found a deluxe travel cot that fit perfectly at the base of our rib bed and this worked from about 6 months 

⭐️We then moved on to a toddler inflatable air bed placed again at the bottom of our bed. We  found the toddler beds fit perfectly across the width of the van 

⭐️moving on we purchased a hammock that fitted over just the driver and passenger seat  and this worked great from about 3+

⭐️ Finally as our family grew... We  had our pop top roof added and the children slept well in the roof. We had a safety net fitted to the opening  of the roof and this allowed all our children to sleep in the roof safely and gave us some peace of mind - particularly as our son was young.

I’ve linked my post in my stories but do let me know if you have tried any other options that work for young children, particularly if you don’t have an elevating roof! Always here if I can help with anything or if you have any questions.

🌈


A vintage rainbow 🌈

Mucho love tonight - hope
A vintage rainbow 🌈 

Mucho love tonight - hope you are all doing okay x


💫Still one of my most favourite captures 💫

💫Still one of my most favourite captures 💫 

Just popping on to wish all of you a Happy New Year 💕

Here we are .... Still hanging out in tier 4, (but hey I have three lovely days off 🤩) we have all got this🙌🏻

For now I’m going to keep dreaming, planning, doing a bit of vanlife shopping and redesigning our campervan 😂 (so if any of you lovely vanlife peeps can share and tag me in a picture of your interiors I would be eternally grateful). 

Hey I may even get this dissertation done 🤣

If it’s okay I’ll keep sharing the little bits in between, and of course our van life tips and tricks over the new year, until we can explore once again. 

Thanks for sticking with us - happy new year to my faves, lots of love and stay safe 

The Otis and Us tribe xxx


🌲 And that’s me signing off for Christmas. 🌲 

Let’s hope 2021 brings some sunshine, plans, adventures and a glimmer of hope. 

To all my lovely friends, family and wonderful vanlife peeps, thanks so much for all the love and support this year. 

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and New year from Otis and Us xxx

Ad / We are still loving our @wickey climbing fram
Ad / We are still loving our @wickey climbing frame, and so grateful to have this wonderful play area in our garden for the kids since the lockdown number two. 

It’s my last day of annual leave today. So we have spent the afternoon adding a few fairy lights to the MultiFlyer climbing frame - sprinkling a bit of magic and festive cheer out in the garden....

Moving on to the the camper next :) it definitely needs some fairy lights and a tree - Don’t you think? 🌲 

#wickeyadventure #wickeyplaytime #vimage


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Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟 Fairy lights dotted around a Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟

Fairy lights  dotted around a climbing frame
 
= A few more extra hours outside over the winter months 

Add in a flurry of snow ....

#1000hoursoutside 

#wickeyadventure #wickeyplaytime #lockdown3
🚐Vanlife with kids 🚐 I often get messages a 🚐Vanlife with kids 🚐

I often get messages asking “where do you all sleep” and where did your toddler or baby  sleep in the camper ?

We bought our #t5 when our eldest was just 2, and we have had to adapt as our family has grown. We didn’t have the roof converted until much later so we tried a fair few sleeping options! 

I thought It might be helpful if I listed all of the sleeping options we have tried in our vwT5 because I often get questions about sleeping options with young kids.

⭐️Our new born baby slept in a sleepyhead in the camper as it was easily transportable and worked as  crib.

⭐️ We then found a deluxe travel cot that fit perfectly at the base of our rib bed and this worked from about 6 months 

⭐️We then moved on to a toddler inflatable air bed placed again at the bottom of our bed. We  found the toddler beds fit perfectly across the width of the van 

⭐️moving on we purchased a hammock that fitted over just the driver and passenger seat  and this worked great from about 3+

⭐️ Finally as our family grew... We  had our pop top roof added and the children slept well in the roof. We had a safety net fitted to the opening  of the roof and this allowed all our children to sleep in the roof safely and gave us some peace of mind - particularly as our son was young.

I’ve linked my post in my stories but do let me know if you have tried any other options that work for young children, particularly if you don’t have an elevating roof! Always here if I can help with anything or if you have any questions.

🌈
A vintage rainbow 🌈 Mucho love tonight - hope A vintage rainbow 🌈 

Mucho love tonight - hope you are all doing okay x
💫Still one of my most favourite captures 💫 💫Still one of my most favourite captures 💫 

Just popping on to wish all of you a Happy New Year 💕

Here we are .... Still hanging out in tier 4, (but hey I have three lovely days off 🤩) we have all got this🙌🏻

For now I’m going to keep dreaming, planning, doing a bit of vanlife shopping and redesigning our campervan 😂 (so if any of you lovely vanlife peeps can share and tag me in a picture of your interiors I would be eternally grateful). 

Hey I may even get this dissertation done 🤣

If it’s okay I’ll keep sharing the little bits in between, and of course our van life tips and tricks over the new year, until we can explore once again. 

Thanks for sticking with us - happy new year to my faves, lots of love and stay safe 

The Otis and Us tribe xxx
🌲 And that’s me signing off for Christmas. 🌲 

Let’s hope 2021 brings some sunshine, plans, adventures and a glimmer of hope. 

To all my lovely friends, family and wonderful vanlife peeps, thanks so much for all the love and support this year. 

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and New year from Otis and Us xxx
Ad / We are still loving our @wickey climbing fram Ad / We are still loving our @wickey climbing frame, and so grateful to have this wonderful play area in our garden for the kids since the lockdown number two. 

It’s my last day of annual leave today. So we have spent the afternoon adding a few fairy lights to the MultiFlyer climbing frame - sprinkling a bit of magic and festive cheer out in the garden....

Moving on to the the camper next :) it definitely needs some fairy lights and a tree - Don’t you think? 🌲 

#wickeyadventure #wickeyplaytime #vimage
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🚐 4 years! 🚐 4 years blogging!! Wowzers tha 🚐 4 years! 🚐

4 years blogging!! Wowzers that has flown by!! 

I’ve had lots of new followers lately so thought I would pop on and say hello and tell you a little bit about us.

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