We are SO excited to be heading back to Camp Bestival in Shropshire this year. It’s on from Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th August, we’ve been for the last 2 years and it’s been the highlight of our Summer!
This festival was introduced to the North 2 years ago (having been running in Dorset for a number of years before.. which is still is from 25th – 28th July) It’s specifically designed with family in mind and we reckon it’s the most family friendly festival going!
It’s a whole weekend of fabulous family fun trimmed with glitter and great music and our trip to Shropshire took us 3 hours from York.
Here are some helpful hints for you to make the most of your time there…
There is a theme for fancy dress day each year (The Saturday) – we’ve been a swarm of bee’s in the past and this year the theme is ‘Time Travel’ – so whether you want to dive into the past or go back to the future… you can have lots of fun with fancy dress.
For the rest of the weekend we recommend glitter, flowers and temporary tattoos – I guarantee you will be wearing something sparkly or brught by the end of the weekend. Lots and lots of glitter stations, henna tattoos, places to get nails done etc. If you want to save a bit of cash, take some face glitter with you or some stick on gems. We took our own glitter and neon tattoos last year and they were fun to do as well as saving some cash while there!
If you have young children, these are great for transporting those with little legs, especially later on in the day. Lots of folks dress up their trollies but even just for practicality they’re a great thing to take. Load up with chairs, extra layers, blankets etc. You can take your own or there are also Trollies for hire and these were a lot more substantial.
There are plenty of portaloos and ‘drop’ loos around the site – we’ve been fine to use these (just don’t look down!) but if the thought of festival loo’s are too much for you to bare, you’ll be pleased to hear about the introduction of the ‘Loo Lounge’ this year – Private toilet cabins with premium ceramic flushing toilet, mirror & hand wash sink with hot water, plus hand soap & paper towels situated in the main arena. You have to book a pass to use these and can buy a day or weekend pass online before you go.
Top Tip: Sanitiser – take some, there was plenty around the toilets – no handwashing facilities though. There are water points around the site to fill up water bottles and wash hands but you would need to carry your own soap.
We’re all hoping for sunshine but either way, You will definitely need to take some water for all the family, absolute necessity. There are drinks to buy, but we found plenty of areas to refill our water bottles which was great. Keep hydrated folks! We bought some festival hats when we were there last year – not only keeping safe in the sun but they look very cool too!
We took these for our girls as, depending on where we sat, the music could be loud.. and when we wanted to get to the front, they preferred wearing Ear Defenders. We got some funky designs so they looked very cute and were loving it. There were also some silent disco’s which looked brilliant in the Big Top.
Ear Defenders are Handy for little ones
There were some lovely activities that provided a bit of calm and a change when you’re all danced out. Also some shade as it was really hot when we were there and an opportunity for the kids to do something crafty. We saw wand making and sword making – but do plan ahead and make those places first on your list to go and book a slot as they booked up really quickly. We made shields and puppets. Plan your days ahead if you can – the festival covers such a huge area, it’s great to explore but having a plan is a good idea. Check the website for any programme changes/updates to line-up when you get there as there were a few last minute changes when we went.
I’d also recommend checking out the Woodland Tribe adventure play – this was a ‘build it yourself’ play area, but entry was limited and there was a queue. It looked absolutely brilliant with children and their parents building the play area with wood and nails. Another place to plan ahead for.
We wished we had done it on the set up – we only realised that we could flag one of these down when we were packing up. It was a £35 donation to charity for a jeep taxi meaning all of our tent/camping gear went down to the car in one load, driven by a lovely charity volunteer. Mini Mumbler was pleased she got a ride in a jeep too – best £35 we have spent! Life changer when you are shattered at the end of the week!
This is new for 2024 and we’ve already booked ours – with the Camp Kids Extra Pass you get a welcome pack with drawstring backpack, water bottle and your all-important meal tokens that give your child an incredible six kids meals, three sweet treats, and unlimited fruit and filtered water for just £39.99!
This festival has SO much going on, there is no way you’ll do everything (another reason we love going back year after year!) We recommend you have a really good look around the website before you go so you can check out the Activities, Decide on your ‘Must See’s’ on the Line Up and Pre-Book anything you know you want to do. You can also download the app to help with your planning and when you’re there – we found it great last year.
But also remember to leave some space and be flexible… sometimes the best festival moments are the ones where you just leave space and let it flow!
If you’re going with another adult, why not do a little tag-team effort with the kids and see if you can book a little time out for you. I did this last year (thanks to my sister for looking after my kids!) and it was a gorgeous moment of relaxation. You can book a treatment in slow-motion (Massage, Reiki, Reflexology) Take a session in the Water & Stone Wild Spa or book into the brilliant Wim Hoff Fundamentals Workshop – I’ve done this myself and can highly recommend it!
Pre-book any of these activities here
There is no doubt you’ll have fun as a family here but even better if you can take some time just for you too!
Hope this helps if you’re planning on going to a festival this year! Camp Bestival was a brilliant experience making some fantastic memories with the kids.
If you can’t go this year – you can always have your festival at home with the new book from Josie & Rob Da Bank
Tickets for Camp Bestival Shropshire are on sale now.
For tickets and details please visit: shropshire.campbestival.net
