Would you take kids to a small independent music festival?

[festivalmum95]

I'm helping organise a small independent music festival on a farm in Somerset this May and we're trying to work out what actually makes festivals enjoyable for parents with kids.

We’re planning things like kids workshops, nature activities, good food, and keeping it fairly small (nothing like the chaos of the huge festivals).
If you go to festivals with children, what actually makes the experience good or terrible?

Would love to hear what people who have done it think!

What sort of music will it be?

jazz, live indie bands in the day and then some Djs in the evenings :)

Mine loved the storytelling tent! Also stuff with percussion instruments.

At Womad in the old days (might still do it but I haven’t been for years), there used to be a big craft tent where the children made costumes for a big parade on one of the days.

Look at the Just So festival, they do it right.

Mine always loved the kids areas of festivals. Circus skills and crafts were big hits.

My eldest was always super into the music and the crowds. The general vibe. My youngest has always needed something else to amuse him. When he was little that meant things like forest trails and storytelling. Now he goes on the ferris wheel 800 times a weekend and plays football with an inflatable ball. We’ve been going to largish festivals since they were 4 and 8.

Amazing ideas! We've got a travelling library. What time of day do you think they enjoy it the most? Any particular crafts was thinking darning or flower headdress making

Oh yes, Circus skills.

@BestZebbie thank you will take a look!

Stuff that you don’t have to queue for, pay extra for or book in advance. I get the limitations, but sometimes kids activities are far too formal!

We did Shambala last year. My little one loved the kids field. Big sandpit (could have done with some more supervision) and a general toy area (just a gazebo with a toy kitchen, some cars, etc) were brilliant to retreat to with a busy 4 year old who has to be doing something. Crafts (depending on ages these can be really simple).

Mine were too old to need it, but they had a yurt which was open all night as somewhere to retreat to if you have a fussy little one who won’t sleep. Lots of blankets, cushions, and some understanding adults. I thought that was an absolutely brilliant idea. In the day it had various kid activities and then hot chocolate and story time in the evening.

My kids do love a bit of crafting at a festival. Or did when they were little. Things I looked for were: family camping, shop for supplies, crafting, not too far from car park to camping, the camp site being quite, good loos and showers.

if youre advertising as a family festival people know if safe to bring kids. But you also need kids free people to spend on the bar.

@SellFridges Amazing you've been going for so long, do they like the music or is it mainly the activites and the atmosphere? What age do you think they enjoyed it the most

Shade! Make sure you have shady places for if it’s sunny which are also covered areas if it’s raining.

Something that is nice for kids is a no / low alcohol vibe -no beer tents with lary dads smoking faga and snoring their way through the family picnic in the afternoon later. If you must sell alcohol, let it be a small tent selling cider or beer from a small local brewer. Reusable glasses.
Walkabout theatre is nice.
Bubble-blowers.
A kids' talent show.

@fruitbrewhaha Really handy tips, we've got a farm shop onsite actually and food traders, do you tend to bring your own food in and make stuff? The approach we're taking is that it's for adults but we're trying not to put kids in the corner and have their activites spreadout and make sure theres varity and that its all included in the ticket price so you don't have to keep putting your hand in your pocket! What's been a good festival size for you?

Mine love more active or adventurous activities - bushcraft, campfires, martial arts - that sort of thing!

I took at 5 year old to Somersault when it was running. They had Indeedy Bingo and some people who were brilliant at mass musical chairs/musical stairs etc. went down really well.

Craft tent, craft tent, craft tent! Open ended activities that children can get on with themselves, not workshops. Folk festivals tend to be very good for kids' areas if you need ideas.

We have taken our nearly 4 year old to small/child friendly festivals since she was 1. There is only one thing that has broken the experience, and that is toilets. Since she’s been potty trained, she will not go in gross toilets (I don’t blame her tbh, my days of putting up with that are long gone too 😂) the best family festival experiences we’ve had are when the toilets are kept clean, with proper handwashing facilities (soap and water, not hand gel). Older kids can cope, little ones less so. Our beloved Elderflower Fields got this horribly wrong last year and we hope they’ve fixed it this year!

@Les2Alpes That’s a great shout. For Show of Hands festival We’re putting we've got craft specific things booked like darn, painting palms and fancy dress but I can imagine it's always a good idea to book more. Anything specific you've seen kids enjoy?

@TinyHousemouse That’s really helpful - my next question was going to be what don't kids like haha. Are compost toilets generally OK if they’re kept clean, or do kids tend to prefer the standard ones?

What would people recommend for a kids festival packing list?

Yes, you can have a great time, but you will possibly be tied to their schedule/needs. Me & DH took DS to a few when he was little & on the whole was lovely but he didn't want to sit and watch bands, so we got a bit torn sometimes - I know some kids will be happy to watch bands, but not all kids are. Also, the weather can make things difficult with little ones, and beware of freezing nights - even if the days are warm, take plenty of warm bedding eg sleeping bag liners. Another factor you can't always control is loud, partying-all-night people in nearby tents (I used to be one so can't complain, but can be tricky with kids that can't sleep). I sound like a grouch, but just flagging up some of the possible downsides - the upsides are the absolute fun & relaxation you can have en famille, doing all sorts of lovely activities you wouldn't usually do, having a magical time together x

Mosaic making was one kiddy activity i remember Dd enjoying. Also some circus type skills such as juggling, those funny plant pot/bucket type things you learn to walk on and the Pedal Go toys.

I took mine to a smallish festival on my own, when they were 13, 11 and 8. Even with a decent sized pitch in the “family” field, it was really noisy so they were crabby through lack of sleep, they really hated the loos and refused to use the showers, they also hated smelling weed (“they’ve got those weird cigarettes”). Weather wasn’t great until the last day, so we packed the tent up early and hit the beach, then to a Travelodge for showers and early night. They liked that day best.

We did V Festival later in their teens, now in their 30s one would probably take her own little ones (she’s done a few festivals without them), the others would only go for the day and wouldn’t slum it in a tent again

Mine prefers a standard portaloo or toilet trailer 😂 but will go in a compost loo if it’s clean and there’s enough sawdust to go around. Not the most fun of topics 😂 but it really has been the one killer for us.