First timer at Bestival

[Morethanwords1]

Hi, we’re going to Bestival for the first time this month and looking for some general tips. (Taking our 3 year old).

We’ve booked camping plus in the indigo section - does anyone know if this is miles from the car park? We’re also first time campers so not sure how much stuff we will need or whether we need a little trolly to cart our stuff to the field.

Any general tips would be great? We have family staying in the normal camping section, will we be able to join them/is it far?

If you're careful, you can find some reasonably priced food options and it's definitely worth visiting the food trucks at least once or twice over the weekend as it's part of the experience. it’s worth asking at food stalls if they’ll do you a children’s portion — they’ll usually say yes, and often charge you very little for it. However, it quickly adds up and so try to take your own snacks and breakfasts at least.
For breakfast I’d normally give each of the dc an instant porridge pot with a pouch of fruit purée (Ella’s) squirted in for extra nutrition and to cool it down! It fills them up and keeps them going for a while. Alternatively you could take cereal bars and little cartons of fruit juice. We normally take cereal bars for snacks though. Satsumas and little boxes of raisins are also good snacks that keep well over the weekend and can be thrown in your day bag without going squishy! Take some food/drink treats which your DC like but don't have very often; makes it easier to say no to the food stalls and avoid the queues. Take endless snacks (mine ate four days’ worth of snacks in 24 hours once).
We often get lunch from the food trucks (saves us carrying stuff around) but always bring our own dinner and eat it back at the tent. Returning to the tent also gives the kids a bit of downtime away from the festival mayhem, and gives you a chance to get their beds ready while it is still daylight. It is a good tip to get their PJs on under their clothes in the early evening too, so they don’t have to fully undress in the cold later on when their batteries are well and truly run out.
We took Tilda Kids pouches for the dc which they happily ate cold.
There are several free water points around the main arenas and campsites. Take the squeezy capsules of dilutable squash (Robinsons Squash'd) if your ds isn’t that fond of water.
From what I’ve found, it’s best to try not to worry too much about adhering to usual bed times — or even meal times for that matter. For a few days, just abandon your usual routine and let them sleep when they’re tired and eat when they’re hungry. You and your DS really will get the most out of it if you go with the flow.
Cut your nails before you go!
The showers are quietest in the afternoons.
A flag or bunting to identify your tent.
Don't forget earplugs for sleeping and perhaps ear defenders for your 3yo.
Make sure your 3yo has your mobile number on them, just in case!
Sticks or canes to upend muddy or wet wellies onto so they dry.
A dustpan and brush for the tent.
Some form of lighting - either head torches or a battery powered lantern. We take head torches so that when we come back to the tent after dark, we don’t trip over guy ropes and we can undo the tent zip!
Don't let the programme timings stop you from going off plan and exploring the site. There is so much to see and do. My advice is to have little moments where you just explore and take everything in.

Thank you so much for the reply- so helpful! We’re first time campers so no gear and no idea! I’m busy trying to buy everything we need. Good plan re the snacks/juice. I think we intend to eat breakfast at the tent and find lunch/tea on site. I’ll definitely get something which will identify the tent. It’s things like torches etc I hadn’t even thought of so thank you!

I'll just add to this, that i live 2 miles from Lulworth Castle. It's been raining hard for a quite a while and it will be muddy. The team there do a great job of getting the site ready for the festival and its always a great experience, but they cant control the weather. Bring changes of clothes and bags to keep wet clothing separate from your dry bits. Wellies for everyone and a way to dry them is essential. But overall its a couple of days, if you go home muddy so what, a shower awaits when you're back in civilisation.