by Do you remember when music festivals used to be just about music? The gatherings of the unwashed masses have been growing louder in recent years, focusing less on struggling students and more on middle-class families. Eco-friendly glasses and Whispering Angel wine have replaced polystyrene cups and warm beer. There are yurts and hot tubs thrown into two-person tents, and burger vans serving vegan street food. Today, a music festival is likely to offer a number of customized “experiences”, from a private dinner with a chef to a tai-chi class and a Wim Hof ice bath, rather than just a mosh pit.
So if you missed Glastonbury, don’t worry. We’ve got a great list of the best family-friendly festivals – and tickets are still available for all of them. Which one is right for you? Read on.
Latitude
Best for: Great bonds and giggles
Henham Park, Suffolk (July 25-28, 2024)
Tickets from £110 for adults, £18 for children
Latitude has one of the best acts of the summer with Duran Duran, Kasabian (fresh from a great performance at Glastonbury), Keane and London Grammar headlining. He also goes big on stand-up and this year Jo Brand, Sara Pascoe and Seann Walsh will be among those who will be discussing comedy matters. Elsewhere you’ll find dance, poetry, theatre, literature, podcasts and fitness, as well as a children’s area with a packed program including break dance workshops, puppet shows and science geodome.
Latitudefestival.com
Camp Bestival
Best for: Families looking for fun
Dorset (25-28 July) and Shropshire (15-18 August)
Day tickets from £85 for adults or £198 for a family of four
Camp Bestival claims to be the UK’s favorite family festival, and there’s certainly no shortage of child-friendly activities. As well as great eclectic music, including Paloma Faith, Jake Shears and Rick Astley, there is a Time Travel Fancy Dress themed costume party, led by Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox, where guests are invited to “dress up till get down” festival, dog show, Dick and Dom and Terrible History on the live stage, disco pop-bingo, family raves and art lab. And they also cater to more discerning teenagers with yoga classes, quiet meditations and skateboard lessons.
Campbestival.net
Wilderness
Best for: Yoga-loving moms (and their brood)
Cornbury Park, Cotswolds (1-4 August)
Weekend tickets (non-camping) from £278 per person (£11.20 for children under 5)
Wilderness, a stone’s throw from Soho Farmhouse, has to be one of the poshest yet coolest festivals in the Cotswolds. Not only does it have great catchy music – Jessie Ware, Michael Kiwanuka and, for us middle ages, De La Soul – it also has an imaginative range of fitness and wellness “experiences”: everything from “aerial yoga” (something to do with hammocks, apparently) to “hot boxing girl” and one-on-one sessions with the “High Priestess of Sacred Feminine Mysteries”, where you can learn more about how to harness your sensitivity. Then there’s the wild swimming, boats and hot tubs. For the pre-school section, there is a theater tent, a pirate school and even a nanny service.
Wildernessfestival.com
Table masters
Best for: Beach lovers
Newquay, Cornwall (7-11 August)
Day tickets (currently only available Friday and Sunday) from £85 including coach travel
With Tom Odell, Sam Fender and Stormzy in the spotlight this summer, Boardmasters in Cornwall is sure to be popular with teenagers, and if they’re not really interested in music there are diversions in the form of surf lessons, coastal, snorkeling and kayaking. The festival has teamed up with a number of local Cornish surf schools to offer a range of activities, perfect for beach bums and surfers. It also hosts a number of surfing competitions including the Boardmasters Junior Open. The festival is so popular that it even offers its own Board merchandise including T-shirts, water bottles and hoodies.
Boardmasters.com
Fairport Convention
Best for: old (and young) hippies.
Cropredy, Oxfordshire (8-10 August)
Tickets from £150 per person, children under 11 free
Fairport – or Cropredy, as it’s known to locals – now in its 45th year and founded and fronted by the English country band of the same name, is probably Oxfordshire’s least posh festival, no frills gathering with a relaxing vibe next to the Banbury Canal. Everyone is welcome, from travelers to the dead (as Grateful Dead fans know). The regulars are called Fairporters and most of them have been coming here for years. This year Rick Wakeman, The English Rock Ensemble and Tony Christie will also headline.
Fairportconvention.com
Just like that
Best for … families with babies and toddlers
Rode Hall, Cheshire (16-18 August)
Tickets for adults from £80.25, children under 3 free
With everything from a magical forest to maypole dancing, Just So, which takes place in the bucolic grounds of Rode Hall, is aimed squarely at families with pre-school children. Food-wise, the Spaghetti Sisters, The Corn Cowboys and the Earthworm Kitchen are all plant-based. There’s also a woodland sauna and ice plunge, boutique camping and music from singer-songwriter Lily Lyons, Dana Gavanski and prog outfit Bonfire Radicals. Best of all, there are no hidden extras, cost wise. The ticket includes all activities, workshops and theater shows.
justsofestival.org.uk
The Great Festival
He prefers… Foods owned by Labrador
Cotswolds, Oxfordshire (23-25 August)
Day tickets from £95 for adults, children under 5 free
Is there anything more central than a festival on the Cotswolds farm of one-time Blur heartthrob Alex James, attended by Jamie Oliver, David Cameron and Jeremy Clarkson? Oh, and it’s sponsored by M&S too. Of course, the Great Feast is all about the food, from its live shows by chefs (including Raymond Blanc, Jack Stein – Rick’s son – and Max Le Manna) to street food. Musically, it’s mainly aimed at the parents with Snow Patrol and Johnny Marr on the main stage, but the kids are also catered for with a show from Mr Tumble, a circus school and a family rave tent.
Thebigfestival.com
Camper calling
Best for: Adventure seekers
Warwickshire (23-25 August)
Tickets from £150 for adults and £5 for young children
With four stages and music from Groove Armada, Sophie Ellis Bextor and Jessie J, as well as tree climbing, slacklining, craft adventures, a carnival park with kids club, lawn and arcade, Camper Calling certainly has plenty to offer. On the fitness side (for frazzled parents), there’s massage, tai-chi and the odd combination of SUP yoga. Set in the grounds of the historic Ragley Hall, the festival welcomes campers in motor homes, caravans or camper vans. In a nod to its proximity to Stratford-upon-Avon, camping areas are named after Shakespearian plays – Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet and As You Like It.
Campercalling.com
Carfest
Best for: Petrol heads
Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire (23-25 August)
Day tickets from £87, children under 5 free
Carfest includes not only cars and music – with Richard Ashcroft, Reef and Beverly Knight on the list this year – but also comedy (Ed Byrne), culture (authors Mike Gayle and Jo Jo Moyes) and food (Angela Hartnett and Theo Randall). The farm on which it takes place is owned by former Formula 1 world champion Jody Scheckter and at the heart of the 2,500 acre site is a herd of Asian water buffalo, which produce milk and mozzarella for the farm. Carfest is of course a celebration of cars – but for kids there’s an inflatable assault course, a STEM science zone and an art club.
Carfest.org
A festival too
Best for: culture vultures
Compton Verney, Warwickshire (12-14 July)
Day tickets from £50 per person (£45 for those under 30) and from £30 per child
With talks from authors and academics – including Philippa Perry, Adam Kay and Natalie Haynes – it’s also a literary festival, but also hosts an eclectic range of bands and DJs. Then there’s fine dining in a Parisian cabaret marquee, a Sunday lunch curry feast with River Cottage chef James Whetlor, a cocktail bar and a range of experiential activities, from wild swimming to sound baths and space hoppers. For children, there are musical theater workshops, T-shirt painting on the solar system, raft building and on-site nannies. All set within 120 acres, including some glorious landscape designed by Cumas Donn.
Also-festival.com
