The Best Family Friendly Festivals

family friendly festivals

Getting out and about with kids need not be a thing of the past, as there are many great events that cater for the needs of families and have wonderful child-friendly activities and facilities. We bring you the best Family Friendly Festivals for 2018.

family friendly festivalsFolk by the Oak – a Festival for all the Family to Enjoy 14 July

WIN a family pass worth £92 (4 tickets).

Folk by the Oak is just outside London, but its leafy location feels a million miles away. As the UK’s largest one day folk festival it promises all the open air buzz of a 3 day festival packed into one joyous day of music, fun and bunting! As well as bringing together an exceptional line- up of folk, roots and acoustic talent, which this year includes

  • Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls
  • The Staves
  • Seth Lakeman
  • The Lost Words
  • Karine Polwart
  • Talisk

Folk by the Oak is a festival designed with fun for all the family in mind!

“We want all our smaller Folk by the Oakers to enjoy the festival as much as the grown-ups!” says Caroline. “The venue lends itself perfectly to a family friendly festival. The Main Stage with its outdoor arena means that children can freely dance about in the parkland and our smaller, covered Acorn Stage attracts a little gathering of children right at the front singing along to favourite songs! As well as programming a day of back to back sublime music across the 2 stages, we have lovingly gathered together many magical, unique and imaginative activities for children to enjoy, either in our dedicated family area or dotted around the festival site”

There are lots of activities for adults and kids alike including Knitting, Pottery, Willow Weaving and Woodturning. All this as well as Crown Making, Oak Leaf Art, Wishing Trees, Face Painting and more; there will be plenty of creative and exciting things for your children to enjoy.

You can even bring your own picnic! Feeding kids without spending a fortune at a festival often means a trip back to the tent and missing out on the action. Folk by the Oak is rather different. The organisers actively encourage you to bring your own homemade food into the arena and enjoy your picnic wherever you please! Should supplies run low there’s a carefully selected and plentiful array of tasty food stalls including: traditional ice-cream vans, stone-baked pizzas, gourmet burgers, a BBQ, vegetarian dishes, Greek souvlaki, The Persian Kitchen, fish finger sandwiches and scrummy curries!

family friendly festivalsCamp Bestival 25-28 July

Location: Lulworth Castle, Dorset

Line-up: Nile Rodgers & Chic, Jess Glynne, Annie Mac, The Human League, Lewis Capaldi, Sister Sledge, The Wailers, Big Shaq, Ash, plus many more

Staying: There are different types of camping fields (plus campervan and caravan area), each with car parks and their own showers, loos (many eco-friendly and compostable), tasty food stalls, and recycling points. In the Boutique Campsite are Tipis, Yurts, Squrts, Cloudhouses, Podpads, Bell Tents, Gypsy Bowtop Caravans and more.

For kids: Kids are king at Camp Bestival with a range of activites for children of all ages. A large section of the site is devoted to kids, with plenty to do and the Upper Kids’ Garden suited to giving them freedom to cavort and explore.

Tickets: Adult weekend £197.50, under 1 year free, 1-4 years 5-9 years £45, 10-12 years £98, 13-17 years £125.

family friendly festivalsStandon Calling 

25-28 July

Location: Standon Lordship, Herts

Line-up: Rag N Bone Man, Wolf Alice, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Friendly Fires, 4 To The Floor, Abandoman,

Staying: An incredible range of bespoke, high-quality accommodation from Tipis to Deluxe Suites, as well as a host of exclusive facilities including a reception and lounge tent, hairdryers and beauty bar and premium bathroom facilities.
For kids: There’s a fun-filled programme of daytime activities and performances for babies, kids and teens in dedicated spaces right in the heart of the festival, plus Mortimer Nannies on hand to care for little ones while you enjoy the music.

Tickets: Adult weekend £171, 4-12 years £49.46, 13-15 years £150.29, Under 3 £6.56.

family friendly festivalsGeronimo (Back in 2020)

Location: Knebworth House

Line-up:

Citadel 14 July

Location: Gunnersbury Park, London

Line-up: Catfish and the Bottleman, Bastille, Friendly Fires, Bear’s Den, Matt Corby, DMA’s and more

Staying: No accommodation at the venue but details of local places to stay are on the website

For kids: There’s a dedicated kids’ club with activities like puppet making, workshops from Little Angel Theatre, soft play and storytelling.

Tickets: £45-49.50 for over 12s, 6-11s £5, 5 and under free.

family friendly festivalsLatitude 18-21 July

Location: Henham Park, Suffolk

Line-up: George Ezra, Snow Patrol, Lana Del Rey, Neneh Cherry, Primal Scream and more

Staying: No accommodation on the site but plenty near by.

For kids: The dedicated kids’ area has creative, and adventurous activities including circus skills, screen printing, crafts, yoga and the beautiful Canopy Stage with a full line-up of family friendly comedy, live music and shows.

Tickets: Adult weekend £197.50, under 13 years £15 under 5, free.