Festivals are a go!

Who says you have to leave the wild festival weekends behind you when you become parents?

We couldn't be happier about the return of our favourite festivals this year, and family-friendly festivals are quickly becoming a popular way to spend our summers.

Get your school holiday entertainment sorted with our guide to some of the UK's best family-friendly festivals this year. Each festival offers something for everyone including the best lineups, entertainment and activities for all ages. Though some may not be aimed specifically at children, many still offer dedicated areas for children and babies, allowing parents to unwind, feed or change in comfort.

With almost 250 festivals taking place across the UK annually, you're bound to find something suitable for your family.

Read on for our list of five Mum & You approved festivals that are back and bigger than ever this year!

1. Just So

Just So is an annual, intimate, weekend-long festival – an imaginative outdoor family adventure. This family arts festival encourages guests to bring their skills, talents, and ideas to the curious world of Just So. Think arts, crafts, storytelling and immersive experiences, all tailored to specific age groups.

With a focus on sustainability, Just So has taken the Festival Vision: 2025 Pledge aiming to achieve a 50% reduction in festival-related annual GHG emissions by 2025.

Read more

When? 19/20/21st August 2022

Where? Just So Festival takes place at Rode Hall Estate in Scholar Green in Cheshire.

Tickets: Adult weekend ticket from £177.44, Child weekend ticket from £64.88. Individual day tickets are available as well as discounts for local residents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPRPWDVt9zo

2. Camp Kindling

A summer camp for families, as seen on Dragon's Den. A wild weekend in a gorgeous forest retreat, taking part in traditional camp activities. Learn and discover incredible new skills during the day, and dance the night away amongst the trees with our award-winning festival programme, relax in wood-fired hot tubs, or listen to stories around the campfire.

Camp Kindling is currently updating its sustainability policies; setting some ambitious targets to become
the world's most sustainable & environmentally friendly festival. They will publish their new policies here before summer.

When? 19th/20/21/22nd August 2022

Where? Sevenoaks, Kent

Tickets: Onsale soon, limited tickets. Adults elementary ticket from £195. Youth (12-17) £145, Junior (6-11) £95, Infant (4-5) £45.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DkNjVs8phI

3. Camp Bestival

One of the UK’s best-loved and most successful festivals, Camp Bestival combines action-packed festival adventures with a fantastic family camping holiday; something they like to call a Festi-Holiday!

In its first year, Camp Bestival was awarded Best New Festival in 2008 at the UK Festival Awards and has since won the awards’ Best Family Festival accolade six times, in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, and most recently in 2019. Camp Bestival also won Best Family Festival at the Family Traveller Awards in 2015 & 2017, and won their Pure Fun award in 2019, taking home the special Kids Vote, too, as voted for by a panel of children.

When? 28/29/30/31st July 2022

Where? Locations in both Dorset and Shropshire

Tickets: Adult tier 3 weekend tickets from £210. Age 13 to 17 Weekend - £145 (+booking fee), Age 10 to 12 Weekend - £120 (+booking fee), Age 5 to 9 Weekend - £100 (+booking fee), Age 4 & Under Weekend - £80 (+booking fee), Babies 1 & under - FREE (but ticket required)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrXadIhd01Y

4. Wychwood Festival

Wychwood Festival is an annual music festival held at Cheltenham racecourse in Gloucestershiree. As well as music, the family-friendly three-day festival includes workshops, comedy, the Children's Literature Festival, and a Headphone Disco. Expect circus acts, street theatre, arts & crafts, and storytelling as well as incredible headling acts such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Boney M.

When? 3/4/5th June 2022

Where? Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Tickets: Adult tier 2 weekend tickets from £139, 10-15 year olds from £64.50, 5-9 year olds from £19.50, under 5 - free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qly1EuL4iAc

5. Deer Shed Festival

A three-day wonderland of music, arts, science and sport for all ages, set in the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside. Deer Shed touts itself as not only a music festival but also a cultural event too, with festival-goers being exposed to many new things to inspire and challenge. Headline music acts include Nadine Shah, John Grant, and Django Django, with this year's theme set as "Pocket Planet: a celebration of different things from different places".

Deer Shed doesn't have a "kids area" as such, but the whole site is accessible to everyone. Deer Shed is partnered with a number of charities, including Candlelighters, Waste Aid UK and Attitude is Everything.

When? 29/30/31 July 2022

Where? Baldersby Park, North Yorkshire

Tickets: Adult tier 5 weekend tickets from £178.16, Child full weekend ticket (11-15yr) from £73.96, Child full weekend ticket (6-10yr) from £63.12, Child full weekend ticket (3-5yr) from £32.07, Child full weekend ticket (0-2 yr) from £0.00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-lxWIxp5YY

Made some amazing memories at a festival near or far? Let us know which family-friendly festivals you recommend! We're always on the lookout for new and inspiring things to do with little ones during summer and we love to hear from you!

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