Combining your annual holiday with a festival is a good idea only if it can happen in a reliably dry and more comfortable setting. Families with children need a place where they can go off and do their own things instead of suffering the indignity of watching their parents go about their business.
Here are some places to consider for a family holiday:
Womad, July 24-27
The feast with world music and exotic dishes has a bohemian weather condition which appears to have drifted from the Chai tents and healing meadows of Glastonbury. There will be lots of artistic activities for children. Adults will enjoy music they have never heard before – Mongolian throat singing as an example.
Camp Bestival, July 31-Aug 3
Bestivals little kid has one of the best music line-ups for a family festival with the inclusion of some prominent individuals in comedy as well. This time there will be Public Service Broadcasting, De La Soul and Basement Jaxx performance. They have made dedicated gardens for mothers and babies which has a bouncy castle for kids, a new teenage area, and Lulworth Castle to visit for a break.
Just So, August 15-17
This little festival is filled with magic and fun that has become an attraction to many fans. At Wild Rumpus, children will be trained as a pirate in preparation for a mighty pillow fight. During the evenings, Bugsy Malone and Grease are scheduled to be screened.
In the Countryside
BoomTown, August 7-10
Matterley Estate, Winchester
Going for a music festival while dragging your kit around without knowing where to pitch your tent can be stressful. It is difficult to get worked up when you sight a man in a polar onside riding on a unicycle, another running around dressed as an escaped asylum inmate, and techno-playing police riot van.
Being its sixth year, BoomTown describes itself as Britain’s “maddest city”, and is a little expensive.
Similarly like dystopian settlement, the expansive site is divided in to two “districts”, with each having a unique theme and appropriate venues. Latin music and burritos are served by Barrio Loco, as an example, while Chinatown provides paper lanterns and incense. Music is pop-free and eclectic, while Lion’s Den has an outdoor arena in Trenchtown showcasing reggae and ska and Jimmy Cliff will be there this summer to roll back the years.
There will be no big-name bands, highlights will not be televised, and Kate Moss will be missing out. However, you can get ceaselessly entertained and spot people dressed like escapees from a mad asylum.
Meadows in the Mountains, June 13-15
Polkovnik Serafimovo, Bulgaria
The poetically-named newcomer is located in an attractive setting and promises unusual outdoor experiences including zip-lining, dips in thermal springs and bob-sleighing on grass. Food will be obtained from the locals, music will be a blend of disco including funk and electronica, and if showers don’t suit, you can go to the nearby waterfalls.
Other places for a family festival include:
Latitude, July 17-20
Henham Park, Beccles, Suffolk
Wilderness, August 7-10
Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire
End of the Road, August 29-31
Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset
Dimensions, August 27-31
Pula, Croatia
Unknown, September 8-12
Rovinj, Croatia
Waves, October 2-4
Various locations in Vienna
Great Escape, May 8-10
Various locations in Brighton
Parc del Fòrum, Barcelona
Primavera Sound, May 28-31
Nuits Sonores, May 28-June 1
La Confluence, Lyon
Sziget, August 11-18
Óbudai Island, Budapest, Hungary
