Welcome to my guide for the best UK family festivals and events for summer 2024!
I am so happy that family-friendly festivals exist, and are not just reserved for those who are younger/older/child-free… The summer holidays are fast approaching, and because I’m on maternity leave with a baby and a toddler it makes this summer feel particularly special. I’m really looking forward to the outdoor activities we can do together, particularly festivals.
If you’re like me and want to get some family activities in the calendar, the UK festival line-up is for you!
The perfect festival offers a family-friendly atmosphere with activities for all ages, including workshops, live music, and entertainment – fun for everyone! Family friendly festivals mean you get to experience a combination of both grown-up and child friendly activities, live music, entertainment, culture. Then there’s the added bonus of spending time outdoors together. So even if it does rain, it’s kind of expected at a festival, right?! Let’s go embrace the Great British Summer…
I’ve curated a list of my top 5 all-time favourite family friendly festivals that are not to be missed this summer. Each festival has its own personality, heaps of activities to keep everyone happy, and family friendly camping spaces to make sure we all get a good night’s sleep.
Camp Bestival, 25th – 28th July 2024: The Best Family Festival Experience
Best for: families who want to experience everything, from crafts, to yoga, to music
Unsurprisingly topping my list, Camp Bestival is one of the best family festivals that you have to get to this year. Set in the stunning grounds of Lulworth Castle, right on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. Because the whole festival experience is designed with families in mind, you’re really catered for! This is the festival that ticks all the boxes for me in making sure the whole family has the best time – with gourmet food stalls, clean facilities, and a relaxing atmosphere- all important when you have the kids in tow.
You can expect endless kids’ activities ranging from mud kitchens to skateboard lessons, and even bedtime stories for the little ones (cute!). For the adults, there is obviously a great music line-up, and a host of activities including yoga, run club, gong baths, and a wellness camp!
Key Highlights
- Activities: Diverse lineup of family activities including live music, comedy, circus workshops, and science tents.
- Headline Acts: Paloma Faith, McFly, Pete Tong
- Top 3 Activities for Kids: Fancy dress parades, the world’s biggest bouncy castle, and interactive science shows.
Travel Tips
- Accommodation: Various options including camping (included with your ticket), glamping, and nearby hotels. What’s great is the dedicated family camping areas.
- Getting There: Located at Lulworth Castle, Dorset. Accessible by car (2.5 – 3hrs from London), train (nearest stations are Wareham and Wool), and coach. Bestival has teamed up with Big Green Coaches, offering return coach transfers from London Victoria direct to the festival. You can pick up an adult coach ticket for £60, and it’s £50 for children 12. Added bonus that you’ll be travelling in a carbon-neutral coach!
- Ticket Costs: Day tickets start from £80 per adult and £16 per child. It’s even possible to ‘buy now pay later’ to spread the cost of your ticket.
Tickets for Bestival can be purchased here
Gone Wild festival 8th – 11th August 2024
Best for: nature-loving families
So this is for the outdoorsy families of course… It is after all a festival in collaboration with Bear Grylls. If you want to spend the whole weekend camping, rock climbing, kayaking AND watching a great line up, this is the festival for you!
Set in the beautiful grounds of Holkham Hall in Norfolk, this coastal festival with an ‘on-site’ lake is the perfect way to spend a sunny weekend in August. Plus, there are plenty of family fun activities, including workshops, children’s areas, and family-friendly music. Enjoy a variety of food options, clean facilities, and a chance to disconnect from technology and reconnect with nature. Bliss.
Key Highlights
- Activities: bushcraft workshops, outdoor adventures, and live music.
- Headline Acts: Example, Sam Ryder, McFly, Scouting For Girls, Reef
- Top 3 Activities for Kids: Den building, archery, and storytelling around the campfire.
Travel Tips
- Accommodation: Available for all adult weekend camping ticket purchasers, a camping pass includes all the necessities like toilets and showers. Maybe standard camping in a tent doesn’t take your fancy… If that’s the case, boutique options are of course available (at a cost)- you can get fully furnished yurts, tipis and bell tents sleeping up to 6.
- Getting There: Driving is your best bet to get to Holkham Hall, and it takes 3 hours from central London. If you’d rather get public transport you can travel by train + bus, or even fly – with Norwich International Airport (didn’t know that existed!) an hour drive away from the festival site.
- Ticket Costs: Day tickets for Gone Wild are already sold out, but there’s still time to snap up a weekend ticket. Adult tickets for the weekend cost £205, children start from £40, and babies go free.
Tickets for Gone Wild can be purchased here
Latitude – 25th – 28th July 2024
Best for: entertainment lovers
It’s easy to see how Latitude has won awards year after year for being the best family festival year. The fact Latitude is hosten in a beautiful lakeside setting at Henham Park in Suffolk means you can go for an adventure swim every morning. I personally love Latitude because there’s such a relaxed vibe and friendly atmosphere over the weekend, which is exactly what I want when spending time away from home with a toddler and a baby! Thankfully, the terrain is stroller friendly and because the grounds are huge there are heaps of places to stop and relax amongst the itinerary of activities.
Festival goers can enjoy a variety of the classic festival activities, including workshops, music, and delicious food options. There’s a kids area with live performances and activities running all day long, an enchanted garden for families with under 16s.
Key Highlights
- Activities: Multi-arts festival with live music, comedy, theatre, and dance in the Suffolk countryside.
- Headline Acts: Duran Duran, Keane, Kasiabian, and London Grammar
- Top 3 Activities for Kids: Kids’ theatre, wildlife workshops, and creative arts and crafts.
Travel Tips
- Accommodation: The festival has dedicated family camping zones, to make sure families are as comfortable as possible.
- Getting There: Located at Henham Park, Suffolk. Accessible by car, train (Halesworth station), and festival coach services. Just like with Betsival, Big Green Coach is the official, carbon neutral travel partner for Latitude Festival. You can get picked up from 10 stations across the UK and get taken right to the festival. There aren’t any direct train services from London so you’ll need to change at Ipswich to get to Halesworth station, but Latitude runs a shuttle bus service from the station to the festival which does make things a little more convenient.
- Ticket Costs: Adult tickets for the weekend cost £308, children aged 5-12 are £28.
Tickets for Latitude can be found here
Joe Wicks Festival at Kew Gardens – 7th July 2024
Best for: Londoners and high-energy families
And just when you thought Kew Gardens was as good as it gets on the family-friendly front, (thank you for giving us Bluey this Spring!!) They bring you the ‘Joe Wicks Festival at Kew’. I’m really looking forward to going. Self proclaimed as ‘the ultimate feel-good festival of the summer’, and sponsored by Vivobarefoot, it’s pretty easy to guess what the day might look like!
This single-day festival on the 7th of July 2024 is perfect for families seeking an activity-filled day to inspire, excite, and tire out the kids. Enjoy a variety of healthy food stalls, wellness talks, and beautiful botanical surroundings. I’m particularly looking forward to yoga with a live violin and cello performance (how cool does that sound?!) and PE with Joe on the main stage, featuring a live DJ! Fingers crossed the sun is out for this one.
Key Highlights
- Activities: Health and fitness activities featuring live workouts with Joe Wicks, set within the stunning Kew Gardens.
- Headline Acts: Joe Wicks himself, leading various fitness sessions.
- Top 3 Activities for Kids: Kids’ HIIT sessions, nature trails, and interactive gardening workshops.
Travel Tips
- Accommodation: No on-site accommodation, but plenty of hotels and B&Bs in the surrounding area. If you’re travelling from outside London, consider booking a hotel early (around Kew or Richmond) to secure a room.
- Getting There: Located at Kew Gardens, London. Easily accessible by car, train (Kew Bridge), and the London Underground (Kew Gardens station). For directions to Kew Gardens, look here.
- Ticket Costs: Adult tickets are £42 for non members, and £15 for children. But if you’re lucky enough to be a member of Kew, you can get a small discount.
Tickets for Joe Wicks at Kew can be purchased here
Shambala festival – 22nd – 25th August 2024
Best for: families who are dedicated to building a sustainable future for our planet.
Last but absolutely not least, Shambala Festival – the perfect festival for families, offering a laid-back atmosphere with live music, activities for kids, workshops, and entertainment for all ages. Taking place just before the August bank holiday at a secret country estate in Northamptonshire, Shambala is all about connecting with nature and learning to take care of our planet. What a good way to educate our children (and ourselves!) whilst also experiencing the endless activities on offer.
Shambala offers a really unique blend of entertainment and education, with a strong focus on environmental responsibility. Enjoy organic food stalls, compost toilets, and a strong community vibe. I have a number of friends who absolutely love Shambala and go year after year, for very good reason. Because being there provides you with an opportunity to connect with nature, learn about how to take care of our planet, and build a really strong sense of community… you’re pretty much guaranteed to make new friends for life!
Shambala should definitely be on your list of Summer 2024 festivals! Even better is you still have the Monday of August bank holiday weekend to recover and get back home, before facing real life again on Tuesday.
Shambala tickets can be purchased here
Key Highlights
- Activities: Eco-conscious festival with a mix of music, workshops, and art installations, emphasising sustainability.
- Headline Acts: Typically features a diverse lineup including folk, reggae, and indie bands.
- Top 3 Activities for Kids: Craft workshops, eco-friendly treasure hunts, and storytelling sessions.
Travel Tips
- Accommodation: I’m going to be honest with you- and it’s wild considering this whole article is about festivals- but I’m not much of a happy camper myself, and an air-mattress is an absolute necessity for me on any camping break., Roll mat? NO THANKS. But Shambala camping options are just dreamy, they really do think of everything. You can book from a range of luxury tents, including tipis and yurts, and all with a huge array of different styles and amenities. What’s not to love?!
- Getting There: Located in Northamptonshire. Accessible by car, and festival shuttle services from nearby train stations.
- Ticket Costs: These tickets are selling fast! If you’re interested in Shambala and still to get your ticket, grab one asap! The remaining adult tickets start from £297.45, and kids aged 5-14 cost £67. Under 5s go free!
Conclusion
So there you have it – your summer sorted with a variety of family-friendly festivals. Be sure to grab your tickets asap!
Each of these festivals cater to families so well, and the experience will be so special to have with your little ones. Whether you’re looking to immerse yourself in nature, enjoy top-tier entertainment, or learn something new, there’s a festival on this list for you. Whichever one you choose, you’re going to have an unforgettable time.
So pack your bags, gather your kids, and get ready for a summer filled with fun! Happy festival-going!