The Best UK Festivals for Families With Kids
Taking kids to a festival is one of parenting’s great joys — when you pick the right one. The best UK festivals for families with kids aren’t just tolerant of children; they’re designed around them, with dedicated kids’ areas, family camping, and lineups that work for all ages. Get it right and it’s magical. Get it wrong and it’s three days of expensive misery in a muddy field. Here’s how to get it right.
What Are The Best UK Festivals For Families With Kids: Top Picks
- Camp Bestival (Dorset, July/August): the gold standard of family festivals, from the Bestival team. Huge kids’ areas, big-name headliners, fancy dress themes, and genuinely thoughtful family infrastructure. The one all others are measured against.
- Deer Shed (North Yorkshire, July): smaller, friendlier, and beloved by festival veterans with kids. Great music discovery, brilliant kids’ programming, and a community feel the mega-festivals can’t match.
- Green Man (Brecon Beacons, August): the connoisseur’s choice — superb music curation plus the ‘Little Folk’ kids’ area and Einstein’s Garden of science and nature. Magical setting, genuinely alternative spirit.
- Latitude (Suffolk, July): music plus comedy, poetry, theatre and literature — the most culturally rich festival, and the kids’ area is excellent. Great for families with older children and teens.
- Shambala (Northamptonshire, August): fancy-dress, playfulness and creativity as a philosophy. Very family-welcoming, proudly independent, and the most joyful atmosphere of any UK festival.
- Bluedot (Cheshire, July): music meets science at Jodrell Bank — talks, experiments and the Lovell Telescope as a backdrop. Perfect for curious kids (and curious parents).
- Elderflower Fields (Sussex, May): small, sporty, outdoorsy — aimed squarely at families with activities from bushcraft to wild swimming. A gentle first festival.
- Just So (Cheshire, August): specifically for families with young children — storytelling, lantern parades, and a beautifully bonkers atmosphere. Ideal for under-10s.
Family Festival Survival Tips
- Book family camping: quieter, with better facilities and like-minded neighbours. Worth every penny of the supplement.
- Bring the wagon: a pull-along trolley for kids, kit, and the inevitable tired legs. Non-negotiable.
- Ear defenders for little ones: proper kids’ ear protection near stages — the music is LOUD and young ears are precious.
- Pack for all weathers: wellies, suncream, waterproofs, warm layers for night. British festival weather is a lottery; pack like you’ll lose.
- Set a meeting point: with older kids, agree a landmark and check-in times. Festival phone signal is unreliable — don’t rely on mobiles.
- Day tickets exist: not ready for full camping? Many festivals sell day tickets — all the fun, your own bed at night. The perfect trial run.
Budget-wise, family festivals aren’t cheap — but compare the per-day cost to a theme park or a week at Center Parcs and they hold up well, especially with under-5s often going free. Book early for the best prices and family camping spots, which sell out. Check the festival’s official site for the current year’s family facilities — they improve every year.
For more family days out, my theme park guide covers the thrill-seeking side, and official festival sites have the definitive lineups. Pick the right festival, pack the wagon, and prepare for your kids to talk about it all year.
Family Festival FAQs
What age is best for a first festival?
There’s no wrong age, but 4–7 is the sweet spot for starting — old enough to enjoy it, young enough to be amazed. Under-5s often go free and sleep through the loud bits (bring ear defenders anyway). Teenagers need festivals with teen-specific programming (Latitude, Green Man) or they’ll mutiny.
Camping or day tickets for the first time?
Day tickets, without question. All the festival magic, your own bed at night, no 3am tent disasters. If the day goes well, commit to camping next year. The full camping experience is wonderful — but it’s a big leap for a first festival.
How much does a family festival weekend cost?
Budget £400–£800 for a family of four for the weekend: tickets (£150–£400 depending on festival and ages — under-5s often free), food and drink (£100–£200), travel, and kit if you need it. Book early for the best prices; family camping pitches sell out fast.
What if the weather is terrible?
It might be — this is Britain. Pack for it (wellies, waterproofs, warm layers, suncream — all of it), embrace the mud (kids love it), and have a wet-weather plan (the kids’ tent, workshops, covered stages). Some of the best festival memories involve rain; the miserable ones involve being unprepared for rain.
The Festival Family Tradition
Families who festival together often make it an annual tradition — same festival, same friends, watching the kids grow up across the years. The photos alone are worth it: the toddler in ear defenders, the 8-year-old crowdsurfing (gently), the teenager pretending not to enjoy it while secretly loving it. These are core memories being manufactured.
Start small (a day ticket at a local family festival), learn what works for your crew, then scale up. Within a few years you’ll be the family with the wagon, the gazebo, and the system — dispensing advice to nervous first-timers. The festival family pipeline is real, and it’s wonderful. See you in the field.
The Bottom Line on Family Festivals
The right family festival — Camp Bestival, Deer Shed, Green Man, Just So — is one of parenting’s great joys: dedicated kids’ areas, family camping, lineups for all ages, and the kind of memories children talk about all year. Start with a day ticket (all the magic, your own bed), then commit to camping when you’re ready.
Pack for all weathers, bring the wagon, protect the little ears, and embrace the mud. Families who festival together make it an annual tradition — same festival, same friends, watching the kids grow across the years. The photos alone are worth it. Pick the festival that fits your crew, book early (family camping sells out), and prepare for the field to become your family’s favourite place on earth.
