We are SO excited to be heading back to Camp Bestival in Shropshire this year, it’s on from Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th August 2024. We went last year for the first time so are a bit more prepared with what to expect this year.
This festival was introduced to the North 2 years ago (having been running in Dorset for a number of years before.. which it still is from 25th to 28th July). It’s specifically designed with family in mind and we thought it’s the most family friendly festival going!
It’s a whole weekend of fabulous family fun and amazing music. It’s set in the beautiful grounds of Westin Park, close to Wolverhampton, and took us about 2.5 hours to drive down from Hull. The festival runs Thursday to Sunday night, you can just get a day ticket or you can get a camping ticket and stay as long as you like. We were in Camping Plus, this meant you get an allocated pitch (great if you want to go with other families and can pick pitches together), there was also a block of flushing toilets and a block of showers in that area. There’s also standard camping where you just arrive and choose where to pitch your tent in the field you have been allocated.
My top tips:
There is a theme for fancy dress day each year (the Saturday) – this year the theme is ‘Time Travel’ – so whether you want to dive into the past or go back to the future… you can have lots of fun with fancy dress. Last I bought my kids some plain white T shirts and a pack of fabric pens and designed our own T shirts, which was a great activity leading up to it and they looked great at the festival.
For the rest of the weekend we recommend flowers and temporary tattoos – I guarantee you will be wearing something sparkly or bright by the end of the weekend. There are lots and lots of glitter stations, henna tattoos, places to get nails done etc. If you want to save a bit of cash, take some with you. My daughter actually got glitter from a glitter face paint in her eye but the first aid station were great at helping get it out, so we are avoiding glitter this year!
Very handy to get your stuff from the car park to the camping field but also for using around the festival. If you have young children, these are great for transporting those with little legs, especially later on in the day. Lots of people dress up their trollies but even just for practicality they’re a great thing to take. Load up with chairs, extra layers, blankets etc. You can take your own or there are also Trollies for hire there.
Not being campers, we borrowed a variety of equipment from some very kind friends and family last year. In hindsight we really did need a bigger tent! We had two 2-man tents for the four of us which didn’t leave much space for anything else, especially after it had rained and we had a lot of wet stuff! This year we have upgraded and just bought a second hand 6 man tent for all of us which I think will make it all a more pleasant experience.
We went with another family which helped as we could share some of the camping equipment. Pack light! It is a long walk from the car. But be prepared for all weathers, it is Britain! We had lots of rain on the first evening/night and then scorching sun, so do take wet jackets that can roll up easily into rucksacks, as well as sun cream and caps.
Take wellies or walking boots. After the rain had passed and even with sunshine the next day it was still muddy and slippy in parts, it is not a place for strappy sandals!
We’re all hoping for sunshine but either way, you will definitely need to take some water for all the family. There are drinks to buy, but we found plenty of areas to refill our water bottles which was great. Keep hydrated folks! We bought some festival hats when we were there last year – not only keeping safe in the sun but they look very cool too! We took in a large rucksack each day with all of these in, we kept refilling the water and topping up the suncream (or getting the wet jackets out!), its a long way back to the camping field if you forget something!
Depending on where we sat, the music could be loud. We hadnt taken any with us but they were selling them in the welfare tent and were a game-changer, from putting these on my daughter wanted to be as close to the front as possible and enjoyed all of the music so much more. There were also some silent disco’s which looked brilliant in the Big Top.
There were a lot of food and drink stands and every type of street food you could imagine, but it was pricey and some did have queues at peak times so taking some food of your own is a good idea. We borrowed a camping stove and table and it was the best thing we took, it meant we could make a coffee and have super-noodles for tea! We also took a big cool box which kept pasta pots and pre-packed sandwiches good to use for the 2 days. We did try some of the food in the arena but to keep costs down it’s a good idea to take some of your own.
There is no glass allowed on site, so if you want to take your own alcohol make sure its cans (I took some G&T cans). You can buy a re-usable Bestival cup at the bar and each time you take it back to refill there is a discount on the price of the drink.
There is so much more than music to do! Last year there were some lovely activities that provided a bit of calm and a change when you’re all danced out, and also some shade as it was really hot when we were there and an opportunity for the kids to do something crafty. We saw wand making and sword making – but do plan ahead and make those places first on your list to go and book a slot as they booked up really quickly. Plan your days ahead if you can – the festival covers such a huge area, it’s great to explore but having a plan is a good idea. Check the website for any programme changes/updates to line-up when you get there as there were a few last minute changes when we went.
I’d also recommend checking out the Woodland Tribe adventure play – this was a ‘build it yourself’ play area, but entry was limited and there was a queue. It looked absolutely brilliant with children and their parents building the play area with wood and nails.
There was so much to see and do in the arena and we didn’t get around all of it during the 3 days we were at Bestival. There was a main stage with the headline acts on and a second ‘big top’ tent for other acts, plus lots of other smaller tents and stages. Everywhere we turned there was something to listen to or watch. Some of our best memories aren’t at the main stage/headline acts, they are seeing something completely random and new on a small stage.
Download the festival app – it has a live timetable of which acts were on which stages so you could plan your day.
We recommend you have a really good look around the website before you go so you can check out the Activities, Decide on your ‘Must See’s’ on the Line Up and Pre-Book anything you know you want to do. But also remember to leave some space and be flexible… sometimes the best festival moments are the ones where you just leave space and let it flow!
This is new for 2024 – with the Camp Kids Extra Pass you get a welcome pack with drawstring backpack, water bottle and your all-important meal tokens that give your child an incredible six kids meals, three sweet treats, and unlimited fruit and filtered water for just £39.99!
There were so many festival staff, all on hand to help with anything. They were truly outstanding. On one hot afternoon we’d got to the front of the main stage to dance and the security staff at the front were passing cups of water out to all children. There was a welfare tent who were helping with everything from giving out sun cream to helping me get glitter out of my daughters eye! They also had some ear defenders to buy. There was a first aid tent and also a neurodiverse tent where children who found any of it overwhelming could go and relax in the calming, quiet space.
Both of my children loved the festival, and the camping experience. We camped Friday and Saturday night, for me 2 nights was enough (I am not good on little sleep!) but my husband and son would have happily stayed for the full 4 nights. The toilets were much better than I had anticipated, the portaloos in the main arena were mostly really clean, and were being cleaned regularly. I didn’t queue for a shower (I had taken baby wipes!) but my son and husband did and said they were really good.
Hope this helps if you’re planning on going to a festival this year! Camp Bestival was a brilliant experience making some fantastic memories with the kids.
Tickets for Camp Bestival Shropshire are on sale now.
For tickets and details please visit: shropshire.campbestival.net
NB For the purpose of this review tickets were gifted free of charge by Camp Bestival Shropshire, but the opinions are all my own.
