There’s no question that music festivals are hot right now – both figuratively and literally. From intimate local gatherings to international behemoths like Glastonbury, every summer they sprout up like seasonal fruit and veg – and we flock to them in our millions (over 23 million last year, according industry body UK Music). Out of these millions, an increasingly large proportion aren’t your 20-something party animals but young families. In recognition of this trend, many festivals either market themselves as family friendly or go one step further and dedicate their entire offering to the family festivalgoer.
Keen to see why such events have become the new frontier for family holidays, my clan and I went to family festival 'ground zero', Dorset’s Camp Bestival, which was founded by DJ Rob da Bank and his wife, Josie, seventeen years ago. After three short days, any doubts I had that a festival could ever beat a more traditional holiday were dispelled. After all, where else would Mr Tumble and Annie Mac perform on the same stage on the same day? Here’s how Camp Bestival converted me…
A truly picturesque setting
Camp Bestival is located in the undulating grounds of Lulworth Castle, set just a few miles back from the one of the most picturesque portions of coastline in the UK. With a striking 17th century castle in the foreground and the Jurassic Coast in the background, you will be hard pressed to find a more scenic site for a festival in the UK.
This being said, a rolling hill does come with certain drawbacks. Indeed, as I pulled our overladen festival wagon from car to tent for the third time, I started to feel a touch peevish. But then I looked up, and with the sun setting over the castle and the twinkle of fairground lights becoming ever brighter, my spirits were raised and the slope attacked with renewed vigour.
Camping in cheat mode
One reason for not feeling too despondent was because we were staying in one of the site’s pre-erected bell tents. So while my limbs ached from the shuttle runs, there was no need then to wrestle with unwieldy tentpoles in the gloaming. I appreciate that many more-hardcore festivalgoers reading this will scoff but with a two-year-old in tow, the fact that the option exists to walk straight into a readymade home is a godsend.
Supplied by boutique camping providers Pink Moon, the bell tents were exceptional. Ours came replete with a double bed and two singles, and there was easily still room to put up a cot. In addition, the tent boasted a couple of tables, some complimentary toiletries and charging points for our mobiles. We were even able to connect to wi-fi which was very handy for the occasions when we needed our children to sit still and not jump into the gas stove or run off into the sea of tents. Beyond this pragmatic use, one of the great joys of Camp Bestival was the tiny amount of time we spent on our phones. Wandering around the festival, it was absolutely wonderful to see we weren’t the only ones on a digital detox: everyone was looking up, engaged in their surroundings and with each other. Pure escapism.
Dedicated followers of festival fashion
Much of this escapism was manifested in the outfits worn by attendees. I thought I was risqué for donning a vest top and baseball cap, but as the festival wore on I started to feel rather underdressed (when my daughter got her face painted as a rainbow tiger, I briefly contemplated joining her just to fit in).
Who knew, for example, that sporting a fox tail was the done thing? That tessellated ducks should be printed on almost every garment? Or that pyjamas were the new daywear (as was the case on Saturday for Rob da Bank's epic pyjama party)?
The whole spectacle reminded me of Lewis Carroll's ode to absurdity, Alice in Wonderland. A wonderful injection of technicolour in a world that can sometimes seem drearily monochrome. I even saw a chap dressed as an umpire both adjudicating and offering a running commentary on a tennis match played with soft balls on a mat the size of a table, played between an adult and a small child. Curiouser and curiouser!
Parenting and pints
Continuing the escapist theme, if you take both your brood and booze to the local park, it’s likely to elicit some steeply raised eyebrows and maybe even a surreptitious call to the social services (I’m not speaking from experience, to be clear). At festivals, by contrast, walking around with an alcoholic beverage in one hand and a kid in the other is practically the law.
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that most parents’ social lives are rendered virtually non-existent by young children. Festivals like Camp Bestival allow us parents to reclaim our sense of fun and liberation, all while looking after our children. Quite the conjuring trick, of which there were plenty. Of the magical acts doing the rounds, our favourite was Dan the Hat who combined some seriously impressive circus skills with a steady stream of one-liners aimed at child and adult alike. Woe betide any parent brave enough to get their phone out during his show, is all I will say.
Inspired by the performers, in one part of the festival there was a big space for children (and their adults) to practise circus skills. Annoyingly I couldn't master spinning a plate while my wife did it at the first time of asking (a metaphor for a mother’s innate ability to spin plates, perhaps?).
Edifying entertainment for children
Circus skills were just one of a smorgasbord of child-focused activities. My daughter’s highlight was the roller disco where she was chaperoned round the dancefloor by me – sensibly not wearing skates.
She also took part in some African drumming (see the video below) and fully immersed herself in the craft village, including fashioning her own bow and arrow.
Of course it’s impossible to do everything but Camp Bestival provides a child passport which children can stamp as they go round the site after participating in an activity.
A CBeebies takeover
Going round the site, it was also impossible not to bump into a star or two from CBeebies. Those with young children will know that the world’s biggest celebrity isn’t Taylor Swift but Mr Tumble. And while Taylor wasn’t at the festival (though tribute act Miss Americano did pay homage on Friday afternoon), Tumble was. Taking to the Castle Stage just before midday on Saturday, Mr Tumble – aka Justin Fletcher – was given the sort of rapturous response that Taylor herself is accustomed to. We had made our way to there early to try and get a good spot, and I have to say I had goosebumps as Tumble made his grand entrance to the tune of S-Club 7’s happiest hit, ‘Reach’.
Mr Tumble wasn’t the only CBeebies stalwart at the festival and he was joined by the likes of Mister Maker, Dick and Dom (though their presence did mean the campsite reverberated to shouts of “bogies” into the early hours), and Andy and The Odd Socks. A CBeebies tent also housed some of the channel’s regular presenters and showcased various live performances of Bedtime Stories.
Play that funky music
While Mr Tumble was incontestably the biggest name on the roster, Camp Bestival bookers excelled themselves with a stellar line-up of musical acts joining him. Of those on the main stage, our highlights came on Saturday night when the effortlessly cool Annie Mac played funky house and Nu Disco beneath azure skies, before Basement Jaxx brought in the night with a set that literally got the castle itself shaking. I absolutely loved dancing with my family and not feeling even the slightest bit self-conscious.
I also want to give a special mention to two stars of the Big Top tent, literacy advocate and rapper, MC Grammar, whose audience participation section was inspired, and James B. Partridge, whose Primary School Bangers fully topped up the oil in the crowd’s lamp. I must say I was amazed at how many of the words I still remembered, despite having left school at the turn of the millennium…
The best of all family holidays
Whether singing along to Shine Jesus Shine, boogying on roller skates or indulging in a spot of Mr Tumble-shaped hero worship, Camp Bestival really does have all the ingredients of the perfect family holiday. Whereas some family holidays can accentuate the differences between parents and children, a festival like Bestival makes a virtue of these differences, bringing families together for three days where nothing else matters but having fun.
Don’t believe me? Why not try it yourself? Earlybird tickets for Camp Bestival 2026 are now on sale. You will have the best of all times!
FYI, our travel journalism is written and edited by our expert writers to inspire readers. Hotel reviews have been independently reviewed by our expert writers who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis, but this never affects our review process.