Family festivals: what to take

At the end of the month we will be heading to Camp Bestival. Although we have been to lots of day festivals with the children we are new to the whole camping at a festival with children thing.

We aren’t strangers to wellies and mud though, and we love the challenge of something different so Camp Bestival here we come.

survival

What to take with us initially sent me into a total tail spin, but gradually I’m making lists and thinking through what we will need and what we should leave behind.

So far to take with us I’m thinking:

  • Tent for 6
  • Tent pegs
  • Ground sheet
  • Air beds
  • Sleeping bags
  • Camping pillows
  • Water carrier
  • Cool bag – we’ve actually bought one that can be worn as a rucksack, thinking that would be more practical
  • Kettle
  • Cooker
  • Camping plates and cutlery
  • Baby carrier
  • Travel cot – we have a really lightweight one that should work alright I think
  • Baby wipes in mass quantity
  • Food
  • Tons of snacks
  • Wine in a box as glass isn’t allowed
  • Beer in cans
  • Water bottles
  • Torches
  • Dry shampoo
  • Towels
  • Wellies
  • Flip flops
  • Nappies
  • Sun glasses (optimistic)
  • Sun cream and after sun  (very optimistic)
  • Sun hats (totally jinxed us right there)
  • Loo roll

I’ve heard that you should take loads of blankets and plenty of warm clothes for the evening as it can get chilly at night time, even if it’s warm in the day time.

sun cream

Things I’m considering:

  • A festival cart – I don’t think it’s any place for the pushchair, and we hardly ever use it these days anyway, but one of these carts you can pimp up and carry a few children at a time sounds like the way forward for us, it also comes with a rain/sun canopy and you can use it to lug stuff from the car and back again. You can hire these at Camp Bestival but these are a similar price to buy.
  • Bubble wands and glow sticks to perk little ones up or distract them as necessary
  • Dressing up stuff for the children
  • Flags for the tent to locate it more easily
  • Decorations for the cart, if we get one, so we can both get in the festival spirit and also find our cart easily

festival chic

Obviously I still need to think in detail about clothing for everyone and other essentials we will need but it’s a start.

All you family festival veterans out there what am I missing?

9 comments

  1. Depending on how big a car you have – for normal camping trips I found a cheap doormat really useful for the inside of the tent door. String and scissors are always helpful, and something to wash up in/washing up brush/liquid – unless you’re using disposable plates etc.

    I always find I need to buy more stuff while I’m away (not really possible at festivals), although hopefully this time will have got everything on my list from last year.

    Enjoy it.

  2. Fabulous! We haven’t attempted camping with the kids yet but it sounds as though you are super prepared and shall have a wonderful time! #sharewithme

  3. Oohhh thats exciting! I miss going to festival but with my current predicament we cant really go anywhere. I think you should bring a lot of those binbags. The sturdy ones as you can use it as poncho when needed be and just to put everything when you are too lazy to pack properly when its time to go. I buy a whole new set of those when we camp and they are really useful! #sharewithme

  4. I’d love to take T to a festival when he is a little older! 🙂 I used to go to Reading in my younger years. Enjoy! X #sharewithme

  5. We were never brave enough to do the festival camping thing with our kids but in retrospect we should have. I am sure once you have done it once you will never look back. We are at the stage of our eldest going to festivals on his own which is a whole other story. Have lots of fun. #sharewithme

  6. So true regards the blankets. I once didn’t sleep as it was so cold and was worried I’d freeze to a festival field. #sharewithme

  7. Brace brave woman, I never fancied camping with young children, and personally would think it a nightmare to look out for them in the crowds, I would panic too much. Its a big list of stuff to take, love the boxes of wine added.

  8. That looks like a pretty comprehensive list to me Charlotte… did I miss seeing anti bac wipes/gel? Or am I being too picky and should I just go with the festival flow?!… Thanks for hosting #sharewithme

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