Family Festival Survival Guide: Prep!

Preparation is key when it comes to the Family Festival, part three of our survival guide talks through how you can prepare yourself and your kids for the family festival! You see, one does not simply bring the family to a music festival. It’s important to prep your children, and yourself for the adventure ahead. To do so, we recommend: 

Explaining the concept: 

Festivals are a strange concept to grasp at any age. A lot of people standing around in fields listening to or watching performers? Bit odd when you think about it. Imagine what a child must think of the concept? In order to prep the family for festival living it’s important to explain a few things like: 

What there is to do, what it will be like, how long you’ll be going for, where you will be staying. 

Do a Practice run: 

Living in a tent/yurt/caravan can be an adjustment for a child, so maybe pitch the tent and have a practice run in the garden or sitting room. If you’re bringing along some batch cooked meals for lunches and dinners, be sure your child is used/likes the meal. 

Brace Yourself: 

This experience will be unlike any other concert or festival you may have gone to before. As a parent at a festival, your main responsibility is your kids. This means you may not get the chance to see every band you’d like, as bedtime or tired and upset children may interfere with the festival schedule. 

Safety First 

Some kid friendly festivals will offer wristbands where your number is displayed in case your child is lost. Even if the festival you are attending doesn’t offer this, it is something to consider. A wristband, a piece of fabric with your info sewn into the sleeve of their jacket or pants is also an idea. 

Before you go, discuss safety measures. There will be vast crowds at these events and, it is important for your child to understand to stick close by. Explain that should they get separated from the family, you will meet them at a designated spot. Once you get to the campsite, or venue where the event is taking place, decide on a spot. Also point out what the security team look like and tell your child to seek them out if they are lost, and cannot find the designated spot. 

Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels

Medical Tent 

Most festivals will have a medical tent or stall should there be any incidents. Point this out to your child (it might even be a good spot to meet if they’re lost), and ensure you know where it is also. If there is a situation that requires medical attention, the last thing you want to be doing is wasting time running around looking for help. 

Top Tips:  

Now that you know what to pack and how to prepare, some of our top tips for surviving a family festival include: 

Go with friends or family: 

We love this tip from Family Traveller. They recommend heading to a festival with mates or family members. That way there are more of you to look after the children and you can take it in turns. If your best friends want to go see a band you’re not interested in you can stay and look after the group of kids and vice versa!

No Drinking: 

Well, no getting drunk. Festivals draw huge crowds and whilst it’s easy to get caught up in the festival vibes you are first and foremost a parent. No one else is going to take responsibility for your kids at the festival so, stay away from the beer tent and embrace the family festival concept!