7 of the best U.K. summer festivals for families

Music festivals are doing more than ever to cater to all interests and ages. Younger audiences are often won over purely by the fact that attendance typically involves camping, glamping or pitching up in a caravan — an opportunity to sleep out in the wild. But the UK’s best festivals also provide an endless roster of activities, workshops and experiences to help families bond and create lasting memories. From chilled countryside escapes to adrenaline-sparking coastal adventures, here are the golden tickets for this summer.

1. Camp Bestival

Best for: big music acts
When: 30 July to 2 August

Set in the grounds of Lulworth Castle, Dorset’s award-winning festival always has a solid line-up, from Fatboy Slim to Bastille and Billy Ocean. Away from the main stages, there’s the world’s biggest bouncy castle, mud kitchens and activities such as kids’ talent shows, craft workshops and sensory gardens. At the Orchestra of Objects, children can even invent their own musical instruments from junk.

Highlight: Dressing up for seaside-themed fancy dress competition.

2. Green Man

Best for: connecting with nature
When: 20-23 August

Backdropped by Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons National Park), the campsite at Green Man opens three days before the action starts, giving families the opportunity to enjoy a week-long break in rural Wales. After evenings spent dancing to the likes of Brit Award winners Wolf Alice and indie icons Wilco, welcome each new day with a family sunrise yoga session before wandering over to Einstein’s Garden for scientific installations, art and wildlife walks. Older kids can try their hand at film-making, crafting and mastering circus skills in the ‘Somewhere’ zone.

Highlight: The closing fireworks display and ritual burning of the Green Man sculpture to symbolise rebirth in the natural world.

3. Wilderness Festival

Best for: sparking creativity
When: 30 July to 2 August

Set within the 5,000-acre Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire, Wilderness Festival has a suitably retro music line-up for parents this year, including the Scissor Sisters and a special takeover by Annie Lennox. There’s also a dedicated Family Field packed with activities to spark the imagination and inspire creativity. Younger ravers can attend the regular storytelling sessions or craft workshops to build masterpieces out of natural materials; for older kids, there are slime-making and circus workshops, comic-drawing sessions and poetry classes, plus woodland theatre. And when parents want to attend a gig solo or visit the Lakeside Spa & Sauna, there’s a popular nanny service for the little ones.

Highlight: Hands-on radio and podcasting tutorials with experienced producers for budding broadcasters.

4. Camp Kindling

Best for: bonding adventures
When: 21-24 August

Exclusively for families, this Kent favourite prides itself on being more like a summer camp than a festival. Over 100 adventurous activities are on offer throughout the ancient woodland setting. For a quieter moment away from the zorbing, raft-building and beekeeping, grown-ups can take advantage of on-site childcare and nip to the adults-only wellness sanctuary.

Highlight: Join a patrol — the Kindling version of a house at school — and work with new friends to compete for the Kindling Cup.

5. Deer Shed

Best for: inspiring young minds
When: 24-26 July

The landscaped fields that host Deer Shed are part of a working farm close to Ripon in North Yorkshire. There’s no designated kids’ area — the whole event, dedicated to discovery and expanding younger children’s minds, is accessible. Children can see where imagination leads listening to fireside stories and create bug houses for creepy-crawlies at eco-friendly workshops. Sleaford mods, Say She She and Everything Everything are headlining this year; for the smallest ravers, there’s the blackout tent hosting a toddler ‘nightclub’.

Highlight: DJing classes, to help aspiring kids on their journey towards festival headlining.

6. Rock Oyster Festival

Best for: water babies
When: 23-26 July

Making the most of its Cornish coastal location, just a rock’s throw from Padstow, Rock Oyster offers an armada of water-based activities, from surfing lessons to a pirate school. This year’s impressive musical line-up includes Groove Armada and Kool & the Gang. Food plays a major role here, too, with celebrity chef masterclasses and a cookery school for kids.

Highlight: A model-making workshop with Aardman, the creative brains behind Wallace and Gromit

7. Deva Fest

Best for: funfair fans
When: 6-9 August

Taking its title from the Roman name for nearby Chester, this festival is set in fields overlooked by Cholmondeley Castle. It gives older children a glimpse of life 2,000 years ago with archery, axe-throwing and bushcraft sessions. Younger revellers will enjoy the games and shows led by a team from Chester Zoo, covering topics such as the science behind animal poo. Deva Fest is friendly on the wallet, too, with free fairground rides hoovering up the daylight hours, before Ronan Keating and Jessie J take to the main stage.

Highlight: The Grand Cavalcade troupe of performers leading explosive science experiments, madcap storytelling and interactive workshops.