Are you and your kids attending a music festival? Nicky Dearling of
Nozstock festival has shared her top tips on taking children to music festivals, read on to find out how you and the family can enjoy festival fun this summer! I have divided this contentious topic into key areas in the hope that it will encourage people taking their children to music festivals to plan ahead sufficiently, safe in the knowledge that strategy is everything.
Transport How will you store and transport your child safely over the weekend? You will see many failed attempts at transportation, from adults sobbing as they heave double pushchairs up hills, to children being sick down their parents’ backs due to the dangerous combination of chocolate milkshake and baby carriers. Think carefully about the mass and volume of your child in proportion to your core strength. The main things to consider are lifting, steering, durability and manpower. Is your mode of transport going to be able to cope with deep, muddy terrain? Looks can be deceptive!
There are many different ways of amusing your child at a festival. In fact, that is probably why you came in the first place. There will be people at most festivals whose job it is to get your children involved in all the fun and games you could possibly imagine. It is all very well when the sun is out, your child has not yet used up their quota of ice cream and there is a man dressed as a lobster who doesn’t seem to mind being attacked with plastic bottles. But how will you stop your little ones running off screaming through the crowds when you are trying to appreciate an intimate acoustic folk set? Sometimes it is good to resign yourself to the fact that you will be doing a significant amount of ‘going for a little walk / rest / word / snack / play / wee / change of scenery’. You might spend a lot of time rocking backwards and forwards in the corner of a marquee that luckily no one seems to have noticed you using, watching the moisture seep up through the coconut matting and singing ‘Old Macdonald Had A Farm’. At times like these you will be grateful for the colouring book and three crayons you threw into your bag before you went out.
Damage Limitation / Emergency Resolution Facilitation To make this simple I’m just going to list a few of the most helpful things you might consider bringing to a festival if you plan to take your children with you:
- Permanent marker (for writing phone numbers on your child’s arm, or alternatively onto their wrist band)
- Ear protectors (for wearing at night when you accidently set up camp near the dance area)
- Plastic bags (for catching vomit, storing clothes, and doing the ‘poo in a bag’ trick when the toilets are too far away)
- A large piece of material such as a family-sized bath towel (for sitting on, using as shade and covering children’s heads)
- Wet wipes (one cannot emphasise enough the importance of several packets)
- The ability to ask for help when you need it (like that time you tried to use the London underground with a double pushchair)
- The ability to clear an escape path through the crowds when you need it (for example, when there is a sudden rush to see Mumford and Sons, or when you realise that Mumford and Sons are about to play on the stage you are standing in front of)
- Gaffa tape, cable ties (for when things begin to disintegrate)
Night Storage Solutions Here is where a lot of people will say things like ‘Oh, I couldn’t ever go back to using a tent now,’ but I disagree. I think there is a lot to be said for camping at a festival, as long as certain things do not occur (for example, your child being prone to sleepwalking, or any of you not being able to sleep through the poundings of a massive sound system). If you are thinking of buying a camper van in order to make your life easier, take into consideration the fact that you will only be using this vehicle once a year. Is it really worth the annual MOT, tax, and insurance?
Fun Festivals are there to be enjoyed; they are a fantastic outdoor activity to enjoy with your family during the Summer period. With Festival season now upon us, why not consider bringing your children along for the fun?
