I *might* (OK, totally did — and on more than one occasion too) have mentioned that a couple of weeks ago my boy and I left our littles, for almost a week, and headed off to the biggest and best garden party in the world.
The Pilton Pop Festival.
Or — as it is now more commonly known as — Glastonbury Festival.
Hanging out in a grubby field with thousands of other people may not be everyone’s cup of tea but, for me and my boy, it has been our favourite way to spend quality time together for almost 20 years.
Festivals are so much part of our lives —and that of our friends — and I cannot imagine a happier, lovelier way to spend my time.
One of my favourite memories is driving into a festival campsite, one summer evening, and — as we were slowly travelling behind the queue of motorhomes and caravans — I spied some little girls on the brow of the hill.
Three silhouettes — in tutus and fairy wings — running and laughing, without a care in the word.
The sun was low and the light hazy, but those little girls have stuck in my memory for all this time — the picture was so beautiful. I remember thinking:
‘WOW. Those tiny girls are having a ball. Not only have they been allowed to stay up late — always a bonus when you’re 6 or 7 ;) — they’re in a safe, happy environment. They’re with their parents (and possibly a large group of friends) and they’re going to have the happiest few days a child — or childish adult — could wish for.’
That was quite a few years before we had our beautiful sons. And now, I’m beyond happy that I can introduce my own family to the joys of festivals.
I want my babies to grow up, looking forward to festival season each year — just as their daddy and I do.
So imagine my absolute delight to be told that this year, my family and I are official bloggers for Camp Bestival 2015! Pretty excited — let me tell you! It’s the festival to take your kiddos to — there is literally so much going on for little people.
They’ve won the accolade of Best Family Festival for the last 2 years in a row and it’s easy to see why. The Gruffalo, soft play, sandpits, facepainting and Mr Tumble for the tinies. Plus Alex Rider’s spy camp, falconry, offsite walks and BRIT school workshops for older kids. The list goes on and on…
Not to mention a pretty tasty music line up for grown ups too. I’m looking forward to seeing Kate Tempest — as I missed her at Glastonbury — and my boy will definitely be checking out 808 State and Underworld. Kaiser Chiefs will be a must-see too; we’ve seen them a couple of times and they’re always brilliant live.
I mentioned Camp Bestival in my recent round up for family friendly festivals, so to be asked to go along and blog about it is such a treat.
The Twinkles have no idea what a fun few days they’re in for but their daddy and I certainly do and we’re so excited! Needless to say, there will be a fair few Camp Bestival related posts coming up over the next few weeks.
But for now, I wanted to leave you with a little clip of what I was doing a couple of weeks ago. If you’ve never been to a festival before this will give you a little taster of what it’s all about. Granted, Glastonbury is on a *slightly* larger scale than most, so don’t let the crowds put you off. And if you fancy experiencing a bit of festival fun for yourself, come along to Camp Bestival from 30th July – 2nd August.
I’ll see you in The Dingly Dell ;)
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
