Over the last few years we’ve been to a fair few family festivals with the boys. Festivals have become extremely popular and it seems there is one every weekend throughout the summer months in the UK.
These are the top ten family friendly festivals I love the look of for 2018. Some we’ve been to and some are on my wishlist for this year, but all look set to be absolutely amazing in 2018.
Just So
We were first timers at Just So in 2017 and we are now really big fans of this family orientated festival in Cheshire. Choose a tribe, become a wild animal, indulge your inner child. An absolutely perfect weekend for families and even better with friends. Read our review from 2017 here. You can’t go to Just So without at least making the effort to dress up according to your chosen tribe, so whether you go all out with hand sewn faux feathers and swear your allegiance to the owls, or nip to a local company for screen printing in Manchester on your way through to an unforgettable weekend in 2018!
Just So is on from 17th to 19th August 2018. More details can be found on their website.

Festival No. 6
This is a festival we haven’t been to but has been recommended to us several times. The lovely people in the welfare tent at The Good Life Experience last year mentioned it, and three or four more have also passed comment on how good Festival No. 6 is. Held in Portmerion in Wales, this is billed as an absolutely fantastic way to spend a weekend in September. Find out more at Festivalnumbersix.com
Festival Number 6 is on from 6th to 9th September.
The Good Life Experience
Another of last year’s festivals, The Good Life Experience has an atmosphere like no other. It’s a place you feel immediately welcomed into, where it seems everyone is your friend. TGLE is a smaller festival than some of the others on this list but that is one of the great things about it. In such beautiful and relaxed surroundings, you really can’t help but feel connected to your environment. A beautiful experience.
See The Good Life Experience website for more details of this event which runs from 14th to 16th September 2018.
Timber
Timber is a brand new festival for 2018. Supporting the Feanedock forest, a bold environmental project, there is set to be a silver birch maze, a fire garden and tree tents – this is going to be a truly wonderful weekend. Find out more at http://timberfestival.org.uk/.
Timber Festival runs from 6th to 8th July 2018.
Shambala
With a tagline like ‘Adventures in Utopia’, Shambala is set to be an intriguing experience from the off. A friend of mine attended this festival last year and had the most amazing time. Tickets for Shambala 2018 are selling out already according to the website! Healthy eating, a great big dance-off and the opportunity to win tickets by saving baby turtles are all on the cards. Go take a look.
Shambala Festival will be held from 23rd – 26th August 2018.
Deer Shed
Another festival I haven’t been to but have coveted from afar. Deer Shed is now nine years old and brings music, arts and science together for a weekend of crazy busy fun and education. Held in North Yorkshire, it’s perfect for us Northerners and is gaining popularity year on year. I reckon tickets will sell out for this one so if you fancy it, get yours on their website.
Deer Shed 9 is to be held from 20th – 22nd July 2018.
Bluedot
Bluedot was one of my absolute favourite festivals of 2017. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in space, science, music, arts… well, almost everyone! Particularly perfect for educational purposes but absolutely none of the boring-ness kids can often associate with the word ‘learning’! Read my post on our highlights of Bluedot 2017 here.
Find out more at DiscovertheBluedot.com
Down by the Riverside
This is a fairly new festival, in just its second year. I hadn’t actually heard of it until a few days ago but I’m really looking forward to finding out more about it. Down by the Riverside Festival is held on a farm near Lancaster, and promises to be a festival of music, theatre and art. With being less than an hour from my front door and seemingly affordable for most, I guess it would be rude not to take a look!
Dow by the Riverside Festival runs from 1st – 2nd June and more information is available on their website.
Green Man
Green Man Festival is one that caught my eye when fellow blogger Susanne visited with her family last year. It looks like a whole heap of great family fun and I think it would definitely be worth trying on for size.
Green Man is on from 16th – 19th August this year and details can be found here.
Wychwood
Now then. Wychwood is a festival I’ve wanted to go to from the moment it was on my radar, but schedules and boring stuff like my husband’s job have always prevented us from going. It seems to be an excellent affair, suitable for all ages and offering something for everyone. Yet again it clashes with something I have planned already in 2018 but if anyone does go and wants to write about it for me that would be awesome!
Details for Wychwood Festival can be found on their website. The event runs from 1st – 3rd June and is at Cheltenham Racecourse.
So that’s 10 – I think! I’m really in the festival mood now after looking back at last year’s antics, and want to go to them all! Alas, I will have to rely on stalking the facebook pages in the run up to summer to see which ones are shaping up to be the best all rounders.
Starry Skies is Shambala’s little brother. ‘Where the kids roam free’.
An unbelievable mix of children’s activities for all ages.
Dates this year 8-12 August in the Usk valley on the Welsh border.
Thanks Tricia! I didn’t know about that one; I’ll add it to my ever growing list 🙂