Our First Family Festival - Wychwood 2016

As you know we are a travel loving family. We've been all over the world, had UK breaks and we love camping. However, one thing we hadn't experienced was a festival. In our heads, festivals weren't family friendly.

We were offered a chance to go to Wychwood Festival which takes place at Cheltenham racecourse. After checking the website and seeing how family orientated it was, we decided to bite the bullet and go. The festival ran from Friday - Monday morning but we were only able to attend from late Friday evening to early Sunday morning as we had other commitments. 

We arrived about 8pm on the Friday evening (note to selves to arrive earlier next time so we don't get so stressed erecting the tent). The camping was on the racecourse itself and there were a few areas to choose from such as family and quiet. We opted for the family area which was the furthest away from the festival but the walk wasn't too far. The grounds were all flat which was a huge bonus. We were able to park the car near to where we were camping but it then had to be moved to a separate car park after unloading the car. 

The camping grounds and facilities were lovely. Not how I imagined facilities to be at a festival. It didn't feel cramped and overcrowded. The toilets were actually clean all weekend. There was only a couple of times that we used them and they didn't have toilet roll, which over a few days is very good. 
At night you could hear the music at the festival but nothing too loudly which was ideal for a family area.

There was a fabulous bakery stall in the camping area which served hot drinks and breakfast goodies. The coffee was amazing, so much so that we couldn't be bothered to make our own at the tent, we frequented here instead. They also baked all their own breads etc on site. 

We ventured into the festival itself on Saturday morning, just in time to see Justin Fletcher. This was definitely the highlight of the weekend for Eva. In fact every time someone went onto the main stage she was hoping it was him again. His act lasted for at least half an hour and was enjoyed by parents and children alike. I did think the main stage area needed a bit more room in front of it. It was situated in the middle of the festival area and I do think it should have been at one of the ends to allow more space for people to enjoy it more and be able to sing and dance. 

There was lots of things to keep children entertained. We partucalrly enjoyed having a wonder into all of the stalls. There were lots to view such as clothing, sweets, bubbles, tattoos etc.

There was a circus tent area which Eva thought was fantastic. It was filled with all circus themed things for the children to play with. I think this was the area in which we had the most laughter. 

There was also a craft themed tent where children were able to design and make their own tote bags, do painting etc. Annoyingly we didn't have time to make a bag which we were gutted about. 

Eva thoroughly enjoyed the bouncy castle area. There was a huge inflatable slide which made her day. It was £2 for 5 goes which is pretty good value for money. 

One area that I loved was the baby feeding and changing tent. This was such a lovely touch and the people running it were super friendly. I breastfeed Ophelia so it was nice to be able to have some privacy and some shelter from the sun. Plus there was water and cake in there. What more could a mum want.

Waterstones were involved in the kids literature festival. They had a tent which was a book shop and there was also an area where authors were reading their books. We couldn't get Eva to sit and listen to anything as she was far too hyper and wanted to be on the go enjoying everything outside.

She took part in a belly dancing class. This was super cute to watch. If she'd had her way she would have stayed in there all day.

We were really impressed by the amount and variety of the food stalls. There really was something for everyone. Eva had a children's meal at one of the stalls which was £5 for a hot dog, chips and a drink. The portions were large so we thought this was really good value for money. 

Overall, we had a fantastic time. The campsite was easily accessible, clean and not too far to walk to. The food was all yummy and reasonably priced. There were plenty of activities for the children to keep them entertained. All the staff were very friendly and approachable. It certainly felt like a very safe place to be. The atmosphere was infectious. By the time we left we were immersed in bubbles and floral crowns and planning our next festival trip asap.

I would've liked to have seen a few more children's acts on the stages throughout the day as seeing Justin Fletcher was Eva's favourite part of the weekend.

We would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting a safe, enjoyable family festival and we would go again next year. Advanced tickets are already on sale for 2017. You can get more information about local events here, http://www.whatsgoodtodo.com

**We were gifted a weekend camping ticket with festival passes in exchange for our honest opinions**