Wychwood – Our First Festival
I have never been to a festival before. The thought of lots of crowds and unmentionable toilet facilities is not my idea of fun. However, so many family-friendly festivals seem to be popping up nowadays that I have been coming round to the idea. I HAD been totally against camping, but had my opinion turned round on that last summer. Could the same happen regarding my opinion of festivals? We decided to give Wychwood Festival a go. This is a music festival which is regarded as being very family-friendly, and is also local to us as it is held at Cheltenham Racecourse. At least if we didn’t like it, we didn’t have far to come home.
We just decided to visit for a day. I feel happier about camping now, but camping AND our first festival may be too much! There was plenty of parking at the racecourse and not far to walk to the entrance. The festival site was also quite compact, so no grumbling from Emily about having too far to walk!
Music kicked off at 11.30am on the Sunday with Demi Marriner. I hadn’t heard of her before, however, she did a cover of Sheryl Crow’s “If it makes you happy“, which was a definite crowd pleaser – even if at this point the crowd was quite small! The great thing about the small crowd meant that we could wander right up to the front and the girls could have a dance!
What did surprise me was that most of the people watching the performers on the main stage were sat on fold-up chairs or picnic blankets that they had bought with them. What was really nice was that you could camp out on a blanket and let the kids head off towards the stage.
Whilst we were sat on a blanket it seemed only appropriate that I have some sort of refreshment. Thankfully, our friends from Olive in a Bus were there, and I started my first festival day off with a Bloody Mary.
I can thoroughly recommend one of Olive in a Bus’s Bloody Marys to start any day off right. Although, probably not a working day. It definitely put me in a good mood, and the girls decided to take advantage of this. Before long they were devouring candy floss as quickly as they could, before I could decide that having both of them on a sugar rush was not going to be a great idea.
Wychwood is primarily a music festival, however, there was plenty of other entertainment to please all the family. There was craft making, story-telling, circus school and a fairground that was particularly popular with the children. My girls enjoyed a short show by Sole Rebel Tap performing “Blues and Shoes” which was a mixture of live music and tap dancing. Rich couldn’t resist the opportunity to take one of the girls on the dodgems. And yes, I think he was having the most fun!
There were loads of different food vendors at the festival, selling the usual burgers, pizzas and noodles. I wanted something a bit different, so grabbed one of Olive in a Bus’s charcuterie boards. These comprised of good quality cheese and meats, olives, beetroot humus and sourdough crispbreads. As I don’t eat meat, the very lovely Kirsteen swapped out the meat for some extra Hereford Hop and Alex James’ Blue Monday cheeses. Emily, who had a box of noodles, obviously realised that I had chosen the better food option, and it was then that she developed a liking for olives.
We had a glorious day for Wychwood Festival which was lovely, but by the afternoon, it was getting very hot in the blazing sunshine. We sought shade in the Village Hall tent just at the point that Marawa’s Majorettes were holding a Hula Hoop tutorial. Emily was desperate to have a go. Now, I have seen Emily and a hula hoop and most of the time the hoop is on the floor and Emily is having a strop that she can’t do it. I sat down, making the most of the few minutes I would have before I had to remove a frustrated four year old from the tent and find shade elsewhere. I was, therefore, flabbergasted that before long Emily was actually managing to keep the hoop up – and then “styling it out”, as she was taught, with a big smile on her face when she dropped it.
Whilst all this was going on, Freyja and Rich went off to have a go at Circus Skills.
After watching Emily try to do the Macarena WHILST hula hooping, I felt like I deserved a drink. Thankfully Olive in a Bus had a range of different gins. I had a lovely Bloom gin, garnished with hibiscus and juniper.
I would have loved to have stayed to see Sunday’s headliners – Feeder and Shed Seven, however, they were on too late for the girls. Definitely an argument for camping next time!
Glad you all had such a good time. Your photos are beautiful! The food from Olive on a Bus looks amazing. We spent the day sat right next to them, but I didn’t actually investigate what they were selling!
Now this is my idea of doing a festival, close enough to home to go for the day without camping and only on a lovely sunny day! You covered all the bits of festival going I would enjoy and non of the things I’d seek to avoid! I must say that gin looks wonderful and would see me away to enjoying the day and letting the kids do their own thing! It looks a lovely family friendly festival with something for everyone. I wonder if you will camp next time?
Thank yu for sharing iwth me on #CountryKids
This looks like a fun festival with many things to keep your family happily occupied. I can see why you are coming round to the idea of liking festivals. I love the pic of Emily eating pink cotton candy with her pink hat. #countrykids
It looks like it was great fun. I have to admit, I don’t think I’d like to stay over at a festival, as much as I wouldn’t mind a tent, I doubt that you’d get much sleep. The refreshments look amazing and it’s great that there was lots for the kids to do as well as the music.
#countrykids
I have heard so many good things about this festival and it looks like you had such a fab day out x #CountryKids
Love your idea of starting the day with a bloody mary – like your style! What a fantastic festival with so much to do for the whole family. #CountryKids
Glad you had such a good time and how lovely that the food stall was accommodating to your needs. We haven’t been to this festival and really ought to do more local ones as we are so lucky to have them.
Oh well done to Emily for managing to master the hula hoop – it’s something I’ve never been able to do. That charcuterie board looks delicious. It sounds like your first experience of a festival was a really good one and makes me think perhaps it’s something I should try at some point too. #countrykids
That looks like a fantastic festival. I can’t wait to take my girls to festivals when they are bigger. #countrykids
I’d never actually heard of Wychwood until the other day but it looks like a great day out. I don’t blame you for not camping. Camping at a festival never feels as clean as camping at a campsite. I used to stage manage the Godney Gathering in Somerset which i loved but I never took the kids as I was working. I’ve not been to many festivals where I’ve not worked. Only really Witcombe Cider Festival… where I couldn’t drink cider anyway because I was breastfeeding. Was a good day out though. Wychwood looks and sounds great from this post, might have to go next year. #countrykids
I think it depends on the campsite too!
Looks great. Is it held every year?
Yes, and it has been running for quite a few years now