As far as family music festivals go, I would say that Wychwood Festival in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire is one of the best. Children under 10 are free which is a rare thing these days at festivals and we all know many people that would love to take their children to festivals but can’t afford it as it all adds up to quite a large amount.

Wychwood is the perfect festival for families whether it is your first festival as a family or you are regular festival goers. The festival is a fair size – it’s not too big and not too small and you can walk from one end to the other in minutes. A lovely and welcoming atmosphere, you feel right at home there and there’s so much look at and so much to do.

If you are bringing children, they won’t be bored as there are many free activities that they can be a part of as well as paid ones. The fairground has two rides which aren’t suitable for the younger ones but fine for older kids. Scattered across the site however, kids could take part in circus skills, ball games, board games, and old fashioned games all for free. They also had arts and crafts activities for a small fee. What was particularly great was the book stall and signings with authors. In this tent you could buy books as well as meeting the author at certain times on certain days. It’s a fun way of keeping kids interested in books and away from screens. We were fortunate to meet the author of children’s book Heavy Metal Badger – Duncan Beedie and he signed his book for my two sons.

Wychwood wasn’t too busy! It was close to capacity but it didn’t seem so. Everyone was laid back and respectful and there was always plenty of space to be able to get as close to the music as you wished. The mixture of musical genres was the perfect balance. On Friday we saw The Hoosiers, The Feeling and Corinne Bailey Rae.

The Hoosiers sounded the best that we have heard them! Uplifting, engaging and full of energy, they played all of their well known hits as well as newer songs that were all memorable and enjoyable. So High and Confidence (Is Easy) were particular highlights for me. Lead singer Irwin Sparkes has great stage presence and the band as a whole seemed to be having a great time up there. Sparkes in particular would have been in a great mood as his other newly formed band East of Reno released their debut EP that day. East of Reno lean towards the Americana side of things and are a band we highly recommend you check out! Perhaps Wychwood could bring them to play next year?

The Feeling were also a great addition to the line up! Another band with many familiar hits such as Sewn, Love It When You Call and Never Be Lonely, the crowd were singing along, creating a great atmosphere. That nostalgic feeling with bands such as The Feeling and The Hoosiers is always a warm welcome at family festivals because these bands always get the audience in good spirits and they are great bands for the kids to enjoy too!

Corinne Bailey Rae (presents Black Rainbows) was fantastic although at times she was drowned out by other music surrounding the festival! Playing music from the most recent album Black Rainbows, Bailey Rae’s vocals were flawless and her new music live was perfect in a festival setting! The rockier side of Corinne Bailey Rae really suits her but it was also great to reminisce on tracks such as Put Your Records On and Like a Star.

Other acts we caught were on Sunday as we couldn’t attend Saturday. A fan of Seth Lakeman for almost 20 years, his set was phenomenal as always. Bringing his folk driven sounds to Wychwood, Lakeman’s talents are undeniably exceptional! The skills he has on the fiddle are insane and his overall stage presence stops you in your tracks. Celebrating 20 years of his album Kitty Jay, Lakeman and his band were definitely having fun on stage and the crowd wasfull of hardcore fans and no doubt, many new fans would have emerged after his set!

One of the festival highlights for many were The Lightning Seeds. A band so well known, they played hit after hit to the point that I was surprised how many songs I actually knew. A headline worthy set, The Lightning Seeds delighted fans with their sing a long songs such as Lucky You, Change, Sugar Coated Iceberg, Pure, The Life of Riley and of course Three Lions which pretty much the whole festival were singing along to. Even as a non football fan you couldn’t help but sing along and go absolutely crazy!

Seasick Steve proved that you don’t always need a full band to put on a great show. An act that needs to be seen as well as heard, watching him and his drummer on stage is really something special! Humble and witty, Seasick Steve talked with the audience a fair amount and told stories behind his songs as well as promoting his new album A Trip, A Stumble, A Fall Down on Your Knees which is out Friday 7th June. His music is exceptional in a live setting! Highlights came from Soul Food and Move to the Country. I was in awe watching his performance and enjoyed the different instruments that he was playing such as the box banjo!

We were lucky with the weather all weekend and as we live fairly locally, we did not camp but the camp sites looked spacious and not too crowded. As I have mentioned, there were many things to keep the children entertained as well as just space to run around safely! The kids also enjoyed making free s’mores around the camp stove with our friends over at Solo Stove who make smokeless fire pits provided.

We have one of these at home and as an asthmatic, the smokeless fire pit makes all the difference! We did a review last year so please check that out here. Solo Stove were heaving with visitors all weekend and hopefully had a lot of custom!

Our only complaints would be the toilets (but then again they are never nice at festivals) but also food vendors. We go to a lot of festivals but the prices just seem to be getting worse! I understand they have a sizeable fee to pay to be there but £12 for a burger without fries is just too much, especially when you add the cost of a whole family. Food wasn’t permitted to be brought into the festival so people had to buy food, which again we understand but I do believe had the prices been slightly cheaper at some of these stalls, they would have been more busy. £9 for a milkshake which isn’t advertised was way too steep. As this wasn’t advertised, many would have been caught out after ordering!

Overall though, we as a family had an amazing time! Wychwood is a delightful, friendly and wonderfully atmospheric festival which is perfect for people of all ages. There is so much going on that we barely even scraped the surface. Had we camped or arrived earlier, we could have walked over and had a great morning fitness session with Mr Motivator. We would definitely be keen on joining in on some workshops or relaxation sessions next year! It isn’t just music they offer on the stages but comedy, dancing, sing a longs and more! They even had an open mic tent which many would be interested in.

We highly recommend attending next year!