Choosing a festival to go to for the whole family can be quite overwhelming! The price alone for tickets can be quite expensive and then on top of that you have to consider, food, drink and entertainment for the kids. For us with smaller kids, the music simply won’t be enough so it’s always worth checking what the festival has on site for children.

At The Big Feastival, there are various options for kids which actually include CBeebies entertainers on the main stage. This year for example, the main stage had Justin Fletcher aka Mr Tumble. As well as on stage entertainers, there are fair ground rides in the main arena and further back towards the campsites. This year the festival had the largest bouncy castle in the world which the kids adored and it was £5 for ten minutes. They don’t allow too many kids in at once and also separate the larger and smaller kids (unless are together). Adults are not allowed in with them but there are trained staff keeping an eye on everyone.

Further out towards the campsites there is the helter skelter, more rides and the Village Green. We spent the majority of our time at The Village Green and absolutely loved it. This is where finances come into play. The Village Green saves you a lot of money! Within the Village Green you have Hay Bales for kids to climb, toy tractors for smaller kids to ride, Story time and entertainment tents which include The Big Top, Circus Skills, Flying Seagull and Little Cooks. There was also Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm animals, market stalls, Cooking stations, FREE SAMPLES and more!

Let’s start with the free samples- Everyone loves free food! Most years we have seen Jason’s Sourdough! Jason’s Sourdough do not just give out bread but they make toasties and sample them out in generous quarters. I can confidently say that they are some of the nicest toasties that I have ever had. They made Mature Cornish Cheddar, Swiss Emmental, and Italian Hard Cheese with Red Onion and Spring Onion on Jason’s White Ciabattin ones and Slow cooked Pulled Ham Hock with Cornish Mature Cheddar and Grape Mustard on their White Sourdough Ciabattin. The queues can get quite large but they go down pretty quickly! The best part, queue up as many times as you want and they are the perfect size for kids who don’t eat that much. We are keen to invest in Jason’s sourdough from now on. They were so kind to everyone and really made our day! Next to the Sourdough, were a pancake company who sadly, I failed to write down who they were. They handed out samples of sweet Crêpes/ Pancakes filled with Chocolate spread and Banana or chocolate spread and Strawberries. Other free samples included hot dogs, apples, tofu, Protein shakes, fruit squash (they give away full large cups) and more! We spent so much time in the Village Green that we ended up feeding the kids for free which for us was great as we have such fussy eaters.

Our kids took part in Little Cooks which was a cooking session for kids. The children made couscous which was enough to fill them up for a whole afternoon. The session was lead by a trained chef who on a mic, gave the children a step by step guide to preparing their dish with helpers around in case you needed them. This was such a cute session and free but you have to reserve online or turn up 15 mins before to go on the waiting list. My kids had such a great time.

Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm is also such a great part of the feastival and the kids love going to see the animals such as goats, pigs, rabbits and guinea pigs.

We didn’t spend any time at The Big Top or go and see the circus acts but they were always busy and people seemed to enjoy them a lot. We did stop at The Flying Seagull project to play on the available circus props such as plate spinning and stilts. A very much loved part of the weekend and very entertaining. This is also free and very popular but you aren’t fighting for access as always something for the kids to enjoy without waiting.

There is so much to do in general at the Village Green and it is easy to see why families spend so much time there. It’s a game changer for families it really is and something I have never seen at a festival before. Most festivals you are spending a fortune on food, drink and activities. The fair ground rides cost of course but there are a lot of options for both toddlers and older kids as well as adults. We also enjoyed the new Disney Plus Ice Cream store. This was a great addition with themed ice cream and photo opportunities. These weren’t free but were fun and tasty.

We will definitely be back next year as The Big Feastival has become one of our favourite festivals.