Family Festival Fails: 7 Mistakes to Avoid when Taking your Kids to a Festival
Joanna Armah-Kinson 
Want to avoid common family festival fails? Read on for 7 mistakes festival first-timers make so you can avoid them and focus on creating memories.
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Family Festival Fails: 7 Mistakes to Avoid when Taking your Kids to a Festival
It’s normal to be nervous about everything that can go wrong the first time you take your kids to festival.
As a parent, it can be a struggle to find fun things to do with your kids on the weekends. You may have seen pictures of those colourful flags fluttering in the breeze at family festivals and thought "That looks amazing!"
But then you start worrying if you could cope with going. Would the whole weekend be too expensive? Or would your kids get bored or have massive meltdowns?
Well, let me tell you...family festivals are one of the absolute BEST ways to spend your precious summer weekends together! The sights, the sounds, the excitement - they create memories that will last a lifetime.
Take it from this family festival pro - with a little knowledge and planning, you are sure to have an amazing time. Your kids will be begging to go back year after year. Trust me, you'll have a blast!
So, wouldn’t it be comforting if you knew upfront the common mistakes people make when they first go to a family festival? Well, read on because this post is going to tell you exactly that!
7 family festival fails to avoid
1. Going to the Wrong Festival
With hundreds of family festivals to choose from every summer, picking the right one for your family is key. Nothing can ruin a weekend faster than ending up at the wrong event.
Although many festivals claim to be family friendly, not all of them actually are. Some of the larger festivals in particular may have great headliners but have little for kids who will get bored, grumpy and have a less than fun weekend.
Others that are set up just for kids can be dull for adults.
Finding one with a balance of entertainment and activities perfect for your family means everyone is kept happy.
The good news? I’ve got your back. You can download our free guide “3 Simple Steps to Choosing the Ideal Family Festival” which has 14 considerations to help you work out exactly what you want from a festival. Things like:
- Got kids that don’t like travel? Try to avoid the ones famous for traffic jams.
- Not used going to festivals? Start with a smaller more friendly festivals directed specifically at families.
- Love climbing mountains? Or being a vegan. Or cars. Find a festival that focuses on it.
Going to the wrong festival can ruin your weekend. At the very least you’ll get FOMO when your friends tell you about the amazing festival they were at and what a great time they had whilst you were bored at a mediocre event.
Download our FREE guide and get started on your festival shortlist right now.
2. Wearing yourselves out trying to do it all the instant you arrive.
Look, I get it.
IT’S EXCITING!
You’ve got a whole festival to explore and it’s big, bright and shiny. The moment you step onto those festival grounds, the urge to DO EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW can be hard to resist! There are bright colours everywhere, music is pumping, and you've got a jam-packed schedule planned.
But that festival field that you stride over so confidently might seem an awful lot bigger to little legs. Those colours, sounds, and all those people can be completely overwhelming to small people.
Plus let’s not forget that it’s not unusual to do 20k+ steps every day at a festival. If you arrive and run around like a crazy thing when you’re not used to it, you’re going to struggle on the following days.
You’ve got a whole weekend to explore.
You don’t need to see everything on the first day. Take a breath and let everyone adjust to their new environment. Relax and enjoy what you do see. If you run from one space to another trying to see it all, you will miss out on so many great experiences.
Festivals are about soaking in the experience, not madly rushing around. So, relax take it easy and enjoy your exploring at a pace your comfortable with.
3. Not being prepared for all types of weather
Ok, I’m British, so you know there had to be something about the weather in here.
And let's face it, the weather at an outdoor festival is always unpredictable! One-minute, blazing sun has you slathered in sunscreen and seeking shade. The next, dark clouds roll in and a chilly downpour sends you running for ponchos and wellies.
Packing layers is key for family festival comfort and survival! Even now, after ten years going to festivals, I still occasionally get caught out with this one. Last July after getting soaked in an unexpected thunderstorm and then shivering through the rest of the evening in my flimsy hoodie, I got a stark reminder of how important it was!
Sound simple? Don’t forget that you may have to carry everything from your car to your campsite AND that you have to take plenty for everyone. It’s a balance between having enough and not having to carry too much.
Oh, and don’t forget that festival mud can be really difficult to get out, so if rain is forecast you may want to leave your designer gear at home.
4. Trying to rigidly stick to your usual routine
The routine you know works when you’re at home, may well not work when your at a festival.
You are sleeping in a different, possibly less comfortable bed. There’s a massive sensory overload of lights, colours, and noises. And there’s entertainment on tap from when you wake up to when you go to bed. That’s not even mentioning the massive amounts of sugary foods that are available.
If you want to and can maintain your routine that’s great. But if you find its lessening your family’s experience, ditch it for the weekend. It won’t take you long to get back into once your home.
5. Assuming taking your kids to a festival will be the same experience as going solo.
I saw a post in a FB group where someone had asked what it was like taking to a baby to a festival. Most answered “don’t worry, it will be great”, “it’s easier when they are babies”, “they’ll love it” etc. Just one, very brave person had commented “hang on a minute, no one is saying just how different festivals are when you take kids”.
And it’s true.
In my pre-kid days, festivals were a blissful whirlwind of music, drinking with friends until sunrise, sleeping under the stars, and zero responsibilities.
It’s a massive mistake to think going to a festival with kids will be the same. And if you go with a group of adult friends, you might well feel like you’re missing out.
Going to festivals with kids is a great experience in itself. Try not to compare it to going to a festival alone but appreciate both as different experiences in their own right.
6. Failing to prepare.
“But the beauty of a festival is all in the spontaneity”.
I used to think this back when I went to festivals with friends. And yes, even when you go with kids there will be magical discoveries, unexpected treats and things that throw you off schedule.
But. And it’s a big but.
When you go as a family you’ve got more people’s wants and needs to cater for. A little preparation can go along way when it comes to ensuring everyone stays happy.
A basic schedule can ensure that you don’t miss your must-see bands. Having some downtime activities ready can help prevent meltdowns. And in today’s climate, having an idea of your budget can help stop you having to remortgage your house when you get home!
Get your basics covered ahead of time so you can relax and focus on making magical memories!
7. Going with a 'tude
Look, I get it. Back in real life you’re kind of a big deal. But save that attitude for when you get home.
Festivals are a brilliant leveller – everyone has to use the crappy toilets, everyone has to trudge across muddy fields and whatever car you drove to get there, you’re still going to need to get pulled out by a tractor if the mud takes over!
Family festival goers are some of the friendliest, most chilled out people you could ever hope to meet. So, drop the attitude and join in. Have a go at something new; join in with the dad dancing, wear the fancy dress costume. I promise you; you’ll enjoy the weekend a lot more.
Make this the year you take the plunge and take your kids to a festival
Family Festival Fails: 7 Mistakes to Avoid when Taking your Kids to a Festival is part of a short series of blogs which I’ve written to help family festival first timers have all of the information they need to have a fantastic time from the minute they make the decision to go.
Firstly, I introduced you to 7 things you didn’t Know about Taking your Kids to festivals, so there wouldn’t be any unexpected surprises.
And then in “From Family Festival Newbie to Seasoned Pro: My Journey to The Fantabulous Family Festival Planner” I took you through my love affair with festivals and how I came to know so much about them.
Now I’ve given you 7 family festival fails you can avoid to help ensure you don’t ruin your first festival experience.
But if you’re still worried and want even more help, you can download our FREE guide “24 Top Tips for First Time Family Festival Goers” It's got all my pro tips for planning, packing, and enjoying a stress-free festival weekend with the kids.
Family festivals are a brilliant way to spend your summer weekends. They offer relaxed, fun family time where there’s plenty to keep every single one of your family members happy.
And now you know you what to expect, go ahead, take the plunge and go to a family festival for the first time.
Can’t wait to see you in a field somewhere soon!
Categories: : Family Festivals
Written by Joanna Armah-Kinson (Owner, The Fantabulous Family)
Joanna is the wife of a festival performer, who is lucky enough to spend the majority of her summer weekends at festivals entertaining her (now 11-year-old) son. As a mum who juggles a part-time job and managing two businesses, she knows the importance of good planning, and the need for flexibility and good grace when plans fall through! A lifelong adventure lover, travel, photography and spending time outdoors have always been Joanna's passions.
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