Fun and Functional Accessories for Family Friendly Festivals
Joanna Armah-Kinson 
Have an even better time at your next family friendly festival by choosing fun AND functional accessories for your family's festival outfits.
Fun and Functional Accessories for Family Friendly Festivals
What to wear at a family festival?
One of the things I love about family festivals is that anything goes clothes wise.
And by accessorizing your outfits with items that are functional and look good you can help minimise how much you have to carry.
Which is really important at big festivals where distances between your car and campsite or campsite and the stage are often really long.
So, if your interesting in knowing how to accessorize for festivals so that you’re not only comfortable but that your experience is even better than it would be without them, read on.
I’m going to tell you about 5 fabulous and functional accessories for kids and 5 for adults.
5 Fantabulous Family Festival Accessories for Kids
1. Hats
Whether it’s a baseball cap, a bucket hat or even (and yes, I have seen one very dapper child in one of these) a trilby, hats are an almost essential festival accessory.
They help protect little faces from the sun’s harmful UV rays, which can be relentless even on cloudy weekends.
When it’s hot, fabric hats can help keep your head cool particularly if you soak it in cold water. Or get yourself a waterproof one and have at least a little protection from the inevitable downpours.
Hats are a great way for your child to express their individuality whilst helping you keep them safe and cool. If they choose a unique one it’ll help make them easier to spot if you get separated. I’m not sure what inspired the little boy I saw to wear a trilby but it obviously made him happy and would have been easy for his parents to spot if needed.
Or you could go full on “festival family” and all wear matching ones! Matching outfits has never been our thing as a family, but many do so why leave it at tee-shirts? Go all out and get matching personalised hats too - not sure how functional these would be though!
2. Wristbands
You are going to be wearing a wristband all weekend anyway, so why not get your children to wear an extra one?
You can buy write on wristbands in almost every colour going, so its easy for more fashion conscious kids to match them to their outfits - or just wear one of every colour, I mean who doesn’t love wearing loads of wristbands/bracelets (maybe I’m showing my age there!).
Having a wristband with your contact details on it is a great way to help keep your kids safe at a festival.
The beauty of having one where you can write anything is that for festivals where the mobile signal isn’t great, you could put where you’ll be based or something identifiable about you to help whoever’s reading it easily reunite you and your child.
Remember its important to put your name on the wristband, but not your child’s. Put contact information on the inside of the wristband so it isn’t easily readable to all, or if that’s not possible try and cover the wristband with long sleeves.
And be sure to check the writing remains legible – even permanent markers smudge after a day filled with sweat, friction and rain!
3. Light up wings, glasses, hats or anything else they can wear.
Festival sites get very dark at night.
Away from the dazzlingly bright lights of the stage, the countryside locations of festivals often mean that there is minimal light pollution.
This can make spotting kids, toddlers in particular very difficult. Whether your child wears butterfly wings, a skeleton outfit made from glow sticks attached to a black outfit, light up glasses or any other type of light up accessories doesn’t really matter. The fact is that they will instantly stand out against the dark sky and should you get separated they will be easy to spot.
The key is to organise this before the festival so what you have is unique to your child. Get a combination of items or make your own outfit and your child won’t end up being one of a gazillion children who are all running around with the same light up sword, or balloon or whatever the festival craze is that year!
And the chances are doing it this way will be a lot cheaper too.
4. Ear defenders
Children smaller ear canals means sound waves become more concentrated and reach the inner ear at higher intensities, increasing the risk of damage. So whereas you and I might think the festival music is dangerously loud, for kids there’s every chance it is.
If you want to go anywhere near the stage, ear defenders are a must for your kids.
They will protect their hearing and help prevent the life-long annoyance of tinnitus (take from someone who has it, if you can prevent it, it’s worth it). And by cutting out the loud noise your children will be better able to focus on whatever they are doing. This is especially important for children who struggle with sensory overload or those who might get stressed or anxious from the noise.
Finally if you have young kids and want any chance of seeing all of the bands a good set of ear defenders and a trolley can be an absolute godsend. Together they’ll help your child nap when needed and let you stay and watch every band you want to.
Just make sure you stay a distance from the stage, keep the trolley close to you and have some lighting on it so that no one trips up over it!
5. Backpacks
Having a bag your child can pack a few things into is a great way of helping them stay happy for the whole day.
Whether it’s a snack, a few toys, a comfort blanket for naps, or just their hat, ear defenders and light up butterfly wings you are sure to find a few things to put in it.
A backpack is a brilliant option for many reasons.
Firstly you can get them in all colours, patterns, shapes and sizes so finding one that fits your child perfectly isn’t difficult.
And a backpack means both hands are free so that you can keep hold of your child’s hand even if they are holding a drink or ice cream. The even distribution of the weight of the bag will help reduce any strain from carrying it and so they can keep it with them all day.
And now the kids are all sorted, let’s look at some practical accessories for you. After all, they shouldn't be the only ones looking fabulous!
5 Fantabulous Family Festival Accessories for Parents
For parents, accessorizing for a festival is a fine balance between style, practicality, and comfort.
You want to embrace the festival spirit, but you also need to be prepared for a day out with the kids.
Check out these my 5 top accessories for parents taking their kids to festivals:
1. Backpack
In the same way a backpack is a great accessory for your kids, it also is for you.
Having a day pack full of festival essentials will stop you having to waste your day going back and forth to your campsite, which at some of the big festivals can be a real schlep.
Again a backpack has the advantage of leaving you with your hands free so you can hold hands, do other things and maneuver through the crowds more easily.
Plus they are safer than other bags – when worn properly they are more difficult to be snatched, and the multiple pockets mean more valuable things can be put into places where they can only be easily accessed by you.
2. Sunglasses
It’s not just rockstars who wear sunglasses darling!
Everyone realises that sunscreen is an essential when you are outside all weekend at a festival. But not everyone thinks to cover their eyes.
A good pair of sunglasses will help protect your eyes from the sun's intense and potentially harmful UV rays, which can cause eye strain, squinting, and long-term damage.
And of course, if you’ve had a good time the night before and maybe not enough sleep, some decent glasses will help reduce the glare, prevent you getting too bad a headache and aid your recovery. Probably!
3. Comfortable footwear
Comfortable footwear is probably the ultimate practical festival accessory! It’s an absolute must when your taking your kids to a festival.
Let’s not sugar coat it - you’re going to be walking, standing, and navigating through crowded areas all whilst keeping an eye on your children. For hours. No, days.
You need well-cushioned and supportive shoes. The good news is there are plenty to choose from so you can get some that are both fashionable and functional.
And you’ll need comfortable footwear to be able to keep up with your constantly moving children, whether your chasing after them, dancing with them, or exploring different areas of the festival grounds. And all on uneven terrain like grassy fields or gravel paths.
One word of warning is don’t buy them right before you go to the festival. Good footwear can prevent foot pain, blisters, and plantar fasciitis, allowing you to keep going all day and night, but only if you’ve worn them in and they actually are comfortable.
4. Lightweight poncho
Lightweight poncho’s are small and easy to pack.
You can easily pop one for each of your family into your day bag. You’ll be really glad you did when your miles from shelter and that downpour no one predicted hits.
Poncho’s come in all sorts of colours and patterns so you can accessorize with all of your festival outfits.
And by buying fabric ones you don’t have to use the overpriced single use plastic disposable ones you tend to be able to buy when you’re at the festival.
5. Bright, Colourful Clothing
Ok so you are either going to love or hate this one.
Wearing bright colourful clothing can really help you stand out at a festival.
Now you might not think that’s a good thing. But if you get separated from your kids or your friends at any point it really is.
And a festival is truly the one occasion where you can get away with wearing anything you like – no one cares and however wild and outrageous you go, there will almost certainly be someone else there wearing something even more astounding!
Find the Right Fun Functional Family Festival Accessories For You
So there you have it, my top ten fun and functional accessories for you and your children to take next time you go to a family festival.
Taking the right accessories to a festival is about more than just fashion.
It's about having things with you that will enhance your experience, ensure your comfort, and add a touch of personal style to your festival attire.
As you prepare for your next family festival, consider choosing the accessories you’ll take as an integral part of getting ready for the adventure.
Whether you are buying new, recycled or making your own have fun finding the accessories that will help you have a fabulous time whilst looking amazing!
Need some more inspiration? I’ve got 24 top tips for first time family festival goers that will help you have even more fun at your next family festival.
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.
I have read and agree to the terms & conditions.
