What We Loved At Camp Bestival 2014

It’s impossible to write about Camp Bestival in one simple review post so here is the first of several posts about Camp Bestival 2014.

I’m still a bit tired and have a bit of a fuzzy festival brain so I thought I would start simply with a list of ten things we loved at this years CB.

In no particular order:

1. Impromptu performances:

With two small children it can be difficult ( near impossible) to plan to be at a certain place at a certain time so what we really loved was when we just happened upon something. Buskers or bands just popping up in the middle of the field .. Morris dancers and a rather enthusiastic performance with a sweeping brush whilst sat in the calm of the courtyard eating an ice cream are just a few of our favourite moments.

2. Mr Tumble:

Like many children her age Izzy is a huge Mr T fan. She loves all his shows and I knew this would be a highlight for her.
Here are a few pics of her face as he stepped on stage:

3. The Food And Drink:

From the new addition ‘The Feast Collective ‘ to sitting outside our tent eating bacon sandwiches, our festival experience was definitely enhanced by the fantastic food offerings. Highlights for us included: Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, DJ BBQ,The White Rabbit and The Cake Shop Bakery:

Feast collective offerings:

Camping cooking:

And yes that’s gnocchi cooked in a tomato sauce with some herbs and olives thrown in with crumbled cheddar on top – who says camping food has to be boring? At least one of our meals each day was by the tent as way of saving the pennies and we enjoyed the time to just chill out also.

On the drinks side, back at the tent we enjoyed some frozen cocktail pouches and in the festival itself we loved the Josie da Bank Jamjar bar which had these magical cocktail maker men creating the most divine drinks. Ever.

4. Dingly Dell:

Although we didn’t really get involved in any of the activities going on in there we had some lovely evening strolls and daytime adventure park fun – it was the perfect escape from the bustling crowds.

5. Lower Kids Garden:

We spent more time here than anywhere else. Izzy was quite content to spend an hour playing in the sand so when Chloe napped in the buggy we took the opportunity for a cup of hot chocolate or coffee alongside the sandpit and rested our weary legs! We also loved the folk music at the bandstand and the insect circus shows. I found the perfect hot chocolate from Camper Coffee so worth checking them out if you find them at other festivals.

6. Dedicated Kids Areas:

If we wanted a little sit down whilst Izzy played close by we headed to the Sneeze Free Garden hosted by Piriton or the Vita Coco kids garden. Both had really enthusiastic and friendly staff and lots of activities for the kids to do. Plus have you tasted Vita Coco? It’s pretty good.

7. Night time strolls:

Can I be honest and tell you that parenting two very small children at a festival isn’t exactly relaxing? Because it’s not. It’s hard work. The end result is worth it because Izzy had a ball and we really enjoyed too ..Chloe was fascinated by all that was going on too and it was funny to see her reaction to the fireworks. The nighttimes when the children fell asleep in the buggy or on us in the Boba carrier were a bit special. We strolled around soaking up that atmosphere that only Camp Bestival can create and even managed to catch a bit of James which was a bonus!

8. The Bloggers Meet:

It was so much fun to meet up with my fellow Camp Bestival bloggers. Some of whom I had met before and others who I had only ever chatted to online. We enjoyed some cocktails together, thanks to the very lovely Bruce and it was also great to put a face to the name of Stevie who is one of the Camp Bestival people we deal with in the run up to the festival – look forward to working with you both in the future.

9.Watching Izzy make friends:

Everywhere we went from outside our tent, to the communal lounge in our camping area and to the festival site itself Izzy made friends. Some friendships lasted all but 10 minutes before we moved on to a different part of the site but isn’t it truly wonderful to watch this stage in your children’s life? When being a friend to someone is so quick to happen and beautiful.

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10. The Fireworks:

Although this was our third time at Camp Bestival it was the first time we stayed up to watch the fireworks .. I can assure you we will never miss it again. It was incredible. Hats off to whoever organises this show.
I can’t explain it but the atmosphere was just electric.

And a small final note. To my girls who made it so very challenging and wonderful and exciting all at the very same time. And to Andrew who helped keep me sane. You made my weekend.

* We are Official bloggers for Camp Bestival and as such we receive free tickets to the festival.