Valley Fest is perfect for first time festival goers and families of all ages. If you haven’t been to a festival before with your family, then take a look at this guide.
Arriving at Valley Fest
- Please make sure that you’ve read the covid entry requirements. Note these rules don’t apply to under 11’s.
- Whilst you’re in the queue, we have got some goodies for you! For the little ones, you’ll find Yeo Valley offering you some Little Yeo pouches and Pip Organic with some ice lollies and for the grown ups, you can sample some Thatchers cider.
Camping/ Live in vehicles - Family Camping is the closest to the car park – so you don’t have far to walk with your stuff. See the map.That said bringing a sturdy buggy or trolley to cart your kids around can be a good idea. It’s about a 4 minute walk from the middle of the car park to the middle of the Family Camping field. Sarah Ryman from Festival Kidz says:“(I’ve always favoured a good 3 wheeler to these trollies which are actually quite hard to drag around, especially if your site is hilly or bumpy“.
- If you have a campervan, you can pitch a small tent next to it for the kids to sleep in.
- There are showers and toilets in all the campsites
Cashless
We are going to cashless this year to reduce queuing. You can set up your children’s wallet which will be linked to your account. You can top this up and see what they’re spending. They won’t be allowed to buy alcohol. You can read more about how to set up you account here. Please note this needs to be done before 7pm on Wednesday 28th July, for it to be linked with your ticket. You can still create a cashless account on site – you’ll simply use your wristband number rather than your ticket. Please add your phone number to your cashless account when you’re setting it up. This helps us reunite you with your children should they get lost.
Site Map
- You’ll find a young children’s soft play area (provided by Junk Fish), we have a vintage fairground as well as so much family content – this is indicated in the programme.
- Info Point, you can go here and ask questions book feasts, buy your family BBQ ticket if you haven’t done already
- The Camp Shop s being run by the very excellent JARS – the Chew Magna deli. You’ll find it in the Meeting of Minds area.
Food and Water
- We have plenty of healthy & treaty food stands and have asked that traders offer a kids meal for under a fiver.
- New for this year is the Waffle Wizard – which you’ll find next to the Yeo Valley cafe on the brow of the hill.
- You’ll find clearly labelled water points. Remember your water bottle or pick one up at our shop. We have no single plastic on site.
Safety
- Lost/Found Children point and the Medical Tent are marked on the site map – which you’ll find here and in the programme.
- Our team of stewards is always on hand to help so show your kids what stewards look like when you arrive and talk them through what to do if they get lost.
- It’s worth taking a photo of the kids each morning so you can easily remember what they are wearing if you do get separated. Bright clothes are also handy for spotting little ones in they wander. Top tip from Sarah Ryman: “I know this sounds stupid but I’ve come across several upset parents who couldn’t remember what their kids were wearing at festivals“.
Sleeping
- Sleeping at festivals is often one of the things new families worry about most. We ask all guests to be considerate in our campsites and not make a lot of noise after midnight.
- It’s a good idea to bring earplugs though!
What’s on for Kids
- Do have a look at these pages.
What needs pre booking and where do I go for that?
You’ll want to buy your Big Family Sunday BBQ ticket. You can do this at the Info Point.
You need to put your name down for Open Mic night – do this before 5pm on Sat in Hear Here.
Essential Family Packing Guide
- A good, waterproof tent (unless you have booked glamping or have a live-in vehicle)
- Something for everyone to sleep on and under
- Prescription medication for anyone who needs it
- Toiletries including nappies if needed.
- Comforter or favourite toy that sleep is impossible without
- Torch
- Clothes – the great British weather can throw anything at you so whilst trying to pack light it’s worth considering leaving a spare set of clothes for everyone in your car and if you don’t need them at least you’ll have something clean to drive home in. Wellies and rain gear are also worth packing and leaving in the car if you arrive and it’s sunny.
- Sunscreen, hats
- Hand Sanitiser
- Biodegradable Wet Wipes
- Earplugs or ear defenders
- Snacks and food if you wish to cook (we have plenty of great food available on site but a supply of favourite snacks is always useful). It’s a good idea to freeze food rather than pack iceblocks if you are bringing a cool bag as less to carry and a meal to eat once defrosted.
We hope you have a wonderful time and make some lovely memories!