CAMPING READY STYLE WITH REGATTA & WIN TICKETS TO KENDAL CALLING FESTIVAL

As you know we are huge Festival goers and there's nothing we love more than relaxing outdoors, listening to music and hanging out with friends, plus it's so much fun seeing the kiddo run wild and free. You might remember our family adventures at End of the Road Festival, Just So and Wilderness Festival *good times all round*. So when Regatta Outdoors asked if I would like to travel down to Kent with a few other bloggers to get camping ready and style my site, I was totally game for some fun. 

WILDERNESS FESTIVAL WITH KIDS

You might have guessed that we're HUGE festival fans and every year we try to attend at least two with our boy in tow, in the hopes to create hazy summer magical memories that last a lifetime. A few weeks back we had the pleasure of attending Wilderness Festival as guests of Mamas & Papas as part of their #Shareoursummer campaign. We normally attend End of the Road and Just So Festival, so I was excited to see what Wilderness had in store for us.

We pitched up in the family camping area located away from standard camping, allowing us to be in a total kid friendly zone while still being very close to the main festival area and have easy access to our car – which is soooo handy when travelling with kids as you can leave spares of stuff in the boot rather than all in your tent. At night the campsite was quiet, perfect for little ones sleeping, and it was amazing to see how many families were there with tiny babies or young children running around making friends. Although no matter where we pitch I always seemed to loose our tent *note to self invest in a bell tent! The weather was so warm the whole weekend meaning I could wear my new gorgeous Esme Denim dress c/o Joules Clothing.

As with all festivals one of my favourite pastimes is the food and there was no shortage here! I've never seen such a variety in one place, from F's favourite Mac 'n' Cheese – let's take a minute to acknowledge his cuteness in the below pic –  to gluten free specialists, burritos, Bhangra vegan American school bus cafes, fresh lobster street food, multi-coloured candyfloss carts, grilled and smoked meats, breakfast clubs, organic ice lollies and that's just the food stalls. If you fancy something a little more upmarket you can book a meal at one of the many banqueting tents, where fine dining and candlelit suppers are available. The Laurent-Perrier Champagne bar was certainly a big hit with me and I would loved to have tried an evening enjoying food prepared by one of the many award winning chefs but with a wriggly four year old we stuck to lounging on hay bales to enjoy our bites.  

Situated on a larger site than we're normally used to it still felt quite small and not too busy and it was quite easy to navigate once you'd got your bearings. You can buy a guide when you arrive, which I would say is an absolute must as there is soooooo much to see and do and you can find all the timings and listing for everything over the weekend such as: music and live performances,  theatre, talks and debates, workshops, shops, bars, cinema, disco tents, the hilarious sports area and the best commentator in town, well being fields and holistic tents, food stalls and restaurants and so much more. 

We spent a lot of our time during the day at Family Fun area. A whole section dedicated to making your child giggle in delight, with mini big tops, cafe and kids pack lunch boxes, face painting, crafting, movement workshops, pirate shows and a whole load of bubbles. Each minute of the day is packed with fun activities to get involved with and my favourite evening was spent settling down with F to watch Labyrinth at the open air cinema with a bubble disco afterwards... apparently the goblin king is not so scary after all.

I loved all the market stalls and bizarre shops and oh my the GLITTER! What better way to hide those tired eyes and dark circles than glitter concealer, maybe this is the way forward. We also enjoyed lounging in the Canopy & Stars story tent where we filled bottles with dreams and lay on beds while stories unfolded around us in a theatrical performance.

 
 How cute does F look in his cosy limited edition knitted cardigan c/o Mamas & Papas

Apart from seeing Bjork headline, which was quite frankly brilliant, my other highlight of the festival was taking F wild swimming in the lake, last year that I wouldn't have dreamt of swimming amongst reeds, but as I push myself to be brave and try new things I found the experience completely thrilling and even though it was a little cold it was such an amazing memory.

We had such a fab time and it's such a great family friendly festival that I'm know we'll be back again next year with friends. I mean it's not often you get to see a giant performing puppet with an opera singer attached at a spectacular nght light show is it? This is where magical memories are made! 

Do you attend any festivals? I'd love to hear your favourite kid friendly weekend away.

WILDERNESS FESTIVAL WITH MAMAS & PAPAS

Just a quick hello to say that we've packed up the car and heading out to the Wilderness Festival for a four day fun-filled adventure and to see Bjork and Benjamin Clementine play live *squeal* Yep super excited this end and can't wait to show F all the great kids activities they have instore. I'll be taking over the Mamas & Papas Instagram account for the next four days so if you fancy a peek then you can follow our adventure over there. I can't wait to share our experience with you when we get back!

Much love x

*Images via Wilderness Festival

FAMILY FRIENDLY FESTIVAL FUN WITH MAMAS & PAPAS

It's no secret that we are BIG festival lovers, every year we get excited about the adventures we'll have, hanging out with friends in a field somewhere, listening to music and we have been super lucky to have a kiddo who loves them too. So when Mamas & Papas created a family friendly festival guide and asked what our essential choices would be, I was excited to be involved.

Over the long weekend outdoors F lives in cool casual jumpers, colourful tees, jeans/dungarees as they're hardy and go with pretty much anything, shorts for warmer weather styled with hi-tops, and of course wellies! I picked out some of my favouites below from the fab Festival Essential selection.

1. I love a good blanket, it can be used for wrapping round your little one at night or as a throw to sit on and this Patternology Chevron Knitted Blanket, £29.95 is gorgeous.
2. A pair of bright Shrimp Shorts £14 will help your kiddo stand out in the crowd.
3. F loves funky jumpers and they're easy to add over layers to keep them warm when it starts to get chilly. I love this Disney Mickey Mouse Camouflage Jumper, £18.
4. These are soooo cute! There's nothing like comfy trainers to run around in and these Hi Top Trainers, £12 are perfect for little feet.
5. We always take some shade like this Essentials Parasol, £14.95 with a UV filter as it's easy to store and can create that much needed shade on super sunny days.
6. F has grown out of his pushchair now but when he was little it was our one festival must have. It's perfect for letting them nap in, travelling over muddy ground, keeping your kiddo dry and even moving your camp back to the car and this Armadillo City Pushchair - Lemon Drop, £189 will really stand out.
7. OK I'm adding this tropical striped Jumper in at £12 as I love the print and have my eye on it for our festival adventures.




We've been taking F to festivals since he was about 18 months old and at first I was super anxious about the idea of a baby overnight in a tent, but it turns out he's a natural and as long as you take the essentials you're all set. We've been taking F annually and one of our favourite festivals is End of the Road, set in the Lamar Tree Gardens it's a fab family friendly four day event with amazing music, great food, open fires, fairy lit woods, wandering peacocks and a full range of kids events and activities.

We tried Just So festival last year, unlike End of the Road, this is completely child focused and packed with fun activities like: giant puppets, outdoor cinema screenings, live theatre, pirate school, lantern making and an appearance of the fairy queen, safe to say F loves it and we can't wait to go back this year and experience the magic again.

This year we're thrilled to attend the Wilderness Festival for the first time with Mamas & Papas and take over their Instagram account for the weekend so you can follow our experience. We're already planning our must see list and I am sooooo excited to see Bjork headline and F can't stop talking about all the kids activities.

To celebrate festival season Mamas & Papas have teamed up with Camp Bestival to offer you the chance to win a family pass to the four day festival in Dorset *whoop* Simply purchase any product between now and 23rd June via here and you’ll be entered into the draw.

FESTIVAL STYLE WITH ANTHROPOLOGIE

Now the sun is shining and the days are getting longer it can only mean one thing, festival season is on its way! One of our favourite things to do with family and friends is spend long weekends hanging out listening to music, dancing, eating outdoors and watching the embers glow as the light slowly fades around the pit fire. It's a great chance to go slow and enjoy being outdoors, without the rules and responsibility of everyday life.

One of the key decisions on anyone's mind when going to a festival is what to wear? The age old dilemma of will it rain or stay dry, which dictates whether I'm lugging around wellies and waterproofs or hanging out in cut-off shorts and a vest for a few days. When I came across this stylish denim playsuit from Anthropologie I knew it would be perfect for any weather.

Apart from the big festivals we attend, like End of the Road and Just So festival, we also love staying local and often check out the independent markets and pop up food festivals around Bristol. Who doesn't enjoy testing out tasty food right? So we recently headed down to St Nicholas Market, surrounded by the smell of spices, fresh smoothies and baked goods, to grab a coffee and pick up some ingredients to make a lemon polenta cake while rocking my new denim look.

When spending the weekend in a field, this Level 99 Chambray Playsuit can be teamed with wellies to keep you dry or flip flops for that sun kissed look, and with something this cute you can dress it to create a breadth of styles. The light denim tones are cool for summer, and the drawstring waist detail and deep pockets teamed with ankle boots create the perfect casual look. Additionally you can add a touch of Bohemian elegance with these Rainbow Moonstone drop earrings.

Do you love going to festivals? What's your favourite festival style?

*Playsuit & Earrings c/o Anthropologie

END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL 2014

Oh End of the Road! Once again you did us proud, the music, the colour, the wonderfully weird and wacky, the fairy lights, the rum, the dancing, oh the dancing! Not to mention the endless activities and entertainment for the kiddos.We've been making our way to this fun festival for seven years now and have watched it grow from fledgling roots, settled deep in the beautiful Lamer Tree Gardens, into the excitement it is today. After arriving onsite and a small amount of tent rage due to high winds, we pitched up next to our friends and headed straight to the food stalls to feed our rumbling tummies. With the finest selection of festival cuisine from: Indian street food, pulled pork and homemade slaw sandwiches, amazing burritos, sweet waffles, perfect pizza, pie and so much more, it was easy to get our fill and sit by the fire warming ourselves as night fell and brightly coloured string bulbs illuminated our way. Click to read more.

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE

It's Thursday and the weekends starting early as we load up the car and head off to another festival. Oh and did I mention I am SO excited? Even though it may rain and I may be coming down with a cold, I have every intention to drink rum, laugh with friends and dance like no ones watching at End of the Road. I'll be back blogging on Tuesday after having fun and hopefully staying dry, until then you can follow our adventures on my Instagram feed or read last years adventures here. 

On my return I can't wait to share with you my thoughts on home, our yummy lunch date at Zizzi's, joining in with Styling the Season, my 52 photo, our festival fun and style trends and our a new good book.

Until then have a beautiful fun filled weekend and see you on the other side. x

You can buy awesome this print here

THE MAGIC OF JUST SO FESTIVAL 2014

The reality of home is sinking in as we look back at the magical weekend spent at Just So Festival, three days of pure wonderment are now over but the memories created are etched in our minds and will last a lifetime. F can't stop talking about the fun he had romping in the woods, watching beautiful and curious performances, digging for gold and darting through the mirror maze dressed as a fox. It's so hard to sum up the fantastic work that Rowan and Sarah have put into making this festival so amazing, and I can only hope these photos can offer you a tiny glimpse of how fab it actually was.

This post is pic heavy so click to read more

TOP SUMMER FESTIVALS

This is a guest post

The UK is home to a wealth of festivals this summer, from Wireless, T in the Park and Global Gathering in July, or V and Creamfields in August. It seems like the entire country will come alive with festivals up and down the country featuring some of the best in international and home grown musical talent. So where should you go this year? And more importantly what should you pack? Read on for the pick of the UK's festivals in 2014.

click to read more.

JUST SO FESTIVAL 2014

With hints of spring and the promise of warmer days, I find my thoughts are turning more and more to summer fun. I've always proclaimed that autumn is by far my favourite season, but it seems as this boy grows I crave each change before it arrives; the golden leaves of autumn, the cold crisp winter underfoot, the fresh light that spring brings and the hint of those slow lazy summer days.

With summer brings the excitement of festivals, something that we have ritually attended for the last six years or so, and when F turned two we decided to introduce him to the festival circuit, hoping that our loves of music, eclectic food and the general good vibes of outdoor living would rub off.

This year we are excited to try Just So Festival, alongside our usual line up. A festival designed for children and families, Just So aims to provide a magical experience where art, music and literature are embedded and entwined into beautiful and wondrous landscape. Sounds good ay?

Image source Just So Festival

After having a look at their programme for 2014 I couldn't be more excited for F, especially with the likes of  Shadow play: Walk the Plank, a kinetic, interactive sculpture which projects silhouetted characters on their journey to a medieval town. As well as Pirate Training Camp, Something to Hold: Pif Paf, Mr Wilson's Second Liners and a visit to the Sherlock Deduction Workshop for me. August roll on up, we're ready for some fun.

Just So Festival takes place on the 15/16/17 August, so go grab yourself a ticket now.