Elderflower Fields is the perfect first festival for families with kids, but planning can be a bit overwhelming if you’re new to festivals. This beginner’s guide should give you a good idea of what to bring and what to expect when you get here.
Tickets? Check! Children? Check! It’s tempting when packing for an outdoor camping trip to bring everything just in case. But remember, unless you’re in the live-in vehicle field, you’re going to have to lug all of that stuff from the car park to the campsite and back again! We can’t emphasise enough how much easier your experience will be if you pack light… And if you forget anything essential, there’s always the festival shop.
Tent. Obviously. Unless you have booked one of our pre-erected glamping options. But if you’re thinking about bringing your lovely canvas bell tent, do remember you’ve got to get it from your car to the campsite and back again. Either bring or hire a trolley if you need to. Don’t forget a mallet. Space is limited in the campsites, so please don’t bring gazebos or other big shelters and be considerate to fellow campers.
Mattresses and bedding. Sleeping bags, blankets, pillows and roll mats. Nothing is worse than feeling like you can’t get a good nights sleep and it can be surprisingly cold in the middle of the night in May. It’s also a good idea to keep spare blankets and clothes in the car, just in case.
Torches / lights. The main roads and paths around the festival site are quite well lit, but we intentionally keep the campsites a little dark so that everyone can enjoy the stars! Bring torches to help avoid tripping over other people’s guy ropes and maybe a lantern for inside the tent.
Clothing & fancy dress. We probably sound like your mum, but pack clothing for all eventualities, even if the forecast is great! It is possible to have an amazing festival experience in the wet, provided you’re properly equipped, so make sure you bring wellies and raincoats as well as flip flops and sun cream. Fancy dress is strongly encouraged for everyone, especially on the Sunday for our big family dance off. Elderflower Fields is a festival – dress in your finest, let your hair down and have a dance. Honestly, you’ll love it!
Food and Drink. Our food and drink vendors offer a huge selection of fantastic quality meals for the whole family. It’s not a bad idea to bring a few snacks and drinks for back at camp, but you don’t need to bring food for the whole weekend and we ask you to consider the environment in what you pack. Take a look at the food and drink page to see what’s on offer this year.
Water bottles & mug. This is one of our top tips – bring your own good quality drinking bottle and fill up with water from the taps around the site. There are no single-use plastic bottles sold on site so if you don’t have your own reusable water bottle, why not pre-order one of our aluminium Elderflower Fields bottles to collect when you arrive? All our hot drinks vendors offer reduced prices with the ‘cup levy’ if you bring your own mug for your morning cuppa too! More on sustainability.
Safety & Hygiene. There are free hot showers at Elderflower Fields, but they get super busy in the mornings. Our advice is to go mid-afternoon or very early if you want to avoid queuing. You could also consider no-rinse body wash and dry shampoo. Or, dare we suggest it, not wash for a day or two… Do make sure you pack sun cream, ear defenders for any kids not keen on loud music, and a potty if you have small children. Toilets and hand wash stations are located across the site.
What not to bring. If you bring any of the following items, you’ll either have them confiscated or be asked to leave the festival so don’t get caught out! Glass – decant before you leave home. No glass whatsoever is allowed on site because it can be so dangerous to barefooted children and animals if broken. No Chinese lanterns. No pets or animals. No sound systems. Make sure you check the festival terms & conditions for a full list of what is and isn’t allowed.
The chances are, if you’ve got kids, camping gear and supplies for the weekend, you’ll be coming by car (though that is not the only way to get to Elderflower Fields). Plan your route using the festival postcode: TN22 3HW. As you approach the festival on the A22, keep an eye out for the yellow AA signs which will direct you to the site entrance.
Plan your arrival time. The site opens at 12noon on Friday 28th May 2021. You won’t be allowed onto the festival site or into the car parks before that, so please don’t arrive earlier. Our advice is to avoid peak times (4pm – 6pm) if at all possible. Also note that the site closes at 10pm so please arrive in time to park and get your wristbands before that time (you don’t want to be putting up your tent in the dark anyway!).
Once into the festival site, you’ll be directed where to park – make sure you tell the car parking stewards if you are staying in boutique camping, paddock camping, orchard camping or if you have accessibility requirements. From there you’ll need to walk with all your equipment to the ticketing tent (the absolute furthest this would be is about 500m). There you can exchange your tickets for wristbands and then it’s onwards to the campsites!
Walking is the best way to get you and your stuff to the campsites. The furthest you could conceivably camp from the car parks is just over 1km. The nearest is about 50m! It’s downhill from the car park, but remember, this means it’s uphill when it’s time to pack up and go home…
To make the journey easier, you could hire or buy a trolley. There will be a trolley hire company located right in the car park where you can borrow a trolley to help wheel your gear to the campsites.
Once you’re at your chosen campsite, find a spot to pitch up and then find a visual marker so that you the kids can find where the tent is. Use flags, trees or other structures to help identify your spot.
Lost & Found. If you lose a child, parent or possession, the place to go is the Info Tent. We’ve got a great team of stewards there who’ll help reunite you. Take time when you arrive to locate the info tent on the site map and explain to your kids that’s where they should head if they get lost.
Phone charging. We know what it’s like – you’ve just lined up a killer selfie for your Instagram and your phone dies. Fear not, there is phone charging available at the info tent.
Babies & Toddlers. We try to make Elderflower Fields the perfect first festival for small kids, but be aware, it’s a hilly and in places a rough and wild site. Walking around all day can be tiring for little legs so consider bringing or hiring a trolley. Prams and pushchairs can be especially difficult to get around the site, unless you have one of the three wheel off road variety. There will be a breast feeding and nappy change tipi next to the info tent in the centre of the site where you can breast or bottle feed and relax in relative peace. All main toilet blocks will have one large disabled toilet with a fold down baby change table.
Money & Security. There are no cash points on site, but most of our food and drink vendors this year will accept card payments. We recommend you bring both cash and cards. Please do not bring valuables or leave them unattended in cars or tents.
And that’s pretty much it. From there on, it’s up to you to explore and find your own wild adventure!… You’ll get a printed festival mini guide when you arrive (you can also pick these up from the Info Tent) which will have full listings of what’s on when and where, so have a browse and then relax and enjoy Elderflower Fields :-)
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