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We've twice visited Camp Bestival. So if you have booked or are thinking of booking tickets for this annual event at Lulworth Castle in Dorset next year, here's what to expect and how to make the most of the experience...
Clicking two drumsticks together, my 11-year-old son Odhran channelled rockstar energy as he counted in 'one, two, three, four' and the band launched into a rendition of the Imagine Dragons' song Believer.
My younger son Reuben, 8, nodded his head and kept a steady beat on keyboard. The ensemble of youngsters had only rehearsed together for an hour but their performance was meet with rapturous applause by parents who'd gathered to see what their child had learnt in this hands-on music workshop with professional musicians from Rock School.
It's the opportunity to take part in an abundance of new experiences that makes Camp Bestival in Dorset more rewarding than any holiday club you'll sign your child up to over the summer. Paint a tote bag, upcycle jewellery, try out circus skills, throw moves in a dance class, take to the stage for a workshop with Shakespeare's Globe, knead bread, skate round a roller rink, hit the trampoline park, or make a mud pie - whatever your child's interests or inclinations, Camp Bestival has thought of everything. We've been twice, but many families return year after year, and if your child is under 12 that's the golden age to really make the most of everything this festival has to offer young families.
The festi-holiday experience runs over four days, starting on a Thursday and culminating in the main headline performance on the Sunday night, followed by a fantastic fireworks display. The first year we visited, it was for the full duration of the festival. But this year, due to other commitments, we didn't arrive until late on the Friday. This meant we had loads that we wanted to do and had to try squeeze as much as possible into two days.
But we still managed an action-packed weekend. Alongside their Rock School workshop and performance, Reuben scaled the climbing wall and both boys enjoyed the skate park, where they rode skateboards and scooters on ramps and round a skate bowl. Reuben crafted a cardboard guitar in the art tent, and in Tinkertown (a hands-on construction zone) they loved using hammers, nails and saws to help build a play structure from scrap wood.
They chased smoke bubbles, caught a Silly Science Show that ended with a countdown to a huge cola explosion, browsed the stalls of fancy dress accessories, and enjoyed the smaller music and acrobatic performances taking place around every turn.
Booking the activities
The key to making the most of your time at Camp Bestival is to download the app days before your visit and take a good look at all the activities on offer. There are a few wellness and craft events that cost extra, and the fairground rides are an additional cost, but the majority of the activities are included in your ticket price. You can't book activities in advance but it helps to pre-plan and have a hit list of what your kids most want to partake in and what performances you don't want to miss, so you can draw up your own itinerary and avoid disappointment.
Many of the activities are walk up and available on a first come, first serve basis. This was the case with Tinkertown, so we made sure to be there first thing Sunday morning to get in before a long queue quickly formed. Other activities must be booked daily, in person at the activity location. On the Thursday, you can book from 5pm for that evening and the Friday morning. Every other day, booking starts at noon for that afternoon or the following morning. But beware, queues start to form from 30 minutes to an hour before the noon booking time. My husband took the boys to explore while I joined a queue waiting for Rock School bookings to open. I had boxed wine in a cooler bag in my trolley. So, as I stood in the sunshine sipping on a Pinot Grigio the queuing didn't bother me at all. The lady behind me chilled in a camping chair.
The performances
Alongside the plethora of activities on offer, there are performances throughout the day and night. There are three main stages - Castle Stage, the Big Top, and the Bollywood stage. But the festival incorporates smaller stages and performance spaces throughout. This year, tot favourites Mr Tumble and Blippi took to the Castle Stage on the Saturday to keep little ones entertained with high energy shows. The queue to meet Bluey in the CBeebies tent was the longest I saw all weekend.
In the Big Top little girls with colourful hair braids bopped on their dads' shoulders to K-pop tribute act K-Pop Forever! On the Sunday, old and young crooned away to power ballads and pop anthems from the 70s onwards at crowd-favourite Guilty Pleasures in the Big Top.
The Cuban Brothers merged genres with their funk, Latin soul and hip-hop sound, and kept the audience entertained with not just their music but slightly risqué comedy and breakdance moves. There were performances by Self Esteem, Billy Ocean, Example, Leftfield and De La Soul among others.
Kids character Bluey delighted festival-goers by making a surprise appearance on stage with Bastille during their headline performance on the Saturday night. But the main draw of Camp Bestival 2026 was Fatboy Slim's Sunday night stage takeover. The DJ took to the stage dressed as a cone of fish and chips, in keeping with this year's 'At The Seaside' fancy dress theme. Every year, Camp Bestival has a fancy dress theme and the effort people make is incredible. We spotted mermaids, lifeguards, glittery fish heads and two little kids dressed as ice creams with sprinkles on top.
Fatboy Slim proved to have cross generational appeal - from the 90s raver generation to younger electronic dance fans and little kids who bounced along to the rhythmic tempo and delighted in recognising lyrics in Cook's mashups. Odhran was singing along when 'Praise You' blended into Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now.' It was as much a visual performance as a musical one, with the trippy effect of famous faces such as Robert De Niro, Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol popping up on giant screens.
How much will I spend at Camp Bestival?
This depends on whether you decide to cook at your tent or eat at one of the many food outlets on site. Due to extreme hot weather and dry ground conditions this year, the festival restricted open flame cooking at tents to avoid any risk of fire. Instead, they set up communal cooking areas and hot water stations within the campsites. This made it a bit trickier for people who'd intended to save money by cooking at their tent. We'd already decided that we didn't want the hassle of bringing a load of supplies with us and chose to enjoy the variety of food stalls as part of the experience.
We ate poke bowls, pizza, dumplings and sushi wraps. An adult meal cost on average around £14 but you could get kids meals for around £6.50. These child-sized portions are fine for little kids but maybe not enough for older kids. We found that if Odhran and Reuben ate an adult-sized meal for lunch then a child-sized meal sufficed for dinner. Overall, I'd say we spent around £100 a day on lunch and dinner. But then you need to factor in snacks. The boys had crepés one night, a tub of pick and mix and we paid £24 for a mega bucket of 36 churros to share.
We made savings by bringing milk, tea bags, cereal and pastries for breakfast. I'd advise bringing plenty of snacks (I brought apples and popcorn for those moments when you're enjoying a performance and the kids tell you they're feeling peckish). Another great thing about Camp Bestival is that you can bring your own drinks on site. Stock up a cooler box with soft drinks, cans of beer and boxed wine (no glass allowed so also bring plastic wine glasses). I then popped drinks and a couple of freezer blocks into an insulated picnic bag to carry around the festival grounds in my trolley. But it was still nice to have a draught beer and I wanted the Camp Bestival souvenir reusable cup. But we only purchased a couple of pints, at a cost of £7.50 each. There was also a choice of cocktails starting from £12 (but there was a 10% off participating food and drink concessions if you used a PayPal debit card).
What about the camping options?
The first year we attended, we stayed in general camping. As we arrived on the Thursday, we managed to get a good spot. But this year, we weren't arriving until late on Friday evening. So, Camping Plus made more sense, as we didn't want to have to scramble about trying to find a pitch and get our tent up before dark. With Camping Plus you choose and reserve your pitch in advance to guarantee your camping space - a 5m x 7m pitch that's marked out with white lines and is large enough for a family tent and all the kit you'll need. Camping Plus also has its own dedicated car park and entrance. While we still had to haul our gear up a steep slope, we were parked closer to our pitch than when we did general camping.
Another major thing with Camping Plus is that it's all on level ground, unlike general camping, where you might have to pitch on the slope of the hill. We found the showers and toilets (compost) in general camping to be surprising well kept. But in Camping Plus we had flushable toilets that were regularly cleaned and really well maintained. Also, it seemed to be all families with young kids in Camping Plus so at night it was peaceful. When we stayed in general camping, there was a mix of families, couples and groups of young adults. So, there was loud music, while the kids were trying to sleep and people who'd had one too many drinks kept tripping over our guy ropes. A couple of times, I thought someone was going to fall in on top of us. Camping Plus costs an extra £240 on top of your general weekend ticket, but if you can stretch the budget, I'd recommend it. And if you really want to push the boat out, there are glamping and backstage camping options.
Tickets for Camp Bestival 2027
Early bird tickets for Camp Bestival 2027 are on sale now. Standard General Weekend Camping tickets cost £225 per adult, £157.50 for teens aged 13-17, £130.50 for children aged 10-12, £110 for kids aged 5-9. Kids under 5 go free. You'll need to pay a 10 per cent deposit and then you can take advantage of an interest-free instalment plan of 10 monthly payments from 1st September. It's a good way to spread the cost. Find out more about Camp Bestival 2027 here