Camp Bestival, Wareham

We have just been to Camp Bestival 2011 and we had an amazing time. There's no shortage of things to do and there's something for everyone no matter what age they are. My children loved The Gruffalo performance and Mr Tumble. There were lots of activities for them to do such as crafts, bouncy castle, ferris wheel, helter skelter, carousel, circus tricks and music, dance. comedy and theatre workshops. The jousting knights were a popular attraction and there was a soft play area and toddler area for very little ones. For older children there was the House of Fairy Tales which featured music, arts and drama for young people. Performers included Blondie, Primal Scream, The Wonderstuff, Elisa Doolittle, Mark Ronson, House of Pain among others. There was a stage with folk performers and stand-up comedy too. There were lots of food stands offering a complete range of food and drink - a little pricey and long queues at times but always good quality food. There were lots of toilets, not always very clean but the children's sawdust loos in the Lower Kids' Garden were among the better ones for children. There was no shortage of things to do, we were kept entertained the entire time we were there. My top tips are to get there early to pitch your tent. This year the car park and campsites opened the day before the festival on the Thursday and most people arrived then. We got there Friday lunchtime and struggled to find somewhere to camp. Be prepared to lug all your stuff from the car park to the campsite - a trolley or three wheeler pushchair helps. And children get tired out so a trolley or pushchair will give them a rest as there's a lot of walking to do. There was a 'Baby Chillout' tent for feeding and changing and everything was accessible with a pushchair. Don't forget ear defenders for little ones, they'll need them when the volume increases in the evening. Camp Bestival can be tiring when you have young children (ours are 5, 3 and 1) but it's also an amazing experience with a friendly, buzzing atmosphere. It's the perfect festival for families and I can highly recommend it.

Having been a big fan of Bestival for many years before our son came along, I was intrigued by Camp Bestival (the family version) but wondered if the reality of spending 3 days at a festival with our 2 year old could match up to the idyllic vision the website conjured up. And I can happily say it was the best atmosphere of any festival I've been to in years - within minutes of arriving and struggling with our tent we had offers of help and tools from our neighbours aswell as others offering to keep an eye on the little one while we set up, making the whole process pretty painless. Our boy meanwhile set about meeting every other child within a 10 tent radius. Then it was off to explore the festival proper and there really was an amazing amount to explore - we were still discovering whole new areas on Sunday and some bits we just had to leave till next year. Some of the many highlights: medieval jousting, greek dancing classes, 1000's of screaming smalls going crazy for Mr Tumbles, the amazing insect circus, the vast array of bubble blowing equipment, dancing to Madness way, way, way past Noah's bedtime and singing on the sofas round the campfire. And then there's the music! - a brilliant lineup with a mix of old and new, famous and not so. We'll definitely be back next year and hopefully several summers more. The atmosphere was infectious - so friendly and so much fun and just so much to do for kids and adults of all ages. Highly recommended!

The new line up for Camp Bestival has just been released and includes some fab appearances including The Gruffalo, Zero7 and Tinnie Tempah. A fun festival designed with families in mind, in a super location in Dorset. Curated by Rob Da Bank, the mastermind behind Bestival. All the fun of a normal festival combined with a safe environment for the kids.