The Big Feastival is back for its seventh year of family fun, with children’s TV favourites Justin Fletcher, Andy Day and Dick & Dom, plus special appearances from Paddington Bear and Peppa Pig
Dedicated to festival fun for all the family, The Big Festival is back for its seventh year and it has plenty of tricks up its sleeve to ensure the kids are entertained from start to finish this August Bank Holiday weekend (24th – 26th August). Little festival-goers will be spoilt for choice, with familiar faces and characters from children’s TV as part of a star-studded line-up.
Children’s TV Favourites
Legendary duo Dick & Dom will be hosting the Main Stage on Friday, bringing their own unique twist to proceedings throughout the opening day. Children’s TV Megastar Justin Fletcher will be returning to the Main Stage on Saturday, offering a fun-filled festival experience for all ages with a very special live performance of his biggest hits. Completing the bill on Sunday, Andy Day, CBeebies presenter, has added a new string to his bow and will proudly present his brand new rock and roll band for kids… Andy & The Odd Socks!
Elsewhere, Paddington Bear, The Gruffalo and Peppa Pig & George will all be making personal appearances over the weekend. Keep your eyes peeled for them making their way around the festival and be sure to catch their appearances in The Big Top tent.
Family Festival Fun
The Little Dudes’ Den will be open all weekend for creative crafts, dance-offs, story-telling and more. The Hasbro Village will see children join in the fun and meet their favourite characters including My Little Pony,Play-Doh, Nerf and Transformers. The Jitterbug Circus is in town, teaching an array of skills such astightwire, stilt walking, juggling and limbo. For those with a head for heights, Zu Aerial will be running daily trapeze masterclasses along with performances throughout the day.
The Big Top is where the fun really starts, with Yellow Flamingo yoga sessions, Calypso Kids percussion workshops, Baby Banghra Bollywood takeovers, Ninja Tots martial arts training and singalongs with the brilliant Baby Broadway. Improve football skills with Little Kickers, take part in singing workshops with Music Bus and imaginative play classes with Pyjama Drama, before ending the day on a calming note with special guests during Bedtime Storytelling. New for this year, guests can also sit back and enjoy West End Kids perform a series of songs from our most-loved musicals.
Take a trip to The Village Green for a celebration of British eccentricities. Each morning, The Village Hall will host flower crown workshops with Forget Me Not florists and pompom, knitting and crochet drop-in classes with the Charlbury Women’s Institute, before a toe tapping appearance from the Charlbury MorrisDancers. You can test your sporting ambition at the Village Green Games before wrapping up each day withThe BIG Feastival Family Quiz back in The Village Hall.
The Treehouse Stage in association with Alpro is the place to get moving. Mix fun and fitness at bothLaughing Yoga and Disco Yoga, whilst keeping pulses risen with dance lessons at Swing Patrol, At Your Beat and Hula Fit. From dancing to singing, the Some Voices choir will teach a song across the weekend and perform as The Big Feastival choir on Sunday.
Brand new for 2018, The Village Hall will also present a series of Parent Panels. Guests include MotherPukka Anna Whitehouse, PapaPukka Matt Farquharson, Man vs Baby’s Matt Coyne, Don’t Buy Her Flowers’ Steph Douglas, Hurrah for Gin’s Katie Kirby, Style Me Sunday’s Natalie Lee and the brilliant Susie Verrill, amongst others to be announced.
Located in the Main Arena, Volvo will have a host of family fun activities available for all to get involved within their Scandinavian designed tipi. Power your own disco… the more you move the more energy you’ll produce for the ultimate dance party! Once you’re all danced out, try your hand at personalizing your own festival t-shirts!
Family Food and Facilities
After its roaring success last year, NEFF Little Kitchen is back with its interactive cookery class. Children will pick their own produce alongside Home Farm Highgrove, part of the Duchy of Cornwall estate, before cooking their own delicious dishes with help from Hobbs House Bakery.
Brand new for 2018, The Big Festival is excited to introduce The Family Dining Room – a shaded spot to enjoy a bite to eat with all the family and toddler-friendly food options from Babease, The Cooking Cooks,Tom’s Spuds, Heavenly Tasty Organics and Kidchup.
Meanwhile, the Up All Hours Parents Pitstop and team will be on hand with luxury nappy changing facilities, quiet feeding areas and microwaves to warm up food or bottles.
And finally… More music!
The musically-minded should head to The Udder Stage, the home of new music throughout the weekend. It will be home to BBC Introducing Artists, Sons of Pitches and Mel C’s 90s Mixtape. There’s also workshops every morning, the return of The Big Feastival’s Got Talent each afternoon, and the Silent Disco until the early hours of the morning.
Heading over to The Main Stage, BBC Introducing Oxford’s nominated act Loud Mountains will be opening the festival on Friday.
Elsewhere, The Bandstand will be playing host to acoustic artists and off-beat entertainment throughout the day. FUN DMC will be playing party anthems, DUKE will showcase their crazy beatboxing skills, Gospelokewill be there with their rousing gospel choir and Dizney Rascal will be playing all the hits from the well-loved animations – Hakuna Matata anyone?
Taking place at Alex James’ Farm in the Cotswolds, camping, weekend and day tickets are on sale now from www.ticketmaster.co.uk/thebigfestival
