8 of the best UK summer festivals for families
Music festivals are doing more than ever to cater to all interests and ages. Younger audiences are often won over purely by the fact that attendance typically involves camping, glamping or pitching up in a caravan — an opportunity to sleep out in the wild. But the UK's best festivals also provide an endless roster of activities, workshops and experiences to help families bond and create lasting memories. From chilled countryside escapes to adrenaline-sparking coastal adventures. Here are the golden tickets for summer 2025. 1. Camp Bestival
Best for: big music acts
Set in the grounds of Lulworth Castle, Dorset's award-winning festival always has a solid line-up, from Tom Jones to the Sugababes and Mr Tumble. Away from the main stages, there's the world's biggest bouncy castle, mud kitchens and activities such as kids' talent shows, bucket-hat sewing camps and sensory gardens. At the Orchestra of Objects, children can even invent their own musical instruments from junk. 31 July to 3 August. From £733 for a family of four camping.
Highlight: Dressing down for the world's largest pyjama party on the Saturday evening. 2. Green Man
Best for: connecting with nature
Backdropped by Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons National Park), the campsite at Green Man opens three days before the action starts, giving families the opportunity to enjoy a week-long break in rural Wales. After evenings spent dancing to the likes of Brit Award winners Wet Leg and dance legends Underworld, welcome each new day with a family sunrise yoga session before wandering over to Einstein's Garden for scientific installations, art and wildlife walks. Older kids can try their hand at film-making, crafting and mastering circus skills in the 'Somewhere' zone. 14 to 17 August. From £650 for a family of four camping.
Highlight: The closing fireworks display and ritual burning of the Green Man sculpture to symbolise rebirth in the natural world. At the Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire, the Family Field is full of games, theatre and workshops for all ages. Photograph by Sarah Louise Bennett 3. Wilderness Festival
Best for: sparking creativity
Set within the 5,000-acre Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire, Wilderness Festival has a suitably retro music line-up for parents this year, including Basement Jaxx, Supergrass and Orbital. There's also a dedicated Family Field packed with activities to spark the imagination and inspire creativity. Younger ravers can attend the regular storytelling sessions or 'Treemendously Wild' craft workshop to build masterpieces out of natural materials; for older kids, there are slime-making and circus workshops, comic-drawing sessions and poetry classes, plus woodland theatre. And when parents want to attend a gig solo or visit the Lakeside Spa & Sauna, there's a popular nanny service for the little ones. 31 July-3 August; From £610 for a family of four camping.
Highlight: Hands-on radio and podcasting tutorials with experienced producers for budding broadcasters. 4. Camp Kindling
Best for: bonding adventures
Exclusively for families, this Kent favourite prides itself on being more like a summer camp than a festival. Over 100 adventurous activities are on offer throughout the ancient woodland setting. For a quieter moment away from the zorbing, raft-building and beekeeping, grown-ups can take advantage of on-site childcare and nip to the adults-only wellness sanctuary. 15 to 18 August. From £520 for a family of four camping.
Highlight: Join a patrol — the Kindling version of a house at school — and work with new friends to compete for the Kindling Cup. At Deer Shed music festival, there's no designated kids' area — the whole event, dedicated to discovery and expanding younger children's minds, is accessible. Photograph by James Drury 5. Deer Shed
Best for: inspiring young minds
Sheep are a regular sight on the landscaped fields of Deer Shed — set on part of a working farm close to Ripon in North Yorkshire. There's no designated kids' area — the whole event, dedicated to discovery and expanding younger children's minds, is accessible. Children can see where imagination leads through storytelling workshops and learn about creepy-crawlies through song in The Bug Hotel. Kae Tempest is headlining on Saturday this year; for the smallest ravers, there's the blackout tent hosting a toddler 'nightclub'. 25 to 28 July. From £534 for a family of four camping.
Highlight: DJing classes, to help aspiring kids on their journey towards festival headlining. 6. Wildhood Festival
Best for: brave Celtic warriors
'Celebrating Scotland' is the theme of this three-day event in the grounds of Perthshire's Tullibole Castle. Aimed primarily at children aged 12 and under, Wildhood plays on local folklore and Scottish traditions with tartan workshops, a woodland haggis hunt, even searching for Nessie in the castle moat. Local bands are complemented by pipers, and street food stalls serve up Caledonian classics. 6 to 8 June. From £509 for a family of four camping.
Highlight: Competing in a junior version of the Highland Games. Food is the main attraction at Cornwall's Rock Oyster Festival. Photograph by the Rock Oyster Festival, Caitlin Mogridge 7. Rock Oyster Festival
Best for: water babies
Making the most of its Cornish coastal location, just a rock's throw from Padstow, Rock Oyster offers an armada of water-based activities, from surfing lessons to a pirate school. This year's impressive musical line-up includes Rag'n'Bone Man and UB40. Food plays a major role here, too, with celebrity chef masterclasses and a cookery school for kids. 24-27 July. From £418 for a family of four camping.
Highlight: A model-making workshop with Aardman, the creative brains behind Wallace and Gromit 8. Deva Fest
Best for: funfair fans
Taking its title from the Roman name for nearby Chester, this festival is set in fields overlooked by Cholmondeley Castle. It gives older children a glimpse of life 2,000 years ago with archery, axe-throwing and bushcraft sessions. Younger revellers will enjoy the games and shows led by a team from Chester Zoo, covering topics such as the science behind animal poo. Deva Fest is friendly on the wallet, too, with free fairground rides hoovering up the daylight hours, before Happy Mondays and Gloria Gaynor take to the main stage. 8 to 10 August. From £431 for a family of four camping.
Highlight: The Grand Cavalcade troupe of performers leading explosive science experiments, madcap storytelling and interactive workshops. Published in the June 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Geographic
4 hours ago
- National Geographic
Is a nature retreat in Scotland the tech detox your family needs this summer?
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Just a half-hour drive east of Cairngorms National Park, this forgotten corner of Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland is memorable terrain for a family holiday. Its heather-strewn moors and cairn-topped hills have seen mercifully little development, while the patchy mobile signal helps visitors of all ages reconnect with the rhythms of nature. Close by are an endless series of inspiring daytrips, from storybook castles to pristine, empty beaches. Forest school Glen Dye in Aberdeenshire is an ideal base for outdoorsy families, with 11 stylish, riverside cabins and cottages scattered across the 15,000-acre estate. Its Discovery and Adventure Centre, which opened in June 2024, offers courses in wilderness skills. Tuition takes place beside a roaring campfire, where kids can learn how to start their own blaze, practice carving and whittling skills and try axe-throwing. Exploring the estate Glen Dye's Discovery & Adventure Trail is a new, one-mile circuit through dense pine forest that unfolds like a treasure hunt, unveiling interactive features such as a hidden tunnel, a spider web-like cargo net and a mirror maze. For a more challenging hike, there's 1,932ft-high Clachnaben. Scaling this Tolkienesque, granite-topped peak takes around 1.5 hours, though little legs may need longer. Adults and older kids with energy to burn can hire mountain bikes for the hilly 7.5-mile loop out to Charr Bothy. From £15 for half a day. Off-grid downtime Don't miss a session in the Glen Dye sauna, followed by an ice bath in the orange outdoor tubs or wild swimming in the River Dye. Every property at Glen Dye has its own wood-fired hot tub and barbecue. Come evening, stroll to the estate's BYOB pub, the Glen Dye Arms, for its dartboard and record player. Camping from £49; B&B rooms from £175; and cottages from £275. Forest feasting For a more refined culinary experience, there's Glen Dye's pop-up The Seed Store Restaurant, which seats just 12 in a converted 19th-century barn and operates on Saturdays only during July and August. Guest chefs draw on the estate's abundant natural larder to create dishes cooked over fire; last year's menus featured everything from samosa chaat to raspberry cranachan. For an easy lunch out, head to the nearby Finzean Estate's large, light-filled tearoom, which offers sandwiches, salads and a bargain children's menu for under £5. Parents can take turns browsing in the farm shop while children use the small outdoor playground. Coastal highs Just a half-hour drive east of the estate is Aberdeenshire's rather underrated coastline. Begin at St Cyrus — a three-mile sweep of sand — then drive 25 minutes north to Stonehaven. This harbour town is home to both Dunnottar Castle and Carron Fish Bar; the latter is widely credited with inventing the deep-fried Mars bar. Exploring further afield A 45-minute drive west in the Cairngorms is Balmoral Castle, the Queen's favourite royal residence. Her Majesty would approve of its two-hour expedition tour: a guided journey through the estate by Land Rover, with binoculars provided to maximise the chance of spotting red deer. Close by in Braemar is The Fife Arms, a coaching inn converted by gallerists Hauser & Wirth — parents can linger over a meal in its muralled dining room while youngsters can have a few matches of table football or play one of the many board games in the Family Room. Published in the July/August 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
National Geographic
2 days ago
- National Geographic
Where to travel in September
This article was adapted from National Geographic Traveller (UK). Is there a better month to feel a surge of travel spirit than September? As the summer holiday crush eases, Europe gets back to business and harvest time brings a bevy of the continent's stellar produce to restaurant tables, from young wines to olives, Greek figs, British apples, Spanish almonds and so much more. The change of season signals new beginnings and new adventures — perhaps a trip where you can try something to improve your skills or a hobby, or just to indulge some creative curiosity. From mindfulness courses to cookery classes, more purposeful travel can resume once the summer beach season is over. Further afield, there are some stellar wildlife spectacles to see, from the big game that gather around dry-season watering holes in Africa to turtle spotting in Costa Rica, or watching humpback whales, blue whales and pods of orcas patrolling for sea lions along California's coast. Here's our pick of destinations for travel in September. 1. Germany Despite its title, Oktoberfest actually starts in September. Munich's mighty festival of beer usually gets off to a frothy start in the middle of the month (this year it runs from 20 September to 5 October), with a 1,000-participant folksy parade flying the colours of local landlords, breweries and ale houses. This is followed by the Hunter's Parade, another riot of traditional Bavarian costume with a 12-gun salute to declare the bars officially open. There are 38 tents selling every conceivable iteration of German beer; most with regional food to try, too, from Alpine cheeses and North Sea oysters to hearty breakfasts, vegan eats and all manner of charcuterie and sausages. Wine lovers are also catered for, but it's worth noting that September is also grape-harvest season, and Germany's picture-perfect wine country comes alive with tastings, tours and foodie events. Responsible travel tip: It's easy to get to Munich by train. The simplest route takes just over nine hours from London, with a change in Paris. More info. Oktoberfest is one of the world's largest festivals, with over six million revellers joining the festivities every year. Photograph by Nikada, Getty Images 2. Sicily Italy's southernmost island sheds beach holiday crowds opening up for those looking for some late-season sun coupled with buzzy city breaks. The capital, Palermo, reanimates as residents return from coastal resorts, and some of the island's best harvest fare starts making its way onto restaurant tables, including fresh figs, pistachios, almonds and mushrooms. September's temperatures make a Mount Etna hike more feasible, while tickets for ferries to the volcanic Aeolian Islands become more readily available. It's also a great time to explore the island's little-known hilly backcountry. Responsible travel tip: In recent years, the medieval hilltop villages of Sicily's interior have been abandoned by youngsters seeking work on the coast and mainland. You can support these struggling rural economies and see some spectacular countryside while hiking the Via Magna Francigena. This long-distance route weaves across the middle of the island from the Tyrrhenian Sea at Palermo to the Mediterranean city of Agrigento, with a growing network of locally run hotels, hostels and homestays en route. (How chocolate went from rough to refined in one Sicilian town.) 3. Cornwall, UK September is a fine time to visit Cornwall, when sea temperatures are at their warmest, honeypot towns such as St Ives and Padstow are freed from log-jam traffic and summer crowds, and beaches are also far less busy. For two weeks every September, St Ives celebrates the arts with a festival of film screenings, art exhibitions, comedy and concerts — from folk to rock, classic to choral — as well as talks and guided walks in and around town, taking in everything from local history to megalithic tombs and Virginia Woolf's Talland House. September is also the time of Heritage Open Days (12-21 September), when landmark buildings across the country that are usually closed to the public throw open their doors for tours. There are some notable addresses in Cornwall. Responsible travel tip: Ditch the car and explore by bike. Cornwall has a growing number of coastal and rural cycle trails linking its many Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The West Kernow Way is a 143-mile looped route starting in Penzance and taking in such landmark spots as Land's End, St Michaels Mount and Lizard Point. (Where to eat the best fish and chips in Cornwall.) The dramatic coastline at St Ives, Cornwall. Photograph by James Ms, Getty Images 4. Namibia Dry season in Namibia (June to October) is a good time to spot the desert-dwelling elephants of the country's northern Damaraland, which are otherwise somewhat invisible against the vastness of purple-red inselberg hills. But as the pachyderms gather at diminishing river systems and springs, sightings are more frequent. As temperatures rise, other animals are also found congregating around drying waterholes, including giraffes, rhinos, hyenas and sometimes leopards. Thanks to warm and sunny days — when cobalt blue skies contrast with orange sand dunes — and nights that are clear, star-studded but not too chilly, travellers will also appreciate Namibia's dry season. Responsible travel tip: Take a silent safari and ditch the game-drive vehicle in favour of e-bike tours available at select lodges. Or head to Grootberg, the first lodge in Namibia to be entirely owned and run by the local community. It's a pioneer in Namibia's progressive approach to conservation. And always look up; the night sky here is among the least light-polluted in the world. (See southern Namibia in a new light—on a lake cruise.) Dry season in autumn is perfect for spotting springbok antelopes in Etosha National Park, Namibia, among other animals. Photograph by EcoPic, Getty Images 5. Slovenia It's last call for hiking in the Alps, where the walking season winds down in autumn as weather reduces mountain access. September is a spectacular month to be at altitude, being still warm, dry and sunny, while the trees form a fiery seasonal display. Slovenia's Julian Alps, at the mountain range's easterly end, are defined by jagged limestone peaks offering an ever-expanding range of waymarked hiking routes. At the heart of the mountains, 9,400ft-high Mount Triglav is Slovenia's loftiest peak, towering above the beautifully glacial lakes of Bohinj and Bled. The Juliana Hiking Trail is a recently mapped network of pathways across 168 miles of northwest Slovenia, taking in Triglav National Park and traversing some of the country's most spectacular Alpine terrain in 16 10-mile sections. Responsible travel tip: To find the most eco-minded hosts and campsites, consult Slovenian Tourism's Green Scheme listings. (The step-by-step guide to the Juliana trail in Slovenia.) To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
National Geographic
3 days ago
- National Geographic
8 war memorial sites everybody should visit on a trip to Vietnam
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). This year marks half a century since the end of the Vietnam War, or the American War, as it's known in Vietnam. The conflict dragged on for almost 20 years, from 1955 to 1975, with the US army supporting the anti-communist South Vietnam against pro-communist North Vietnam, which was in turn supported by international communist allies. It was a period of civil war that had a profound impact on Vietnam. Today, the people of this fast-growing Southeast Asian country have taken great strides to put the war behind them, but they honour Vietnam's past with a number of monuments and museums nationwide. Many of these sites have become incredibly popular with history buffs — and visiting them can be a profound, moving and eye-opening experience. Ho Chi Minh City War Remnants Museum Vietnam's most poignant war museum is this one in Ho Chi Minh City, which documents many of the worst atrocities inflicted by US soldiers on the Vietnamese people — such as the My Lai Massacre, when 500 unarmed villagers in Southern Vietnam were murdered by US Army infantrymen. Other exhibits highlight the effects of Agent Orange, a chemical herbicide used by the Americans to destroy the jungle being used as cover by North Vietnamese forces. Also interesting is the museum's huge collection of aircraft and weaponry from the war, including unexploded ordnance and experimental explosives. Reunification Palace This vast modernist monolith is where the war officially ended in 1975, when South Vietnamese authorities surrendered to the North. Built in 1966, the building — originally called the Independence Palace but now known as the Reunification Palace — is open to the public on guided tours. Its interiors are a testament to its 1960s heyday, with plush chaises longues and flamboyant, mid-century furnishings in the former living quarters. Downstairs, the tour visits the bunker war rooms, with vintage radio equipment, telephones and wood-panelled walls. Take a tour with an English-speaking guide. The Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh City is where the Vietnam War officially ended in 1975. Photograph by Quang Ngoc Nguyen, Alamy Cu Chi District Cu Chi Tunnels The Viet Cong — the Communist guerilla army tasked with resisting the US-backed forces in the south of Vietnam — made extensive use of subterranean tunnels and rooms, which allowed them to move across the country undetected. A stretch of the tunnels has been preserved at Cu Chi, 19 miles north west of Ho Chi Minh City. Guides lead you through hidden trapdoors, camouflaged with earth and leaves, into the dark, dank tunnels, which average just over 3ft in height. Thankfully, the venomous centipedes and spiders, as well as the rampant malaria that soldiers had to contend with, are no longer found here. The Viet Cong made extensive use of subterranean tunnels and rooms, which allowed them to move across the country undetected. Photograph by Alamy Quang Ngai Province Son My Memorial Both moving and harrowing, this memorial stands on the site of the My Lai Massacre in Son My village in Southern Vietnam. The memorial takes the form of a sculpture representing the villagers who lost their lives, including an elderly woman holding the body of a dead child, her fist raised in defiance. Despite the horrors that took place here, this is now a peaceful spot, with the statue surrounded by gardens lined with rose beds. There's also a small museum documenting the massacre. It's worth lingering for a while; Son My is now a thriving town where travellers can take river boat tours and feast on seafood by the long, sandy beach. Quang Tri Demilitarised Zone The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) marked the dividing line between North and South Vietnam from 21 July 1954 to 2 July 1976. This was the site of some of the most strategically important places during the Vietnam War, including the Khe Sanh Combat Base, a US Marine Corps outpost that can now be visited as a museum, and the nearby Ta Con Airport, where the remains of planes, tanks and missile launchers are rusting into the surrounding grassy landscape — although some sit on tarmac and are fairly well preserved. The DMZ sits in hilly, rural Quang Tri province, which can be reached in around 2.5 hours by car from Hue. Vinh Moc Tunnels Like the Cu Chi Tunnels, those at Vinh Moc have been preserved and can be visited. But these differ from Cu Chi in that ordinary Vietnamese people, not just soldiers, lived in them — 90 families from nearby villages took permanent refuge underground between 1966 and 1972 when this area began being heavily bombed by South Vietnamese and US forces. Tours take you inside the tunnels, showing you areas carved out for use as kitchens, wells and even maternity rooms — 17 people are believed to have been born down here. The Vinh Moc Tunnels are close to the DMZ, and day visits to both areas can be taken from Hue. The people of Vietnam have taken great strides to put the war behind them, but they honour the past with a number of monuments and museums nationwide. Photograph by Jui-Chi Chan, Getty Images Hanoi Vietnam Military History Museum Hanoi's war museum moved in late 2024 from its old spot near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to a striking fan-shaped brutalist building in the west of the city. Inside, hangar-like rooms contain a vast range of military hardware left over from the Vietnam War — there's a Soviet-made MiG-21 fighter jet and a tank that crashed through the gates of the Reunification Palace during the North's capture of Saigon in 1975. There are also rooms containing moving exhibitions with personal items — photographs, clothing, letters and so on — that belonged to soldiers and villagers who were affected by the war. Hoa Lo Prison Many US prisoners of war were incarcerated here — ironically nicknamed the 'Hanoi Hilton' — by North Vietnamese forces. Conditions were grim; inmates suffered atrocities later described as war crimes. The prison pre-dates the Vietnam-US War, however; it was built by the French in the late 19th century. Most of it was demolished in the 1990s, but the remaining portion was converted into this museum. Exhibits include the personal effects of famous former inmates, such as the flight suit of former US presidential candidate John McCain, who was imprisoned here after his plane was shot down over Hanoi in 1967. Most of Hoa La prison was demolished in the 1990s, but the remaining portion was converted into a museum. Photograph by Getty Images This story was created with the support of InsideAsia and Vietnam Airlines. Published in the July/August 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
