When you think of outdoor festivals, you quickly think of loud music, exuberant youth and a muddy mess. But a festival can also be a great way to spend quality time with family and socialize. We have been walking around at Paaspop for some years now, the outdoor festival that opens the festival season. Every year we shout together 'this would be so much fun for the children'. In any case, Luc will join us next year, but Lotte might also join us for a day and if I look at how they both enjoyed themselves at Armin van Buuren, I'm sure we're doing them a favor with this too.
Inspired by a list of Hometogo I thought that - as a true festival goer - you can of course also link a holiday to visiting festivals in Europe. I'm up for that, are you? If so… then here's a list of outdoor festivals in Europe for the whole family.
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My idea about festivals with children is not that strange, there appears to be a really growing demand. More and more festivals are also aimed at children, so that you can have fun with your family. If you're a real festival fan, and don't want to leave your kids behind, there's a whole host of family-friendly festivals this summer! One is a bit further away than the other, but the Netherlands is also represented in the list of family-friendly outdoor festivals! If you want to stay close to home, you can. Let's start with that.
Into The Great Wide Open takes place on Vlieland. Music plays the leading role here. In addition, this festival pays attention to film, visual arts and many children's activities. You also get enough rest to be able to get back to work fully charged.
Info The outdoor festival is on 6, 7 and 8 September 2017 and a weekend ticket costs € 21.50 for adults and € 20.00 for children aged 4-17 years.
Top performances: Spinvis, Moss, Jens Lekman, Foxygen, Perfume Genius and many more.
Many well-known bands and artists from the Netherlands come to this festival, such as The Handsome Poets and Broederliefde. Parkpop is perfect for taking your children along through the natural environment of the park. Of course you don't have to stand at the front of the stages with children. Just chilling on the side and listening to music; much better!
Info The outdoor festival will take place on June 25, 2017 and is free of charge, which is absolutely beautiful!
Top Performances: Alison Moyet, Henk &Melle, Jon Tarifa, Bootsy Collins, Brotherly Love and many more.
Kids 'n' Billies stands for authentic rockabilly, catchy country, rock'n'roll, raging roots punk and more! But Kids 'n' Billies is more than music. There is also plenty of entertainment for the children, they didn't come up with the name like this for nothing 😉 . A fun outdoor festival in the Netherlands for the family takes place in Nijmegen. They provide workshops, whirling in the whirligig, eating cotton candy and popcorn or having a quiff of grease put in your hair, hula hoops, tattoos, water guns and other extras. An outdoor festival with balls, kind enough to bring your child(ren). No children? Even then this is a very nice festival to go to.
Info The festival takes place on 16 and 17 June 2017, the children's program applies to Saturday. Tickets are available for children from €4.00 and for adults from €20.00.
Top Performances: Doghouse Rose, The Give 'Em Hell Boys, Boogie Beasts, Steve Lucky &The Rhumba Bums and many more.
Tip Not looking for a festival, but looking for free outings? Then you better check this article; Free outings during the May holiday (or for any other moment!)
Castlefest is a medieval and fantasy festival, which has been held every year since 2005 at the beginning of August in the gardens of Keukenhof Castle in Lisse in the Netherlands
If you don't mind traveling further, or if you are going on holiday in the area, then the outdoor festivals Europe below are worth visiting with your family.
This festival offers free entrance to children under the age of 12 and also offers entertainment for children. Isle of Wight Festival is therefore ideal for families looking to get out and about. Your children can stay in the 'KidsZone' where they are supervised, of course you have to want this 😉 . There is something for every child. There are different places with themes. There is a creative tent where children can design their own costumes. Or if you have an active child, check out the circus workshops on juggling and other circus skills. There is also a 'Chill Out' tent where children can relax and enjoy a story. Believe it or not, that's not even half of what Isle of Wight festival has to offer for families!
Info The festival is in Newport England from 8-11 June 2017, tickets for adults cost €232.00, for teenagers (13-17 years) €172.00 and for children up to 12 years the entrance is free.
Top Performances: Rod Stewart, Arcade Fire, David Guetta, Run DMC, Alison Moyet
Donauinselfest has proclaimed itself Europe's largest free open-air festival. Free entry is of course a great advantage, while the festival offers 11 stages, thousands of performances and numerous places for children's entertainment. So this outdoor festival can provide unforgettable fun for music fans of all ages! Make sure you don't forget your swimwear, as there is a 70-meter water slide on the family island of Schöller. This family-friendly area also has attractions such as a bouncy castle and trampolines. Plenty of options for a lot of family fun at this outdoor festival.
Info This festival takes place from June 23 to 25 in Vienna, Austria and is free of charge.
Top Performances : Mike Perry, Marc Pircher, Rene Rodrigezz and Mando Diao
Pohoda mixes music and art to create a unique cultural experience that the whole family can enjoy! In addition to the national line-up , Pohoda offers art shows, film screenings, literature reviews and even a family park for the little ones.
Parents can explore the family park with the kids or hire a professional babysitter to keep the kids entertained. The park is open from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM and offers children cultural activities, workshops and, of course, inflatables. Nice for when you're in the area!
Info This festival will take place on July 6-8, 2017 in Trenčín, Slovakia. Children under 12 have free entrance and adults pay about € 99.00
Top Performances: Solange, M.I.A., Birdy and alt-J
Latitude has lots of activities for young and older children. The 'Kids area' offers nature tours, theater workshops, reading corners and much more! In addition, Latitude has not forgotten the so-called 'inbetweeners' (12+)! Greenpeace is organizing a climbing site with climbing nets, cable cars and swings between the trees, really something for Luc 😉 . There is also even a journalism workshop, DJ lessons and much more.
Info The outdoor festival will take place from 13 to 16 July 2017 in Southwold, Suffolk, England. Children aged 0-4 have free entrance, for children aged 5-12 you pay € 12.00. Teenagers cost €167.00 and adults pay €245.00 for a ticket. Not cheap if you are with a large family…
Top performances: The 1975, Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes and Two Door Cinema Club
At Colors of Ostrava, parents are welcome to bring their kids along for the fun! This festival goes beyond the usual face paint, bouncy castles, with its Alice &Wonderland theme (how fun!). The festival is known for good babysitter service and older children can find their zen at the children's yoga.
Info The festival is in Ostrava, Czech Republic from 19 to 22 July 2017, in the middle of the holiday season. Adults pay approximately € 96.00 (for 4 days) and children up to 1.40 meters are free.
Top performances: Imagine Dragons, alt-J, Moderat, Norah Jones, Birdy
The Camp festival can once again be held in England and is especially aimed at families. There are many activities for kids and teens, but the highlights are the Kids Disco with the largest disco ball in the world and a live performance from School of Rock, straight from London's West End!
Info The festival will be held from 27 to 30 July 2017 in Lulworth Castle, Dorset, England. A weekly ticket costs € 249.00 for adults and for children the prices depend on the ages (from € 18.00 to € 149.00).
Top Performances: Madness, Mark Ronson, All Saints, Anne-Marie
From building castles in the sandbox to creating flower garlands, OFF Festival's Kids Corner will keep the kids entertained for 3 days of top-notch entertainment! If you prefer to keep the little ones with you, there is the option to buy noise-reducing earmuffs.
Info This festival will take place in Katowice, Poland from August 4 to 6, 2017. For adults, a weekend ticket costs approximately €80.00 and children aged 10 or under have free entry.
Top Performances: Swans, PJ Harvey, Talib Kweli, Feist
Sziget Festival is the perfect option for families looking for a beach holiday too! This festival island has a beach area where you can organize a nice family picnic or take a dip in the Danube. The festival also has a babysitter, motel and a colorful playground to keep the kids entertained for hours!
Info This outdoor festival is in Budapest Hungary and will take place from 9 to 16 August 2017. Tickets for the whole week (!) cost approximately €300.00 for adults and children aged 10 or younger have free entry.
Top Performances : The Chainsmokers, Kasabian, P!nk, Wiz Khalifa
The name alone makes me happy 😉 . Here children can enjoy their own special festival in the festival's outdoor. Kidzapalooza, for children 0-14 years, offers a Kids stage, as well as a long list of other activities, such as children's yoga, transformation photo booth, music lessons and much more. There is also an area with a nursing place and where children can crawl.
Info Lollapalooza is an outdoor festival in Berlin, Germany. It will take place on September 9 and 10 and weekend tickets will cost about €149.00
Top performances: Foo Fighters, Mumford &Sons, The xx, Beatsteaks, Hardwell
Image used via Shutterstock
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