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Y O U R B A B Y Got your sunscreen, wellies, glowsticks and . . . nappies? With more people than ever taking their children along to music festivals, David Pollock
investigates how summer revelry became a kid-friendly zone
‘P eople are becoming more aware that a festival doesn’t have to be somewhere that isn’t child friendly,’ says Jamie Murray, director of Doune the Rabbit Hole festival, which happens on the Cardross Estate near Stirling every August. ‘They now know that these places can be okay to take your child to, although I’m not sure what’s brought this about.’ An observation of the breadth of Scottish music festivals over the last two decades might suggest that it’s simply a generational thing. The 18 to 25 year olds who were behaving in a manner incompatible with family-friendliness at T in the Park in the 90s have all grown up and had children of their own, and for those who still i nd music plays a big part in their lives, the right to enjoy it doesn’t have to end with starting a family. Often, ‘boutique festival’ is synonymous with ‘family festival’, and those listed elsewhere on these pages have all grown with this apparent trend since the early 2000s. Child-friendly festivals are an expanding industry, and there could well be more room in it yet. The core audience for these events is broadly, but certainly not exclusively, people in their 30s and 40s. They’re serious music lovers whose bravery – or, some might (wrongly) say, idiocy – leads them to discover that it’s no more hassle than taking kids on a camping trip, and These festivals know where their appeal lies, and they listen to their probably a lot more fun. audience. Camping is segregated so the worst disruption you’ll generally get from the neighbours is when their youngest starts crying at 3am because the sun’s come up. Kids’ activities, including workshops, play areas and group games, aren’t just provided as an afterthought, but planned in as carefully as the band schedule. Facilities are kept clean and your needs are considered.
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