Children and Music Festivals.

There are numerous music festivals that are family and child friendly where children of all ages are welcome. Attending a music festival with children can present challenges for parents and guardians but if the festival organisers provide sufficient facilities and child focused activities they should be kept occupied and enjoy the event as much as the adults. 

Many young couples that are regular music festival-goers sometimes stop attending these multi day events once they have children. They may think that it's just too difficult to organise and keep their children occupied for 2 or 3 days away from home. Fortunately, many festival organisers now provide great facilities and activities for children from babies to 17y year olds.

Child Safety Provisions. 
Organisers considering allowing children at their events do face some additional challenges particularly when it comes to obtaining event licences. A key consideration of granting any event licence in the UK is the provisions for organisers to comply with the prevailing regulations. As almost all music festivals need to apply for event licences where alcohol is being supplied, they must comply with the Licensing Act 2003. The term “children” refers to all babies children and teenagers (from birth until their 18th Birthday). Authorities issuing event licences will need information from organisers that they are creating a safe environment for children (in terms of their physical, moral and psychological welfare) who may be on the festival site. Children should be unable to access alcohol or drugs and be subject to an appropriate level of care and supervision at all times.

Childcare On-site. 
Most festival organisers will insist that any children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. They only exception may be when they are left at organised childcare facilities or a crèche which are staffed by qualified and verified childcare professionals. Every child should be issued with a wristband that contains details of their responsible adult so they can be reunited should they get lost. Many festivals also provide a lost children tent which should be easily identified and located. Responsible adults should plan appropriately by booking family friendly camping zones and pre-booking child focused activities and childcare as demand can often outstrip places available.

Content for Children. 
There are dozens of activities that organisers can arrange, usually located in child specific zones. A range of activities should be provided to appeal to different age groups and may include: 

• Music activities.
• Acting and dance lessons.
• Art and crafts workshops.
• Adventure play areas, bouncy castle and Lego pits etc.
• Teenage discos.
• Circus skills workshops.
• Educational and children's entertainer shows.  

For any children attending a music festival it can be an excellent way of opening them up to new and exciting experiences. Parents and guardians should select festivals carefully as some may not be appropriate for very small children even if they have child zones.

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Lukas via Pexels

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