‘Are we nearly there yet?”
The four of us were packed into the car, filled to the rafters with more bags and wellies than we’d ever need, on our way to our first family festival. Happily, the answer was yes: Camp Kindling is just over an hour from London, tucked away in a picture-perfect forest near Sevenoaks, Kent.
Now in its sixth year, Camp Kindling is billed as ‘summer camp for families’ with over 100 activities to try by day, and live bands, DJs, comedians and stories by night.
So far, so festival, right? But on top of that, attendees are split into four ‘patrols’: badgers, hawks, foxes and squirrels, and all weekend the aim is to earn points for your team by being brave or kind, and getting involved in the activities. It’s competitive, but in a lovely, inclusive way – everyone cheers, no matter who wins.
Before the festival officially begins, there’s initiation, where hair chalk was applied and we learnt our patrol song: ‘Ba ba ba ba ba badgers’, sung to the surprisingly catchy tune of Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes.
We then followed the parade through the festoon-lit forest full of Japanese white pines and colossal redwoods, into the main festival area. My heart nearly burst when I locked eyes with my four-year-old, belting out our badger song at full volume.
Our personal mantra for the weekend was: ‘What are we going to do if it rains?’
‘Party through it!’
Fortunately, the weather stayed mostly dry, although the festival is clearly designed to survive a bit of mud. The accommodation helps, too. We stayed in boutique camping, situated just a short walk from the car park – manageable even with little legs and too much luggage. Inside, four raised beds were awaiting us, all made up with proper bedding, towels, fairy lights and a Prosecco fridge. There were showers too, although, in the spirit of festival tradition, we didn’t use them.
You do need to be organised. Most activities need to be booked in advance, so it pays to get online early and plan your schedule. Upgrading to the Dynamo Weekend Ticket helps with that, as you get unlimited credits for activities and priority booking. Thankfully, the site is fairly compact, so getting from one activity to the next doesn’t take too long.
We spent our days making bug hotels, beading, creating potions and taking part in an apothecary session, where we made bath bombs and lava lamps. There’s nothing quite like hearing a four-year-old attempt to pronounce ‘apothecary’. At Science of Sweets, we made our own fizzy sherbet before watching a rocket explode. We also made flower crowns, visited bubble stations, created whacky ice cream flavours with liquid nitrogen and taught dad a K-pop dance routine.
Sadly, we missed beekeeping, having been too busy queuing for a candyfloss duck that can only be described as a work of art.
There are plenty of drop-in activities too, including a 100ft water slide, smoke-filled bubbles and various messy, high-energy activities that you’d never attempt with them at home. Older kids will love trying their hand at quad biking, aerial bungee, raft building and ziplining.
Before the evening headliners, we listened to Bev the drag queen read Julia Donaldson’s A Squash And A Squeeze, and another night we laughed along to a slapstick dinosaur wrangler show. My two-year-old, meanwhile, managed to fall asleep on me during a very energetic Junior Jungle rave. A trailer to cart little ones around in is, in my opinion, mandatory.
But it’s not all about the children. Lisa Maffia and Romeo headlined the first night – can you believe 21 Seconds by So Solid Crew is now 25 years old? That’s the equivalent of me listening to The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper when I was four. Let’s move on.
Much to the delight of us growing up in the 90s, DJ Jazzy Jeff brought the roof down on the second night. They know their audience – namely parents approaching their 40s. There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about geeking out to the absolute tunes of your youth, while your children danced beside you. It turns out that raving with kids is surprisingly fun – partly because, at 5ft 4in, I could actually see the stage.
But for all the activities, music and face paint, it was the smaller moments that stayed with me. Waking up to blue skies, Siena taking my hand and asking, ‘Mum, can you hear the birds tweeting?’ The children running through the trees with their new friends (apparently she made nine, but can’t recall a single name). The happy faces, sticky fingers and completely feral hair by the end of each day. Kids just being kids, in other words. Something that we don’t make enough time for at home, between the rushed nursery drop-offs, play dates and dance classes.
The weekend drew to an end with a talent show, closing ceremony and spectacular drone show, where the blue badgers were crowned victorious. I’d like to think the point I won for making mimosas on the first morning swung it in our favour.
Camp Kindling is a festival, but it’s also a gentle introduction to camping, independence and adventure. The children get to run free, try new things and feel part of a team, while the adults get a cold drink and the chance to enjoy a festival without having to arrange childcare.
Would we go back? Absolutely. For a first family festival, it’s hard to beat. Although next time, I’ll make sure we make the beekeeping slot – and pack less luggage.
Ultra early bird tickets for Camp Kindling 2027 are on sale now
