Family Guide
Welcome to the Shindig family! As parents ourselves, we understand the questions you may have. Your experience at Shindig Festival is imperative to us so this really useful guide is here to help you all have the best possible time.
What time do the festival entry gates open and close?
Thursday 21st May 12:00 – 22:00
Friday 22nd May 10:00 – 22:00
Saturday 23rd May 10:00 – 20:00
Sunday 24th May 10:00 – 20:00
ARRIVAL INFO
Do our kids get wristbands when we enter the festival?
Once you’ve arrived through Red Gate, you’ll be shown where to park and straight away head to the main accreditation. Your e-tickets will be scanned here and you’ll be given a corresponding wristband.
All under 18’s must have the name and phone number of their responsible adult written on the inside of their wristband, who will be contacted only in the event of an emergency. Wristbands should be kept on throughout. Teens (13–17 year olds) names and the details of their responsible adult must have been submitted when purchasing their entry ticket. Under 18’s are NOT allowed unaccompanied in music venues after 11pm at night.
How do we get from the car park to camping with all our kit?
We encourage you to bring your own festival/camping trolley, second hand pushchairs or prams also make a brilliant alternative! All kit brought in is liable to be searched.
Once you have been wristbanded you can move freely back and forth to your car to collect more kit. Instead of queuing you can re-enter through the fast track lane however please note that your kit is still liable to be searched. Kit will only be allowed into the festival site whilst gates are open.
Can we bring our own drinks?
Our approach to bringing in alcoholic drinks is simple … We allow a small personal allowance in your camping area. We have a huge array of well stocked and reasonably priced bars ranging from hearty local ales to our delicious cocktails. Let’s face it, on a hot sunny day, the warm beer that’s been sat in your tent just doesn’t taste as good as a cold, freshly poured pint! Please don’t bring any glass bottles, these will be taken from you at the gate or you can transfer them to plastic bottles.
Where is Family Camping?
From the entry gate where you receive your wristbands, Family Camping is a direct, clearly sign posted 2 minute, flat walk along with kit. We’ve made every effort to ensure that this safe campsite is close enough to walk to with tiddlers from the carpark, close enough to the main arena yet far enough away to be quiet-ish! We welcome you to bring your tents however you will be asked to take down communal structures such as gazebos.
Can we put a tent next to our live-in vehicle?
Due to fire safety regulations tents CANNOT be erected next to live-in vehicles in any circumstances. Awnings attached to caravans or vehicles are allowed. You will be asked to take down any tents (excluding awnings) that are erected in the live-in/caravan field. Please be mindful that the allocated space for each live in vehicle is 5 metres x 6 metres, any large vehicles or people requiring more space than this will need to purchase extra tickets (space).
What are the toilets like for kids?
Children’s compost toilets, specifically low for kids to sit down on, are located in
Family Camping and The Playground. Please note the kids toilets are predominantly for little children.
Is there anywhere to hose down my muddy little urchin?
Regarding showers, most of the families that come every year bring biodegradable wet wipes or flannels and a bucket. It’s only a bit of dirt for a few days after all! Due to enormous demands on our supply, Shindig is not able to offer free showers. There are however a number of showers available near the Healing Area which is right by Family Camping. We charge £20 for a wristband to access these showers all weekend, available from the main gate or the information point. For ease, please purchase them online prior to the festival. Please be thoughtful with your water usage on site and have short showers.
Can we have a camp fire?
Camp fires are strictly forbidden, this includes fire-pits, barbecues and meth stoves. Single gas camping stoves are only permitted and should be no larger than 300g. No fireworks, flares or pyrotechnic devices. Fire Points will be clearly visible and supplied with buckets and water.
THE (most important) FUN STUFF!
We have an incredible array of FREE kids activities at our amazing, dedicated kida area ‘The Playground’, a daily what’s on schedule will be displayed on a blackboard outside.
The Playground is jam packed with creativity, excitement, play and fun for the young Shindiggers from 10am – 6pm (Fri -Sun) Almost all of the activities are absolutely free. Get messy, pop giant bubbles, play african drums, learn to DJ, scale the climbing wall, hula hoop, try diablo, juggling, aerial sessions, giant puppets, a real flea circus, Samba procession at 4pm on Saturday afternoon plus loads more .
Highlights include;
Colour Town, Super Pirates, Inflatable Rings, World Jungle, Aerial Hoop, Climbing Wall, Flea Circus, Kulchalee Arts, Art for Action, Cotswold Forest School, Giant Bubbles, Minimixers DJ workshops, Circus skills, Street Art, Japanese calligraphy, Magnificent Mr Kai, Ball run, On the Brink Arts, Senshun Ecstatic Dance, African drumming, storytelling, Badge Badgers, creative play, face painting, balloon modelling, giant puppets and lots more
Shindig’s gets colourful as The Graffiators join us with their fast-paced graffiti art tournament. Watch top artists create stunning works in real time as they use our famous Shindig truck as the canvas. It’s a whole new dimension of creativity at Shindig!
This year we will have a small selection of traditional fairground rides including; Ferris Wheel, Helter Skelter and Wave Swinger.
Is there a program or guide as to what’s on?
There will be a small amount of Festival Programmes available to purchase for £5 at the main gate and at the information point. These are especially useful for Teens to have if you’re arranging to meet at a certain time and enable them to feel a sense of freedom as well.
FOOD AND WATER
Can we fill up our water containers with drinking water?
Water taps (suitable for drinking) will be clearly sign posted throughout the site with one in every camping field and The Plagrounf
What if we forget a few items?
It’s far better to come equipped with the necessaries for your family and our essential family packing guide will help, however, Aldi and Waitrose are 10 minutes drive from the festival site.
Are there just chips and junk food on offer?
All food tastes are covered with our plentiful array of food traders and most will offer a kids portion on request. Our vegetarian options range from delicious curry to pasta, paella and pizzas.
SAFETY & LOGISTICS
Safety of children is paramount for the Shindig Family and we are proud of the feedback we continuously get from families each year. It takes less than 15 minutes to walk anywhere on site walk, we are a small site yet spread out enough to feel like a large festival. There is one main public gate to enter the festival and this is operated by security 24/7.
What do we do if our child is lost?
We have a designated lost children area within Welfare that is operated by trained individuals who all have police clearance. Should your child get lost, or you lose them, this is the ONLY location to come to and you can alert any steward with a yellow high viz jacket on that has a radio, or any of our bar staff. Our Shindig Festival Safeguarding Officer will oversee all incidents of children being let into parents/guardians care after being declared lost. A top tip is to take a photo of what your child is wearing each day in case they’re lost you can show our team.
What happens in a medical emergency, what help do you offer?
Our Medical tent, run by a Medical Professionals, is the first point of call for any medical matter and located around 1 minute from The Playground (kids area). In addition to the tent, they provide a fully equipped emergency ambulance which is kitted out and able to deal with any emergency that you would expect from a paramedic crew. All of the crew are registered UK medical professionals.
My child has to take daily antibiotics, can I store them somewhere?
If your child requires storage for prescribed medication, this facility will be available at the Medical tent. Please place all medication in a water- tight container and label clearly with your name and contact phone number.
Phones
Phone charging facilities will be available at a minimal cost through stalls at the event, however it is worth bringing a charged power bank charger in case of emergencies.
Childcare
If kind Grandparents/ Aunties/ friends are coming to take the kids off your hands at anytime, they can meet you at the main vehicle entrance gate signed ‘drop off/pick up’ where you can hand over the little darlings!
Essential Family Packing Guide
- Snacks – lots of!! … Keep an emergency stash in the car for when you leave
- Clothes – layers are the best and you can never have enough warm socks
- Bringing memorable items so you don’t lose your kids is always a winner!
- Decent sleeping bags, pillow and floor mats or rugs
- Biodegradable wet wipes and a small bucket
- Sunscreen
- Small medical bag with plasters, tweezers etc
- Biodegradable glitter and face paints
- Festival/camping trolley, in case little legs get tired, decked out with blankets, cushions and fairy lights, and a parasol for the hotter weather
- Ear defenders – have a practice session with your little one before the festival
- Socks and more socks
- Torches with spare batteries
- Toilet paper (always provided in toilets but better to have a stash just in case)
- Waterproofs and Wellies
HAVE FUN!!