Music festivals with kids
With the festival just around the corner and a bunch of brand-new festival kids coming along, we had a chat with Amber Hearn, who has brought her little man along to the festival twice!
What was the first festival you took your little man to? Was there anything that surprised you about festivalling with a tiny person?
The first festival was Happy Wanderer when he was around seven months old. I was really amazed with how much support and love I was surrounded with and it felt like a little community with so many people offering to help. :)
How many Happy Wanderer festivals have you been to now? What keeps you coming back?
I've been to two Happy Wanderer festivals so far and I really like the smaller size and river-side camping of the festival. Sometimes with a baby the one thing you do want is to be able to clean yourself, so a quick dip made it just perfect.
What’s your favourite festival memory?
My favourite memory was putting my little guy to sleep in a wheel barrow (filled with cushions) and parking him next to myself and friends while listening to some bluesy folk under the stars. It's easy as a parent, and particularly a single parent, to miss out on a lot of social things but I felt like being at Happy Wanderer allowed me to do these things I had missed, but still keep my babe by my side.
What’s your camp set up? Are there any camp must-haves for kids?
My camp set up was simple. It's amazing how few toys they need in nature. Sticks and rocks became just as exciting. Bring lots of yummy snacks and fruit and an esky, but keep everything else minimal, there is so much to see and do in nature and around the festival.
What are your top tips for people festivalling with kids for the first time?
Bring kid ear muffs. And a few spare pillows or sleeping bag and a little cart or wheel barrow instead of a pram. Prams don't really work on the bumpy pot holed grass.
Also, don't stress too much about sticking to your normal routines, it's amazing how kids adapt to the free nature-filled environment.
