Just So…the most magical day out for families this summer

July 26, 2010 by Brenda
Filed under Things To Do, Top Picks

With just one month to go the Just So team is becoming extremely giddy about the staging of the inaugural Just So Festival. With camping tickets sold out for months now and day tickets running out fast, potential festival-goers should snap up tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Festival Director Sarah Bird says, “We’re thrilled that so many families want to join us for our first festival…we set out with this idea for a magical woodland weekend where art, music, literature and dance are brought to life and families can create, play and inspire one another – and the enthusiasm with which other families have picked up on our concept has been staggering.”

With more programming being lined up in recent weeks Sarah went on, “We think we’ve provided something for everyone – from tiny babies enjoying choral lullabies to boisterous boys free running through the woods, there’s a really eclectic mix of performances and workshops, but ultimately it will be our festival goers bringing to the event all of their creativity and imagination that will make it truly spectacular and memorable.”

Final preparations are just being in put in place to make the whole experience as family friendly as possible – no other festival is working harder to put children at the heart of everything that’s happening. Some of the extras that set Just So apart from the traditional summer festival include a breakfast bar where children can have a traditional bowl of cereal to start the day, a breastfeeding boudoir, really lovely loos, wheelbarrows to help families get their camping gear (and little ones) on site and a noise curfew so that those same little ones can get to sleep…

Co-directors Sarah and Rowan think they have found the perfect spot in the woodland of rural Staffordshire for a family festival, as well as the perfect name… Just So comes from the Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling and the fact the festival site overlooks Rudyard Lake where Kipling’s parents courted and then named their first child after. Having received so much support and backing from the Arts Council, local councils and both local and national businesses, they already have big plans to grow the Just So Festival so it can become as synonymous with children and the arts as The Gruffalo is with crumble, the beach is with ice cream and the fair is with candyfloss.

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