Big Feastival: A family-friendly celebration of food, fun and funky beats

The Big Feastival – which aims to bring together music from some of the most popular acts, demonstrations by Michelin-starred chefs, and award-winning street food vendors - returned over the August bank holiday weekend.

Now in its 11th year, the festival, held on Blur bassist and artisan cheese maker Alex James’ 200-acre farm in Kingham, saw around 25,000 festival goers embrace the unique celebration.

The music side of the festival is a combination of modern chart toppers such as Sigrid, Tom Grennan, and Blossoms, who performed the headline slots on each of the days alongside some of yesteryear’s icons like Rick Astley, Faithless, and The Lighting Seeds.

The contrast of the music sets the tone for the festival, which proves to be the ultimate weekend of entertainment suitable for all members of the family.

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature and biggest selling point of the festival, from my experience, would be its huge emphasis on providing something for all ages.

The Village Green field of the festival was a haven of fun for the younger attendees, with a circus show, a petting zoo, children’s comedians, a skateboard ramp, and even a junior cookery school on offer to keep the little ones entertained.

On the other side of the farm, the Smokery field with its wild west theme, offered everything from axe throwing and meat smoking demonstrations to the chance to listen to some of the lesser-known but equally entertaining artists on the Sundown Saloon stage.

The Main Arena is a hive of colourful activity, encircled by a fantastic collection of food vans and vintage fairground attractions, the giant main stage, and the always popular Alex James’ Cheese Hub nightclub/dance tent area located within.

Personal highlights for me attending my first ever Big Feastival were the edamame and shiitake mushroom gyoza and pumpkin bao bun prepared lovingly by the guys in the Rainbo Japanese food truck and the gorgeous vegan pad Thai from the Bangwok van.

Musically, the Saturday night DJ set from Faithless’ Sister Bliss was dance perfection and had me, along with most of the crowd, bouncing around to their trance classics.

The festival more than delivered on its promises of good music, good food, and good times, and although it is not the cheapest, it is a perfect place for parents wanting to combine their love of festivals with family-friendly entertainment.