Mudbaths, riots and debauchery – I’ve seen and covered it all in my years as a festival-goer and entertainment writer. So when I welcomed my five-year-old daughter, I was content – relieved, even – to hang up my wellies for good.
Until we were invited to Just So: a festival designed especially for families that delivers all of the magic and none of the misery.
Programmed by Wild Rumpus, the creative force behind Yuletide at Tatton Park, the event transforms Cheshire’s Rode Hall estate into a fantastical world of fancy dress, performance and play.
But only when the crowds arrive is the spell complete. Every year, families are invited to embrace their wild side and come as one of seven animal clans to compete for the festival crown.
It’s arguably the highlight of the festival – and there is some serious commitment to costumery.
There are fish folk sheathed in shimmering sequin scales, or posing as jellyfish under pink parasols with iridescent, trailing tendrils.
There are the owls, with their feathered capes. The frogs, with their green bucket hats and goggle eyes.
Stags, with antlers protruding from top hats and headbands. Bees, in striped dungarees and tutus with deely-bopper antennae. Lions, with furry hoods and headdresses for manes.
And finally our chosen family – the foxes – with our fluffy russet tails and ears. The handmade creativity on show from so many festival-goers puts my store-bought efforts – finished off with a spritz of copper hairspray – to shame.
Children can cast their votes and make campaign posters to plaster over a polling station at the heart of the festival site. The electioneering culminates in the Carnival of the Animals parade on Sunday evening when the winners are crowned. We strike it lucky on our first ever visit – the foxes win!
The prize? Well, glory of course, but also our own dedicated area at Yuletide when the Christmas lights event returns to Tatton Park later this year, plus a party in our honour at next year’s festival.
This year’s celebration is dedicated to previous victors, the fish. A shoal of sea creatures gathers in front of Rode Hall itself, turning the sloping lawn into a sparkling sea of aquamarine and turquoise costumes. Percussion group Drum Machine beat out thunderous applause for the reigning champions as the sun sets over the lake below.
Over on the main stage, The Shindig, we watch live music from bands including folk duo The Village Strays and funk and soul outfit The Freebugs as kids dance and twirl ribbon wands sold over at the on-site bazaar.
Nearby, in the Spellbound Forest area, is the magical Campfire Social stage. Here, in a woodland clearing, fallen logs, wooden benches and camping chairs form an auditorium around a crackling campfire. We clutch cups of hot chocolate as we join in with songs led by Scout leader Ian Mackintosh and listen to storytelling from the masterful Ian Douglas, of the Magic Lantern.
We spend most of our time in the Craftism area, having a go at the hands-on, creative activities on offer. In the orchard, we read messages of hope and words of wisdom left by other festival-goers on placards among the apple trees.
Next door is The Studio, a vast barn hosting workshops where we fashion willow branches and tissue paper into golden suns to hang on its gallery wall. Nearby we also join artist Vic Jay, who teaches us to braid barley into corn dollies – an ancient harvest custom carried out in the belief it would keep the spirit of the crop safe.
The programming is carefully curated to appeal to festival-goers of all ages. For the very littlest, there’s the Peekaboo tent designed for babies and toddlers under 3. Here you’ll find messy play, baby massage, lullabies and even baths provided for bedtime.
There’s also a decent selection of food and drink to cater to most tastes, including pizza, pasta, Indian street food, a Jamaican jerk barbecue and the fully vegan Earthworm Kitchen. Waffle and crepe vendors, ice cream stalls and hot chocolate vans keep sweet tooths sated. The biggest queue by far stretches out from a corn stall, selling supersized cobs slathered with flavoured butter.
There’s also a Cloudwater bar serving up pints of the Manchester brewery’s beers for £6.50 a pint. That might sound steep but is cheaper than you’ll find it in many city centre bars these days, and in the warped world of festival prices is a total steal – I’ve (begrudgingly) paid more for warm Carling.
If you’re camping, you can of course save money by bringing your own food and drink too. We find a pitch just metres away from the car park, making trips back and forth for our bags a breeze. The compost loos are a five minute walk up the hill, along with a shower block and water points.
The site is spacious, peaceful and well-managed – a far cry from the chaotic, crammed-in campsites I’ve experienced at other festivals.
As I’ve come to expect from Wild Rumpus’s other events like Yuletide, Just So is an enchanting experience. The programming and production place wonder and whimsy at every turn. Just as wonderful are the ordinary moments of magic the festival facilitates for children: running after bubbles, stargazing back at the campsite, playing among the trees and making new friends.
It’s a love letter to childhood – and one I hope my daughter remembers fondly when she looks back on hers.
Ticket information
Just So Festival returns to Rode Hall from Friday August 20 to Sunday August 22, 2027. Early bird tickets are on sale now, priced at £183.70 for adults, £63.18 for children aged three to 16 and £10.78 for under-threes (inclusive of booking fees). Parking costs an additional £17.59 per vehicle.
