Wilderlands
Wilderlands is a series of intimate family-friendly wild camping weekends rooted in supporting mental and bodily wellbeing and closeness to nature, incorporating outdoor activities, yoga, meditation and the opportunity to melt into the landscape and dissolve into the beautiful Chiddinglye woodland in West Sussex.
The intimate nature of these weekends makes for a more languid and communal festival feeling, eschewing the crowds for more laid-back gathering around the fireside to soak up the music, storytelling, myth and poetry. Or to immerse ourselves in enlightening and thoughtfully curated tented talks founded in the philosophy and art of sustainability, environmentalism and rebellion - rooted in life’s love for life and the rising tide of human-induced climate change, loss of biodiversity and natural connection. We find ourselves at the intersection between our own wellbeing and that of the Earth.
There is the opportunity to luxuriate in the woodland spa, enjoy walking the ancient countryside and participate in, largely forgotten, arts and crafts, nature-based making and mending or simply awaken the parts of us that live in the rhythms of starlight, birdsong and fire; the delicate, magical luxury of nature.
Timber
Timber is a joyous family festival, nestled in the regenerated landscape of the National Forest, inviting us to gather in celebration of nature and to explore our relationship with trees and forests. Through music, performance, art and literature we find new ways to connect with, and respond to, the natural world around us and magical spaces in which to play, or to relax and wonder. There is the magical melding of old crafts and new stories, campfire gathering, starlight and leafy clearings. Once again we explore the intersection between human joy, restoration and wellbeing and the revival and celebration of the natural world we depend upon. Timber is produced by Wild Rumpus, a social and community interest enterprise and not-for-profit channelling funds into support for emerging artists and the creation of wildly imaginative, immersive and inclusive family experiences.
www.timberfestival.org.uk
photo: Catherine Dineley
Just So
Just So is our favourite family festival, again produced by Wild Rumpus and dedicated towards creating a magical, musical, theatrical weekend for children and their grown-ups and, as a grown-up I don’t believe I have enjoyed a festival more. As the tribes of bees and stags, foxes and fish, lions and frogs gather in costumed throngs around woodland theatre, live music, pop-up performance, midnight feasts, playful colour fights or the stories around the fire in the woods, a little of our grown-up-ness dissipates and we remember something of the pure magic of newness, imagination and sheer play.
Set amongst the ancient trees around the beautiful Rode Hall Estate in Cheshire and its Spellbound Forest, Just So allows our children to lead the most wonderful dance in search of golden pebbles, towards the gathering of the animals and the joyful tribal tournament with all manner of wonders and workshops along the way, all the while immersed in nature and elemental connection. This festival beckons the entwined spirits of discovery, community and remembering and an opportunity for families to reconnect in this joy-filled meeting place.