One piece of advice: choose the right festival. Not all music festivals are ideal for wee ones. The ones that cater to families - and more of them are doing this these days, I find - are best. Thankfully, we have one nearby that does exactly this: Hillside Festival in Guelph, Ontario. You can check out the Festival's website here if you'd like to learn more.
Hillside is known for bringing in a fantastic array of artists each year, many that are on the verge of much bigger success. It's a great place to discover new music and to enjoy a weekend of relaxed, environmentally-conscious fun.
Here are a few photos of our weekend adventure with the minis in tow.
Finn has a few giggles during Harlan Pepper. Oh, and ear protection is a must. These Peltor Earmuffs work like a charm, provided your little rockers keep them on. By the way, you can snag those from places like www.SoundGoods.ca .
Daddy did not bring back the right snack, however. Boo. Hiss.
Yummy! Grilled corn!
One of the performers in the children's area wooing the kids with his magic crystal ball.
Face paint? You betcha. Always a hit.
It's fun to bring a snuggle buddy for shows. Gustafer Yellowgold was Finn's choice.
Hannah Georgas on the main stage. Yes, we were in the "parent section" as you can tell.
More silliness in between acts.
And it was darned hot. Thank goodness for the lake. (We didn't know about the e-coli warning! Ack!)
Why can't Mommy ever get a lift? Sheesh!
Adventure Yoga workshop for the kids.
The Monkey Bunch, yo! This gig was bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S! ;)
Our resident dance machine, Finnegan.
The adorable handmade Banjo Puppets provided lots of entertainment and creative play. Plus, the kids pretended they were playing the Muppaphone.
Egypt 80 on the main stage.
Hillside kids. What a great weekend!
Do you take your kids to concerts? Festivals? Shows? If so, what advice do you have?
I had no idea those In The Park events could be so much fun for kids. What a great idea! (love the pictures)
ReplyDeleteOh that looks like fun! We've only ever lasted about 2 hours at those sorts of events, but the kids get older every year, so maybe we'll do a weekender one day!
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