The Festival Village

Just over 4 months ago lock down started in the UK. We’re a family run business working in the event industry so we’ve lost a whole season of work. On any other year we leave in April and don’t return home until October. It gives us this whole half n half life where we get to live two different lifestyles.

During the summer we drive every week to a new festival site, usually where a lot of the crew are like family to us. We got the fire engine at the same time we had our first kid and so the business and family have grown together. There’s plenty of late nights, loud music and constant people and activities.

After being on the road with two small kids for 5 months we are well and truly ready to get ‘home’ to a routine and a bit of peace and quiet. The kids go back to school, we work on winter projects and our weekends become early nights and windswept beach walks.

When lock down first happened it was fortunate for us as we had more on at home and needed a break from the planning stress we go through getting ready for another season on the road. As a family we’re used to time as just us and adjusted fairly well.

Four months into the no events, no school and limited social needs met for any of us and I’m missing the festival family a lot! The aunts and uncles who’ve watch our boys grow from babies and take them off for adventures on quad bikes or creative workshops. The cousins who only meet once a year but after a shy 5 minutes are running off together getting up to mischief. The grandparents sneaking them sweets or bunging them a few quid to go on a ride. Each festival has its own unique village that is built up over a week and disappears in a day.

So no I’m not missing the sunny days spent on motorways and in service stations. I’m definitely not missing setting up the lighting in a downpour. And I’m not even missing the array of live music happening on my doorstep. But I am really missing my festival family and will definitely appreciate all the mad and wonderful folk that pass through my festival village next year!