Festivals in a campervan or motorhome

Owning a campervan or motorhome opens up all kinds of travel opportunities.

Fields of dreams

Just one is to go to a weekend music festival – for an experience like no other. A chance to chill, escape from your normal day-to-day.

There’s something special about watching and listening to favourite artists, or indeed new ones, performing live outdoors. You’ll also encounter all kinds of sideshows, food and drink experiences and more. It really is all about the atmosphere, a perfect opportunity to meet up with old friends, or make new ones!

Possibly the biggest single point of discussion at all music festivals is the state of the toilets and/or showers. Portable units are brought in and, despite being regularly cleaned and emptied, can end up being not the most welcoming (to put things mildly). So, festivals make even more sense if you have your own toilet and shower facilities with you in your campervan or motorhome.

Why go to a festival in a campervan or motorhome?

For many, it really is all about the music. Take your camping chairs with you, pick a spot near any of the stages, feel free to leave them while you wander off… and just have a great time. Typically, expect to see a wide range of acts – hopefully at least a few will be established personal favourites but you can also expect to come away with more to add to your playlists.

Away from the music, there’s likely to be all kinds of other happenings – children’s activities, clothes and other merchandise stalls, comedy, readings, storytelling and so much more.

Festival food and drink?

Just as much a component of any popular festival is its food offerings. Expect as much variety here as in the music acts – anything from Chinese to Tibetan, Indian to Vietnamese, wood-fired oven baked pizzas, falafels and more right through to traditional favourites like burgers and fish and chips. And that’s just the takeaways!

There’s likely to be at least one shop selling all the usual grocery essentials. Even with all that’s on offer, it’s always good to bring plenty of your own food and drink. It will certainly save you money!

Most festivals prefer to operate their own bars in the main arena area. Exchangeable plastic pint glasses are the norm – and perfectly in tune with most festivals’ environmentally-friendly ambitions.

You can bring your own drinks to the camping fields, but generally the advice is not to bring bottles (broken glass is a major challenge).

With all the above to consider, it’s often worth bringing along some cash (although an increasing number are cashless). But, it’s not unusual for card readers to go down intermittently. Most festivals will have ATMs on-site, but you might encounter queues.

Which festival in your campervan or motorhome?

There’s an almost limitless choice out there. The IAF Directory (Association of Independent Festivals) lists nearly 1,000 outdoor music festivals (it calls them “multi-day greenfield festivals”), broken down as:

*Micro (up to 5,000 people capacity) – some 800 of these per year

*Small (5,000-10,000) – 75

*Medium (10,000-30,000) – 80

*Large multi-day greenfield (30,000-plus) – 22

These figures are constantly evolving, of course, but it gives a general idea of overall festival popularity and format. You may have to click through to each event webpage to find out if there’s a camping field or whether you’ll need to book a regular campsite nearby.

To give you a taste, we’ve selected below six top festivals to whet your appetites.

Top tips for festival campervanning

• Increasingly, festivals are operating camping areas where pitches are marked out, but that’s not always the case. If you’re a stickler for keeping 6m between units, be prepared for a possible culture shock (or choose your festival carefully). Generally, it’s all pretty easy-going, but do check ahead on any specific rules regarding awnings, generators, barbecues etc, as well as facilities offered

• Arriving early might get you a better spot, although that’s not always the case
• Levelling ramps could well be an essential. Your festival “campsite” will probably be in what is a field at all other times
• Weather conditions vary. Like any weekend away, weather conditions can differ from any forecasts. As seasoned leisure vehicle users, you’ll know to always prepare for all eventualities – with clothing, including footwear, to adapt to any circumstance
• Festivals are always friendly. And fun. You’ll soon notice plenty of folk happily leave all kinds of kit outside their vehicles in the camping fields whilst they head off to the main arena(s) for the day (and night). Generally, there are no issues with this (in terms of criminal theft etc), but do be wary and always keep your belongings secure (see also our insurance note below)

• Wherever you end up pitching, look out for the nearest fresh and waste water sources, as well as chemical toilet disposal points. If you can, it’s worth filling up with fresh water before you go in. Most festivals provide gas cylinder exchanges.
• An increasing number of festivals are offering mains hook-ups, too. However, these are likely to be low amperage and the commercial generators supplying such power aren’t always the most reliable. You might want to make sure your leisure battery is fully charged before heading off for the weekend
• Add some ear plugs to your usual inventory. These could come in handy if you – or your kids – get too close to the music action… or at night when others are still partying while you’re wanting to go to sleep
• Don’t pitch too near the toilets if you can help it – for obvious reasons
• Worth noting, too. Just like any good campsite, the folk who go to festivals are generally very friendly… and always happy to help out in any kind of emergency

Insurance considerations at a festival in a campervan or motorhome

Check what your motorhome or campervan insurance covers you for when you take your leisure vehicle to a festival. You’ll want comprehensive cover to protect both your vehicle and belongings whilst you’re listening to the music!

A great benefit of our campervan and motorhome insurance is “stuck in mud” breakdown cover.

Camping grounds can quickly become muddy fields if the weather takes a turn for the worse but we’ve got you covered. Our breakdown provider will recover a motorhome or campervan if stranded on a campsite in the mud!

Similarly, if you’re allowed to put up an awning in the festival camping ground, our motorhome and campervan inclusive equipment insurance does provide cover for damage to your awning in the event of stormy weather.

Caravan Guard’s motorhome and campervan insurance policy also provides theft cover but owners must make sure they keep their vehicles secure when partying at the festival and fit any security devices listed on their policy schedule.

Visible security devices such as steering wheel locks and wheel clamps are a great theft deterrent.

To reduce the chance of theft from your campervan, it pays to leave uncesssary valuables at home, or definitely keep them locked out of sight. Tempting as it might be to leave kit, such as tables, chairs and BBQs outside your campervan, be mindful that you won’t be covered on the off chance that they were stolen.

Six great festivals to take your campervan or motorhome to in the UK

1. Wychwood

An especially family-friendly event that kicks off the festival season here in the UK (although not so far away Lechlade, on a smaller scale, is typically the weekend before). 2024’s event is planned for 31 May – 2 June. Its timing makes for an ideal start-of-the-season trip, too.

Traditionally held on Cheltenham’s racecourse, 2023 saw the whole venue moved very slightly – but you’ve still got the Prestbury Hills for a particularly picturesque backdrop.

Its size – capacity is up to the 20,000-mark, makes for an ideal taster if you’re looking to go to your first music festival. There’s always a packed programme of child-friendly activities, plus a full-scale comedy line-up.

Like an increasing number of larger festivals, Wychwood started offering mains hook-up this year. It also moved – campers previously used the actual racecourse ground (excellent grass, particularly flat). 2023 saw a slight move of venue as well as layout for the main arena, where there were noticeably more food stands. Also, the “silent” Headphone Disco is always a massive late-nigh attraction (that doesn’t disturb those who’d prefer to head to bed)!

Reasons to go: Lots of child-friendly activities as well as music acts, comedy line-up, free for under-10s, music and circus workshops

2. Tartan Heart

Scotland’s answer to Glastonbury? Not really, in terms of numbers (the organiser restricts the capacity to around 20,000, i.e. a tenth the size of The Great Glasto), although this is a large music and arts festival, as well as a very interesting/entertaining layout in the grounds of the Belladrum estate, near Inverness (indeed, the festival is often referred to, affectionately, as “Bella”).

Credit: Paul Campbell Photography

Plus, if you’re touring Scotland in the summer, what a great place to drop in on, especially as its location is right near the start/end of the famous NC500 route.

2024’s Tartan Heart Festival takes place July 25-27. With Deacon Blue, James Arthur, Sugababes, Ocean Colour Scene, Sophie Ellis-Bextor Callum Beattie, Teenage Fanclub, Jake Bugg and Bill Bailey among the top acts. There’s always a theme for dressing up (don’t worry, it’s voluntary), with prizes to be won.

Credit: Paul Campbell Photography

Reasons to go: Scotland at its festival fineness, lost of other activities beyond the (seven) main stages, standard or jumbo pitches for leisure vehicles, 16amp electric hook-up available

3. Green Man

Wales’s top weekend music festival, Green Man steadfastly goes for popular non-mainstream acts rather than international Big Names, spreading itself across 10 main areas, also with an emphasis on arts and crafts for all ages.

Credit: Nici Eberl

Green Man is near Crickhowell and, as hinted at in its name, it’s particularly environmentally-aware in its outlook. It’s reckoned to be the first major UK festival to serve drinks in recycled stack cups, attendees wear lanyards made from bamboo (and other recycled material) and it provides compostable toilets.

Credit: Patrick Gunning

If you want an extended stay in the area, the Green Man Settlement opens on the Monday before the festival starts. You can also book a Settler’s Pass, which gives discounts on entry to local castles, heritage sites, galleries and more for the whole week.

2024’s Green Man Festival takes place August 15-18

Reasons to go: Atmospheric Brecon Beacons backdrop, dedicated motorhome/caravan camping field, children’s area, family camping area

4. Wickham

This festival takes place just along the road from the large village/small town of Wickham, in Hampshire – ideal if you want to nip out for food and drink supplies (there’s a good butcher here, for example), visit the local pubs or see the Morris dancers in the square. Not that there’s a shortage of things to do in the festival itself, where the main music is in two big-top tents, with plenty of space to bring your own seating for use outside (and big screens to watch what’s on stage).

This year’s event runs August 1-4 and headliners include Suzy Quatro, Levellers, Curtis Stigers, Seth Lakeman, Ferocious Dog, Dream in Colours and plenty more.

With an official capacity of 7,000 visitors, this is classed as small/medium-sized. It’s also previously won the Best Festival Under 15,000 People Award.

As for security, Wickham’s Festival organiser says it’s only had one official crime reported in its 20-plus years – the theft of a bag of jelly babies from one of the stalls!

Reasons to go: Archetypal friendly festival, local town amenities within easy reach, mains hook-ups available in the camping fields (there’s even a dog-friendly zone, but – typically – pets aren’t allowed in the main arena)

5. Valley Fest

One of a huge number of up-and-coming events throughout the country, but there’s a slightly different sub-plot here – food has just as much priority as the music at Valley Fest.

You’ll get to see lots of demonstrations from critically-acclaimed chefs, along with loads of opportunities to taste. As it says, it’s “the best tasting festival in the South West”. It’s also possibly the only UK festival to take place on an organic farm.

Taking place August 1-4 in 2023, Valley Fest takes place near Chew Valley Lake, Bristol – depending on where you pitch, you might just get some glorious lakeside views (with the Mendip Hills beyond) at the start or end of the day.

Aside from the music, a particular highlight this time around is the collaboration between performance art specialists Arcadia and constructive play experts The Woodland Tribe, which will culminate in children building their own stage from reclaimed materials during the day, ready for use in the evening, when it will literally light up the whole area.

Reasons to go: Food displays and stalls galore, reckoned to be one of the UK’s cleanest festivals, organic farm setting

6. Glastonbury

The biggest music festival in the world? Yep, right here in sleepy Somerset. Over 200,000 people attend each year these days – making for what would be a considerable town. But, what a party everyone has at Worthy Farm in Pilton.

Tickets to Glastonbury reflect the size as well as the popularity. Price to go in 2024 was in the region of £355 per person – a long way on from the early days when it was all free!

The festival traditionally takes place on the final weekend of June, so for 2024 it will be June 26-30.

Reasons to go: Once-in-a-lifetime (at least) experience; more acts than you’ve got any chance of seeing in any weekend; because it’s Glastonbury!

Over to you…

Got any advice on music festival campervanning and motorhoming that you’d like to pass on to fellow campervanners or music-lovers? Please feel free to add a comment below.