Camp Bestival 2016

The family friendly Camp Bestival which offers a wealth of entertainment alongside the music, returns in 2016 from Thursday 28th  to Sunday 31st July at the picturesque setting of Lulworth Castle, set against the backdrop of England's dramatic Jurassic coastline in Dorset.

Line-up

Jess Glynne will be headlining Friday night, Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim will headline Saturday night, and Sunday's headliners are Tears for Fears. PlusKaty B, KT Tunstall, Squeeze, Arrested Development, Seun Kuti and Fela's Egypt 80, Bananarama, DJ Yoda, Jamie Lawson, Turin Brakes, Brand New Heavies, Dawn Penn, The Cuban Brothers, Duke Special, Louis Berry, Tayo & Rob Da Bank's Prince tribute, Sound of the Sirens, The Demon Barbers XL, The Scorsese Agreement, Beaty Heart, Anne-Marie, ESPA, Xylaroo, Alice Jemima, Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, DJ Tofu Vs Brass Funkeys, Dorset Wrecks Sea Shanty Group, Shadow Child, Altern8, Russ Cuban, DJ Dapper Dan, Dave Hornby, Feet to the Floor vs Back To The Beat, Katie Wilson, and Mix It Up DJs, , Delilah Sisters, The Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band, Circus Raj, Folk Ido, and the live adaptation of the children’s book, Aliens Love Underpants, Dick & Dom, and Justin Fletcher aka Mr Tumble, plus Mr. Motivator, and Main Stage host Stephen Frost.

The festival will also host Sound and Vision: A Celebration of David Bowie with Rob da Bank, Lizzie Ball, and Classical Kicks Orchestra.

Jasper Carrott has been announced as the comedy headliner on Sunday, with support from Keith Farnan, and Kerry Godliman, plus Chuckle Brothers, Comedy Club 4 Kids, LazyTown Live on Stage, Aliens Love Underpants, London Contemporary Voices Choir: ‘Space Junk’, Royal Albert Hall's Albert’s Band, West End Kids, Funky Little Choir, The Steelers, and the BRIT School, all hosted by ace Camp Besti-fave Arielle Free. Plus a special sing-along session for all the family, journeying through the songs of Disney with Fascinating Aida's Liza Pulman.

For the line-up details as available see the Camp Bestival line-up page.

Family friendly

This festival is hugely suited to families, far more so than for those without kids. Camp Bestival is all about bringing back the British Holiday Camp... Bestival style! A place where Hi de Hi camping capers meet the spirit of early festivals and as well as entertainment, comedy, and literature.

There will be a full programme music over multiple stages, plus other entertainment including comedy, arts & crafts, spoken word, dance, and more.

There will also be a mix of theatre, shows, attractions, activities, poets, authors and talks for all the family.

There will be a chance for kids to meet the Clangers at Camp Bestival with Small and Tiny Clanger in attendance, where they will also be performing the Clangers Space Show each day.

Quiet time

There will be a silence on site from 6.15 - 7.15pm on the Saturday ... sound systems all go quiet for an hour. The reason for this is there is a church service that has taken place at Lulworth Castle for hundreds of years. Loads of stuff still happens during this period though, like spoken word, theatre stuff and kids garden happenings, and no-one needs to keep quiet themselves.

Tickets

There's also a 5 week payment plan to purchase tickets meaning that an adult ticket can now be bought at a payment of £42 per week over 4 consecutive weekly payments following an initial deposit payment of £27.50.

buy tickets now >

The early bird offer has ended. Tickets are now priced as follows:-
Adult Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Thursday) - £197.50
Student Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Thurs) - £185
Age 13 to 17 (on 31/07/2016) Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Thurs or Fri) - £118
Age 10 to 12 (on 31/07/2016) Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Thurs or Fri) - £93
Age 5 to 9 (on 31/07/2016) Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Thurs or Fri) – £45
Age 4 & Under (on 31/07/2016) Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Thurs or Fri) – £15
Babes In Arms (1 & Under) - FREE (but ticket required)
Car Parking - £20
Campervan Ticket - £85 per vehicle
Caravan / Trailer Tent Ticket – £96 (one car only per caravan/trailer tent – no exceptions)

NOTE: all tickets will incur a booking fee.

All teens (aged 11 to 17) MUST camp in the same area as their families with a maximum of 2 teens per adult (over the age of 30). All children aged 4 and under (on 31/07/2016) can attend for free (but MUST HAVE a ticket). These ticket holders must be accompanied by a Ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 21.

Day tickets:

Adult £70
Student £62
Age 13-17 £40
Age 10-12 £31
Age 5-9 £15
Age 4 & Under £5
Babes in Arms £free

Camping Plus

Camping Plus offers a reserved camping plot sized 5m x 7m pitch and has its own dedicated car park and entrance, with very easy access to showers, loos and a café. Camping Plus plots cost £125 (max of 2 adults and 4 children per plot).

Family fun

Spread across the Castle Field, Kids Garden, Big Top, Bollywood, Black Dahlia, East Lulworth Literary Institute, the festival offers family entertainment, sideshow attractions and more. There's a huge Kids Area filled with things to keep little ones of all ages entertained all day long. Plus Lulworth Castle has its very own Animal Farm where the kids can get up close to their super-friendly animals.

There are prizes up for grabs with the return of the Camp Bestival Kids Talent Show. Especially for under 16s, and judged by the legendary Pan's People, the Camp Bestival Kids Talent Show will run each afternoon in the Bollywood Tent. Saturday morning on the Catwalk in the Lower Kids Garden will be home to Beard & Moustache competition, the Pimp My Trolley competition and the annual Fancy Dress Parade with Outer Space the inspiration.

The National Trust 50 things meadow will be back, this year you’ll be able to release your inner monkey while Big Tree Climbing, help create space-inspired shelters with Giant Den Building, test your courage as you go Big Hill Rolling, and get naturally musical Grass Trumpet Blowing. National Trust will also have Bushcraft Walks, Wild Food Walks and the chance of Sleeping Out Under the Stars, but places for these activities will be limited.

Camp Bestival’s wildness continues with Fore / Adventures who will be holding Family Firelighting and picturesque Lulworth Lake Picnics. Again places for these activities are limited, so you need to sign up on their website.

Lizzie’s Way will be back for another year too, extolling the virtues of getting your hands dirty with Mud Cafe Madness, Story Dens, Mud Mural and Woodland Snaps. The ATE Trust will be investigating a strange and curious crashed spaceship in the heart of the Dingly Dell with the help of your Woodland Warriors & Space Agents, plus we’ll also have the chance to get hands on with a host of farmyard animals courtesy of Longdown Festival Farm Petting Zoo and there are limited places to join Wild Thymes as they get Lost at Lulworth and head into the wilds beyond the festival searching for magical treasures among the trees. Again the activities need to be signed up to in advance.

Tudors on Tour

This summer, celebrate Henry VIII's arrival at Camp Bestival from Hampton Court Palace with the unmissable Tudors on Tour. Presented by independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, this ‘festival within a festival’ will allow you to step into a living Tudor world. Bringing to life the magnificence and splendour of the Tudor court through a spectacular mix of theatre, games, and live craft demonstrations.There will be 16th century fashion in the Tudor Costume Tent. Weaponry, have a go with a cross-bow; and meet Henry VIII in The King’s Pavilion. Plus, a chance to find out what the Tudors knew about space, learn how to be the perfect courtier and see what you think of his new Queen (and fifth wife) Catherine Howard.

See the skills of the master crafts-people and stonemasons who built and maintained palaces like Hampton Court and the Tower of London (and a little bit later Lulworth Castle) and dip a candle to help bring light to the palace. Check out the Great Harry Theatre Show and discover how Henry VIII came to be King in a hilarious play for the whole family. Join in a Tudor Scratch Performance and take your chance to tread the boards. Or sit back and relax while you hear some of the King’s favourite stories.

Join the team who have brought the Hampton Court Palace kitchen to life and marvel at Tudor cooking as they roast beef for the King in front of their roaring fire and discover what life was like cooking for King Henry VIII. And don’t miss the chance to find out about Tudor games and play them yourself. See how high you can get on the leader board!

Literary Institute

offering festival goers all things spoken word, with quizzes, talks & more, guests include The Eagle Who Dared- Eddie The Eagle, Roald Dahl's Stories With The Imagination Seekers, The Scummy Mummies Show,Leap - Good Cop Bad War, The Secret Mummies Wine Club With Sara Cox / Flash Fiction, The Camp Bestival Space Pop Quiz With John Harris, and Lighting The Campfire: With Campfire Convention

In keeping with the theme there's How To: Travel To Space, Bring Out Your Inner Alien, Embrace Your Inner Geek Girl, Create A Children's Book In A Day, Have A Beginner's Adventure On Your Doorstep Create, Cured Food Magic, Spice Yourself Slim, Get Kids (AND Dads) Off Sugar, Have A Happier Household, Make People Split Their Sides & Laugh Their Heads Off, Read Rivers, Explore The Last Untouched Places On The Planet, and Make Camp Bestival

The Satin Lizard Lounge curated by Scroobius Pip will host Chris Redmond, Hollie Mcnish, Cecillia Knapp, Jodi Ann Bickley, Mark Grist, Jess Green, Raymond Antrobus, Rob Auton, and Joe Howell

Plus: Roundhouse Poetry Collective, and Jack Rooke compere.  

Space theme

Exclusive to Camp Bestival, the Royal Albert Hall’s resident Education & Outreach orchestra, Albert’s Band, will present a Space Symphony of famous and recognised pieces of classical music.

The Mission Control tent will play host to a selection of activities including the National Space Centre team presenting challenges and intriguing facts and the chance to win a National Space Centre family pass, too. There's a chance to watch science experiments, learn about the universe and join a mission to Mars with The Science Museum.

Plus, The UK Space Agency will be taking a leaf out of Tim Peake’s exercise programme with some space-themed fitness and health activities, and the Space to Earth Challenge a special space-themed walk around Camp Bestival in fancy dress.

Stargazing experts from the Royal Observatory Greenwich can be questioned, and the Explorer Dome presents ‘The Wonder of Space’, a family-friendly show produced exclusively for Camp Bestival. Featuring rocket workshops and chemistry shows with freezing fog, fire, flashes and big bangs, you can explore space, stars, life on other worlds, the ultimate fate of our sun, and the sky tonight, with added cosmology for the curious and the chance to ask questions about our place in the universe.

OKIDO Magazine will have giant squishy monsters, a spacey episode of Messy goes to Okido, and a huge, collaborative Space Mural. There's a chance to send a message on a Space-Ready Postcard and work on the longest Space-Themed Bunting ever created. There's the Brickies Lego Space Academy and their space-themed LEGO® building workshops, and a performance of Urban Astronaut; a cautionary environmental tale.

Plus Bubble Inc Shows from Samsam Bubble Man, and Gobbledegook Theatre’s inventive and interactive art and Dorset-based group Everyday Sunshine.

The Science Tent will mix science-based performances, timetabled science, technology workshops and drop-in sessions. There's The Rasberry Pi Foundation and Code Club in their Astro Pi Workshops. Explore comets and asteroids, learn how to cook up your own hairy star, make a CD hovercraft, and then make a human hovercraft! Launch a paper rocket, make a sound straw, and join the Silly Science Team’s Slime Workshop.

There's also woodland-based workshops with The ATE Trust presents…Woodland Warriors and Space Agents. Investigating a crashed spaceship in the Dingly Dell, ATE’s Space Agents might need your help to examine the space wreck, learn useful phrases in intergalactic languages, or to keep a lookout for strange-looking creatures. They will also be running space-themed ‘Cosmic Crafts’ workshops alongside our ever-popular woodland crafts. And there will be a Final Night Showcase and Procession in the Dell, with a special surprise planned for this year…

Plus Musical Mania workshops inspired by the adventures of Buzz Lightyear, and Planet Frozen, where you will learn the songs, dances and stories inspired by the smash hit Frozen.

There's even a showing of Aardman Animations’ classic A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit!

Space cadets can also expect Flying Astronauts, Planetarium Shows, Cosmology Workshops, Stargazing, Space Orchestras, Rocket Building, Space Smells, Post A Space Card, Giant Rockets, Build Your Own Planet, Make Space Murals and lots more. With plenty of edifying action from the National Space Centre, The Science Museum, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Okido, Explorer Domes and many more.

The Den

The Den is a whole area of Camp Bestival dedicated solely to 13 – 17 year-olds, it’s kind of a festival within a festival, with new and emerging talent, workshops, talks, Q&As, and more.

The Hideaway

The Hideaway is the wellness retreat and spa, dedicated to finding a little slice of inner peace in the middle of Camp Bestival’s joyous hullabaloo.

Fancy dress

Camp Bestival's fancy dress theme is outer space.

Disabled Info

Camp Bestival's organisers are committed to making the festival as accessible as possible and great efforts are being been made to achieve this. The Lulworth Castle Grounds are predominantly flat and are partially serviced by a network of paths. However, Camp Bestival is an outdoor event utilising fields and farm land that could pose problems, particularly in wet weather. With a little help here and there though it should definitely be manageable even in adverse weather. Carers can apply for a free carers ticket and a disabled pass. The Disabled Camping Area is positioned near to the main Lulworth Castle entrance and to the Main Stage. Vehicles with a blue badge (or similar) can park in the disabled camping area. Friends will have to park in the main car park, however. There are charging points for electric wheelchairs available upon request and disabled toilets onsite. Contact the organisers if you have further questions.

To access the online disabled pass application form, click here

Dorset landmarks and attractions

Dorset’s sttractions, all close enough to Lulworth to make a day or two of it, before you head into space, or even touching down on the way home. Landmarks and attractions include Dinosaurland Fossil Museum, Cerne Abbas Giant, Hambledon Hill, Maiden Castle, Maumbury Rings, Roman Town House, Sturminster Newton Mill, Corfe Castle, Portland Castle, Sherbourne Castle, Highcliffe Castle, Swanage Railway and Dorset County Museum.

More info

Click HERE for information about all aspects of Camp Bestival.

More information will be here when available.

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