Please note: Press tickets received, however all words and opinions are our own

Oh wow, where do I start with Elderflower Fields festival 2022? It was Elderflower Fields’ 10th birthday… and what a weekend it was to celebrate such a milestone!

Elderflower Fields is a family festival held in Pippingford Park in East Sussex each year, combining stunning views with gorgeous woodlands, giving visitors a combination of festival fun as well as a beautiful escape into nature.

To celebrate their 10th birthday, we thought we’d share our top 10 things to do at Elderflower Fields festival, however, due to the incredible number of things there are to do at the festival, this has been hard to narrow down to just 10!

But, thanks to help from my 6-year-old, (and maybe combining a few of the favourites under one subject!) in no particular order, here we go…

1. Forest School Activities

We spent most of Saturday, just hanging out in the trees doing forest school activities. All included in your ticket price, we managed to do everything from making butterfly wings and memory sticks, to wood rubbings and clay bugs.

It was so relaxing and peaceful, sitting on mats, watching the sun peek through the leaves, while Lily took part in all kinds of activities.

For older kids, you could also take part in pre-bookable tree climbing and other organised activities such as bushcraft, while all ages could just enjoy the natural playground that is the beautiful woodlands at Pippingford Park – such a lovely place to relax and learn about nature throughout the festival, or wander along to visit the amazing art trail through the trees.

2. Circus Skills

It was at Elderflower Fields 2021 that Lily fell in love with the circus, and once again it was a place she regularly visited throughout the festival this year.

With organised workshops alongside free-play of circus activities, from hula hoops to diablo, Lily was definitely at home in the circus skills area.

Older children could book onto the trapeze workshops next to the circus – if you want to book on, make sure you turn up early each day as they book up quickly!

3. Food & Drink

We loved the campfire cooking so much last year with Wild Classroom UK that we booked on again this year for breakfast. We joined Scott and his team in the woods to make porridge and pancakes over the campfire.

Kids of all ages could join in and were invited to take part in everything from cracking eggs to stirring the porridge. It is so well organised and you can pre-book for breakfast, lunch and dinner – something we really do recommend at Elderflower Fields.

However, if you’re looking for a different kind of meal at the festival, there is definitely no shortage of food options – from jerk chicken and Egyptian street food, to stonebaked pizza and fresh coffee, and Lily’s favourites… the waffles on a stick!

4. Arts & Crafts

There are no shortage of arts and craft activities at Elderflower Fields, including the arts camp for children over 6 (you simply pre-book one session over the weekend with your ticket and drop them off for an hour), or drop-in sessions for under 5s.

You then have other optional additions, such as screen printing t-shirts, flower crown making, spin-art and more.

Lily’s a massive fan of everything arts and crafts so was definitely in her absolute element at Elderflower Fields – the only problem is trying to get everything home in one piece, but that’s down to you 🙂

5. Mud Kitchen

Another firm favourite of Lily’s was the Holmes Wood Play mud kitchen area, where she spent absolutely ages making her own mud concoctions, mud pies, mud drinks and more.

She was in her happy place, surrounded by mud, with all the tools she needed to mix, pour and add all nature’s treasures to her creations.

We love how Elderflower Fields just gives kids the space to use their imaginations and have the freedom to do what they love to do. Plus, are you even at a festival if you aren’t covered in mud?! 🙂

6. Sports & Games

As if there wasn’t enough to do, there are sports and games across the whole festival site, from the climbing wall and skate ramp at Tumbledown Meadows, through to the lawn games and Spinmaster Games tent at Leap Frog Lawns.

You can also book kids over 5 onto the sports camps, where you drop them off for 90 mins and have some kid-free time (I used that time to put the tent down, but was tempted to have booked the Woodland Spa!), while the kids enjoy archery, fencing and more with the sports teams – Lily absolutely loved it!

The lawn games are also a highlight for us as well as the skate ramp, but you can also get involved in parkour in the woodlands, yoga, water sports such as kayaking and raft building, and more.

Don’t worry, if you prefer to chill out, there’s the spa and plenty of mindfulness activities too!

7. Woodland Tribe

Have you ever thought about letting your child loose in the woods with hammers and saws? No, me neither, but the Woodland Tribe was definitely a win for us this year.

Kids get a brief safety briefing, then can use bits of wood as well as nails and hammers to safely get constructing in the trees.

Throughout the weekend, visitors built a huge climbing frame area, plus there was a zip wire constructed through the trees that the Woodland Tribe team ran through the festival too.

Lily was also a huge fan of all the rope swings in the trees!

8. Workshops

From science workshops in the science dome to animation, gin and beer-tasting workshops, there is always a chance to learn something new at Elderflower Fields, ran by some fantastic, knowledgeable experts.

We saw macramé baskets and pottery being made, or you can get involved in dance workshops and more. Many are included in the price of the tickets too, but we’d advise booking on where you can as many book up quickly.

9. Camping

As a parent on my own with a small child, the campsites at Elderflower Fields are just perfect, whether you’re looking for a spot of wild camping, a buzzing festival site, a spot with a view, or a spot of glamping.

They’re safe and quiet, not overly busy, and the kids have so much space to cartwheel down the hill or play in the meadows with their new friends, while the adults can relax and enjoy the beautiful views.

We particularly love camping at the top of the hill – not just for the sunsets and views, but also because it’s closer to the car park 🙂

10. Elderflower Vibes

The vibes of Elderflower Fields really are just something magical and make it so special.

From the kids having the freedom to cartwheel through the meadows, while you sip on a fresh coffee in the sun, to families and friends playing games together on the lawns, exploring the woodlands, or dancing the night (and day!) away, there really is just such a relaxed and happy atmosphere.

It’s small enough to feel safe and friendly, while still having so much to do that you can never get through everything – you need at least a week to get through it all 🙂

Made up of small, local businesses and stalls, doing what they do best, you know you’re helping to support local throughout the weekend while having an absolutely incredible time.

It’s a place where you can find a quiet space to relax, a buzzing atmosphere to dance under the stars, a place to explore, or a spot to just be whoever you want to be for a whole weekend.

We also love how the festival encourages you to not only be eco friendly and to protect our environment, including by bringing your own cups, but also gives you the chance to learn more about nature while you’re there too. It really is something special.

What’s more, this year’s pyjama party theme meant Lily was happily dancing and exploring in her onesie all weekend too – a definite win for parents, while still keeping all the party vibes! (Lily loves her onesie from Kids Onesie)

The only advice we have for visitors is over accessibility – the paths are through the woodlands, on a hill and mainly off-road. There are accessibility buggies in place to help you around the site – find out more here.

A huge thank you to the Elderflower Fields team for another amazing weekend – we could not stop smiling and loved the ability to just play in the woodlands, relax in the fields, and enjoy some amazing activities, arts, music and more across the weekend.

See you next year!

Find out more about Elderflower Fields Festival as well as 2023 tickets here.

You can also find out about the Elderflower Fields sister festival Into the Trees here.

Related Links

For our review of Bundle Beds click here

For our 15 family festival camping essentials, click here

For more information on camping at festivals with the family, click my link here.

For a family camping checklist, check out our blog post here.

For our top family staycation ideas, check out our latest post!