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Congratulations to Solfest for winning this prestigious award! Read what Solfest had to say about it.... |
Right from the inception of Solfest, we knew that we didn’t want just to be ‘a festival in Cumbria’, or even a ‘good festival in Cumbria’ and even being the ‘best festival in Cumbria’ was only ever just a step in the right direction!
Of the four awards we were nominated for, this is the one which we really wanted to win! In this category we were pitched head to head against the mighty Glastonbury Festival, arguably the best festival in the world, and the one festival by which all other festivals are judged. To win this award for family friendliness, which we know is very dear to Glastonbury, is an amazing coup both for Solfest and for Cumbria.
We have always endeavoured to make Solfest a welcoming place for all festival goers regardless of age. For many families, the thought of a weekend under canvas with young children can be the stuff of nightmares. But it is testament to the dedication and imagination of Solfest Workshops and Children’s activities coordinator, Sarah Carroll, that children bring their parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents and just keep coming back for more!
At Solfest 2007, 22.5% of the attendees were children under the age of 12. This percentage has increased yearly due to the consistent high quality of our babies, children’s and teenagers provision together with the safe, family-friendly reputation of the festival. Solfest is one of the only Festivals in the country which offers a dedicated safe, clean dry area for under 5s and their parents to rest, relax and play, supervised by qualified and experienced staff.
“It has always been the policy of Solfest to heavily subsidise providers to ensure that all kids’ activities at Solfest are totally free to all the children on site. There will never be a time when some children at Solfest can have more fun than other children just because their parents have more money.” Sarah Carroll
Solfest’s designated kids arena is always bursting with activities and opportunities. With its very own ‘festival within a festival’ vibe, kids of all sizes are able to experience a wealth of workshops and wonderment to shame the larger festivals whilst maintaining the safe, family friendly, experience which makes Solfest such a very special event.
In addition to ensuring that families are well catered for, Sarah also prides herself on making sure that Solfest is a safe place for families.
“This year we set ourselves the target of reuniting all lost children with their parents within 30 minutes. No small feat in a 24 hour festival with up to 10,000 people on site. However, we totally redesigned out lost child procedure and managed to achieve this target in every single case. At Solfest we have a clear policy which we make known to everyone who attends the festival. It is that if any child is crying, lost or in any way distressed at the festival, it is everyone’s responsibility. This is what makes us so special.”
