Camp Bestival 2025

Summer holidays have begun, and once again we kicked it off with Dorset’s annual family music festival curated by Rob Da Bank and… new development this year… sponsored by Debenhams(?!?) Did the 250-year-old department store chain rob da fest of its Bestival vibes? Not at all.

The lineup appeased all types of parents who attend music festivals: Nostalgic Millennials (Sugababes), Teatime Ravers (Basement Jaxx), and Legend Lovers (Tom Jones). All three acts refused to be photographed, perhaps embarrassed by the branding of CB or simply feeling fussy, but each graced the main stage with full-powered performances. Mr Jones at 85 still sounds magnificent. “Delilah” was everything you wanted it to be. Basement Jaxx, while not as loud due to the family nature of the fest, whipped multiple generations into a hand-pumping frenzy. The ‘Babes leaned on tight vocal harmonies rather than pop flash, making the over 25-year-old tunes feel timeless.

Elsewhere in the lineup, The Lightning Seeds delivered their indie alt rock tunes before swooping into their football chant, and The Zutons filled the field with Motown sounds so good you realise why Winehouse wanted their tune.

Mr Tumble filled his usual Saturday lunchtime slot with nursery rhymes and Something Special tunes alongside colourful backup dancers and confetti cannons. It is the perfect way to introduce little ones to the magic of live performance.

For bigger kids, Silent Discos were a teenage rage, and all over the site are the usual bouncy house, funfair rides and the iconic robot sculptures.

There were a couple of noticeable changes to CB this year. The layout is different, with many of the main kiddie attractions right at the entrance and food stalls more scattered than all placed within the food hall. All that is great. What has also changed slowly over the decade and a half CB has been in action is the crowd atmosphere. The festival used to feel like a bunch of Bestival burnouts grew up and procreated, so they took the little ones to the family offering while keeping their crust punk aura in tact. There was a sense between parents that “Everyone’s kids are nightmares and here we are at a music festival singing Wheels on the Bus. We’re all in this together.” Then it morphed into an insta backdrop for momfluencers seeking the perfect summer reel. That has been scuppered, but the festival now somewhat has a feel of a gigantic soft play where everyone is trying to keep their kids away from each other instead of joining in shared revelry. I don’t know if this is due to modified advertising of the festival or simply a reflection of the current state of the world. 

It’s still the absolute best family festival on the calendar and we’ll be there every year climbing the robot and dancing to legends, waiting for Rob Da Bank and his partner Josie to walk by unnoticed, enjoying what they’ve created.