The award winning family friendly Camp Bestival is due to take place in just over a week and we’re excited to grab a couple of moments with Rob and talk through organising a festival during a pandemic, costumes for the 2021 ‘going to the movies’ theme and the lesser known history of Lulworth Castle.
Q: Tell us the story behind Camp Bestival? What are the origins, inspirations and music line-ups over the years?
A: Camp Bestival was born when we realised that as we were starting a family we’d like somewhere safe and fun where our kids could experience all the amazing things you can do at a festival. We were already running Bestival which was more for adults and party people, so we took the fun stuff from that and added a shedload of kids’ bits and ta-da! I don’t think there’s a festival quite like Camp Bestival out there, but we love Glastonbury so much that you might notice some of that rubbing off on us. We’ve had so many amazing acts and headliners from Chuck Berry and Bon Iver to Fatboy Slim and Chic.
Q: How has it been organising a festival during a pandemic?
A: Slow! I booked this line up back in 2019 so it’s a relief to be finally getting it out there for people to enjoy. The festival scene has obviously been hit very hard and so many people have had to retrain. Luckily and through a lot of perseverance we’ve managed to keep it all on the road and I’d like to pay tribute to our amazing staff who stuck with us and the hundreds of people who work so hard on our festival.
Q: What are you most excited about for 2021 edition of Camp Bestival?
A: Opening the gates and seeing our lovely crowd who’ve been waiting so patiently to come and party with us. Apart from that, I can’t wait to see The DJukebox, a human-sized DJ booth set in a DJukebox! I also love seeing everyone at the wellness area Slow Motion doing yoga and meditation and our Wild Tribe area, which is all about getting away from screens and back to nature!
Q: What costume are you going to be wearing?
A: I’m pondering that right now. I may go as John Travolta in Pulp Fiction but i don’t wanna scare the kids
Q: Any interesting/lesser-known facts about Lulworth Castle?
A: The castle burnt down in 1929 and was left as a roofless ruin until the Weld family rebuilt it in the 1970s. What a beautiful castle it is once more!
Camp Bestival is on the 29th of July until 1st of August and you can expect big names in the musical line-up for 2021 including Groove Armada, Fatboy Slim, Becky Hill, Dub Pistols and loads more. Tickets are still available so now’s your chance to rave it up with your little Londoners. Learn alongside the kids in the science tent, brush up on your circus skills and re-wild yourself in the Wild Tribe area. More info and booking via the website.