Elderflower Fields Festival: 14+ Top Tips

We are not long back from our first Elderflower Fields as a family of four, bleary-eyed, hearts full and still covered in glitter.

Elderflower Fields is an incredible family-friendly festival with so much for kids and adults to do alike. With excellent entertainment from crafts, music, storytelling, arts, sport and more, all in the backdrop of the beautiful East Sussex countryside, in Pippingford Park.

Having spent 3 nights camping at Elderflower Fields, we spoke about how we would return next year, more in the know of how to make it easier for ourselves.

Here are our best tips for visiting Elderflower Fields.

Get Tickets Early

The earlier you buy your tickets, the cheaper they will be. You will save a considerable amount by buying early bird or first-release tickets. There is also the option to avail of split payment plans for tickets to help families budget across the year. Elderflower Fields is on from the 22nd of May – 25th of May 2026.

You can book your tickets here for Elderflower Fields 2026.

Check The Weather

I think this is probably staying the obvious, the closer the festival comes the scrutiny of the weather apps becomes a hobby.

You do want to be packed for all eventualities which largely hinges on the weather. For some weekends you will probably need supplies for all types of weather, we are still in the UK after all, but being further south means we are more likely to get sun for Elderflower Fields, hurrah!

Packing for wet weather

Waterproofs such as raincoats, or all in ones for kids
Wellies in case it’s muddy
Quick dry towels
Black sacks – for all of the dirty laundry!
A spare set of clothes per person in the car, for emergencies. We had a near miss where the tent nearly leaked all over our bags of clothes on the first night!
Potty for kids – even for bigger kids, this was a life saver for us as we could not think of anything worse than crossing a field in the dark and rain with a child at night juts for a wee.

Packing for hot weather

Sun cream
Sun hats
Reusable water bottles

Packing for cold at night

It’s easy to get excited once the sun pops out in May, however the evenings can still be quite chilly and we definitely found it to be cold at night and in the early morning in our tent.

Hoodies or fleece for night time raving
Thermals for kids – they could wear these as PJs
Thick sleeping bags, pillows and extra blankets

Arrive at Opening

The gates open at approximately 12:00 on the first day. We got there for around this time and the queues were minimal.

Arriving at a time when there are minimal queues is ideal when you’ve got tired and excited children. It also gives you a good choice of camping spots.

Pack Your Best Fancy Dress

As a retired raver, I haven’t been to a festival in years. I was delighted to see so many wonderful costumes and festival outfits at Elderflower Fields. There were so many beautiful, sequined jackets, flower hairbands and more.

If dressing up is your thing, then here is the place to do it! I had my kids better prepped than me, typically, however next year I want to plan my festival attire ahead of time.

Bring plenty of glitter too, the biodegradable ones are much better for the environment.

Bring A Trolley

We mulled over this one for about a week prior to going and never got one in the end. We did regret it though!

With the car park being perched on top of a hill, a trolley certainly comes in handy for transporting bulky and heavy items like tents and cool boxes.

We also did 1000s of steps each day and little legs got tired towards day 3. Many little ones are carted around the site in trolleys, some looking very festive, donned in twinkling lights.

Even if the kids are willing to walk, a trolley is handy for bringing a setup from the tent to the main stage, where many bring camping chairs and picnic blankets to enjoy the entertainment.

Pack Minimally

Packing minimally can be hard when you’ve got little ones, but cross checking all that you’ve packed will save you carting unnecessary things up and down from the car park.

For example we packed a kilo of apples as an easy snack, of which one didn’t get eaten! My other half also threw in a pineapple which just didn’t get used. However, I know we would have really enjoyed this pineapple if we had of chopped it before hand and placed it in the cool box.

Safety For Children

Upon entrance, children are given their standard wristband, in addition to a yellow wristband, where grown ups phone numbers can be written on there in case a child gets lost.

Unfortunately, my children couldn’t tolerate the bands on for long. We ended up writing our phone numbers on their arms. Some parents choose to air tag their kids, which is a great idea.

Eating At Elderflower Fields

There are plenty of food vans ranging from organic beef burgers, coffee vans, smoothies, vegan burritos, crepes, woodfired pizzas, fish and chips and loaded fries.

However, some may not be able to dine out all weekend, due to various reasons whether it is cost or preference. This is an element that we have to consider well in advance, as one of our children carries epi-pens for multiple allergies.

Kid Friendly Snacks

We brought a whole range of kid-friendly snacks to keep their energy up and to attempt to keep costs down. The likes of flapjacks, popcorn, crisps, soreen loaves, satsumas, crackers and breadsticks were a hit throughout the weekend for mine.

Bring A Cool Box

We brought a big cool box with us with plenty of food for the BBQ.

One of our friends suggested we freeze a couple of cartons of milk to act as an ice block. This was a genius idea as our cool box stayed fresh for the full 3 days away. 2 cartons of frozen oat milk did the trick.

We took a range of burgers, sausages, yoghurts, juices, sauces, hummus, cokes and beers. Next year I plan to be more organised by bringing pre-chopped crudités and fruit for eg watermelon.

Bring a BBQ and Camping Stove

A camping stove is so handy for boiling water and making quick meals for kids for eg pastas and noodles or making hot chocolate at night.

Any BBQ’s of campfires must be raised off the ground and not pose a fire risk or damage to the grass beneath. Disposable BBQ’s are strongly discouraged.

Don’t Pack Glass

Glass is banned from the entire camp site, so make sure any drinks or sauce bottles are not packed. We decanted some of our sauces into plastic tubs.

Camp Close to the Car Park

Given the site is on somewhat of a slope, it can be a hefty task carting tents and equipment up and down the hill from the car park.

We were given a heads up by friends about the first campsite by the car park, but we were oblivious to it being the first ones there.

The first camp site is directly to the right of the hill coming down from the car park. This will be our choice of camping spot next year if we decide not to camp in the van.

Divide and Conquer

If you’re going with small children, it can be challenging to keep them up late after such an exciting day. My partner and I took turns heading to the headlining acts once the kids were down. He went on Friday night and I went on Saturday night.

There is also an option to hire a nanny from a reputable company throughout the weekend, but this should ideally be booked and planned ahead of time.

Book Activities in Advance

Being first timers this year, we took a laid back approach to activities as we wanted to keep a fairly lose schedule.

Each child gets a free arts camp and sports camp slot. The more favourable spots tend to get booked up, so booking these in advance or when you book your tickets is a good idea.

We ended up only booking arts camp for the Sunday, the kids really enjoyed. I feel like sports camp would have been too much for them on the Sunday as they were already knackered. However, they would have enjoyed this on the Friday when they had more energy.

Batch Cook for Post Festival

After 3 days of camping, BBQ food and food vans, I was so ready for a wholesome, hearty meal when I got home. But alas, the fridge was empty. We were so busy packing all of the things away but luckily I found some previously batch-cooked lentil curry and lasagne we defrosted for dinner, which was devoured.

Book A Day Off To Recover

Festivaling does take quite a bit of physical exertion, between travelling, setting up, carting loads of heavy items, carrying children, raving away and all of the steps.

The kids are usually on half-term the week after Elderflower Fields, which was a god send for us as they were tired from all of the partying! We had a proper pyjama day on the Tuesday where I pottered to finish the laundry and the kids could rest up.

I hope these tips are helpful for your next Elderflower Fields festival, but do always check out the official FAQ guidance.