Wychwood Festival: Sam Ryder, Travis and Happy Mondays entertain

But should Swindon families consider adding it to their calendars? I went to check out the Cheltenham event to see for myself. 

Firstly, The journey from Swindon to Cheltenham is a relatively simple one. It's not one I'd ever made before but I was pleasantly surprised at how little time it took, and how straightforward the route there is. 

On arrival, I was immediately struck by how beautiful the setting was. The festival site was located in an area next to Cheltenham Racecourse and was surrounded by hills and cliffs making it extremely picturesque - particularly in the glorious sunshine. 

It is also a relatively small festival compared to some of the country's other more well-known offerings like Glastonbury, Reading/Leeds and the Isle of Wight. There is one arena area consisting of three stages and several smaller activity tents and the whole thing is easily walked around in roughly 15 minutes. 

Scouting For Girls entertaining a packed main stage at Wychwood Festival (Image: Wychwood Festival)

And true-to-form, the place was packed with families and young glitter-covered children were charging about and cart-wheeling everywhere. A whole area of the festival was dedicated to entertaining little ones with arts and crafts, interactive music sessions, games, and circus and theatre skill workshops to name just a few of the things on offer.

The music on offer also seemed to be carefully curated to appeal exactly to the age group of people who might well be parents now, with the likes of The Happy Mondays, Ash, The Proclaimers, Travis, Mel C and Eurovision star Sam Ryder on the lineup. 

All of the acts were great but the highlight was undoubtedly Sam Ryder performing his first-ever festival headline slot and absolutely smashing it.

This concoction of popular 80s and 90s acts meant that the average age of the audience was probably around 30-40, but importantly, this also created a laid-back and happy atmosphere with many people I spoke to remarking how safe they felt there and how nice it was. 

There was plenty of food and drink of all varieties on offer and there were also enough toilets and water facilities in the area to keep people relieved and hydrated, as well as funfair rides and shops, and some seating areas (although there could be more).

Any festival that can cater to toddlers and pensioners in the same setting, allowing whole generations of families to have a great time together is on to a winner, and I'd thoroughly recommend Wychwood for this reason. 

For more information visit: https://wychwoodfestival.com/.