The Club exhibits at around 25 shows per year, including big indoor caravan and motorhome shows at Birmingham NEC and outdoor shows at major showgrounds such as East of England and the Three Counties.
But every summer, we also get to do something completely different, and that’s take stand space at festivals.
It’s a great potential audience for sharing information about the Club and its campsites, and ultimately plays a part in recruiting new members, and crucially young families.
These are families who’re already camping onsite at festivals, and enjoying the benefits of the great outdoors, but may not consider the joys of camping as a great low cost holiday throughout the year.
That’s why the Club stand is very different for festivals than it is for dedicated caravan and motorhome shows. It’s a pop-up campsite, packed with fun, free things for all the family to enjoy, demonstrating how great modern camping is. It includes activities such as an inflatable tent pitching challenge, caravan Scalextric, cooking demonstrations, crazy golf and modern caravans and motorhomes to look around, and big-value competition prize draws.
If you attend a festival, look out for us, and come and say hello and have some fun.
Here’s our pick of festivals we’ve attended in recent years, and one we reckon would be great fun to get involved with. Note that festivals sell out fast, so be sure to book early.
BBC Countryfile Live
When: 4-7 August 2016
Where: Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
The Club is the official campsite provider for the first ever live version of the popular BBC One show, and we’ll be there with our pop-up campsite too, to communicate the many benefits of camping with the Club.
This all-new event is set to combine the tradition of the UK’s best county fairs with the high quality presentation of BBC One’s Countryfile programme. It will bring the popular TV show into a live countryside event, offering something for outdoors fans of all ages.
There will be plenty of chances to get up close to favourite Countryfile presenters, plus visitors can browse some 600 food and craft producers, and enjoy a drink in a great British pub garden.
The Club is making 200 standard grass pitches on site, with toilets, showers, chemical disposal point, and fresh water. The fee for four nights is £150, which includes 2 adults and unlimited children. The price also includes re-entry into the show for the duration of your stay, which is a huge saving on the gate of £79.50 per family or £28.50 per person per day. Campers must provide proof of their original Countryfile Live ticket purchase on arrival to site to receive re-entry passes to the remainder of the show.
Big Feastival
When: 28-30 August 2016
Where: Alex James’ Farm, the Cotswolds
Hosted at the farm of former Blur bassist and now celebrity farmer and journalist Alex James, Big Feastival is a foodie themed event courtesy of Jamie Oliver, with amazing chefs, scrumptious food and delicious drinks, plus of course cracking performers. We attended with a Club stand here a couple of years ago, and found it a truly family festival that keeps all ages happy, with dedicated space for caravans and campervans too.
Cornbury
When: early July
Where: Great Tew Park, Oxfordshire
This is a festival the Club exhibited at for the first time last year, in 2015. It describes itself as a ‘very English open air party, tailor-made for the whole family,’ and we really can’t top that description. Quirky, charming and quintessentially English, it’s got everything from Morris dancers and local pork pies to leading rock bands. As well as camping in tents, there are dedicated fields for caravans, motorhomes and even oversized units.
Camp Bestival
When: 28-31 July 2016
Where: Lulworth Castle, Dorset
Billed as the best family festival in the UK, the Club attended last year with its pop-up campsite and found it to be as much a family holiday atmosphere as a full-on festival. The kids’ area is truly enormous, with soft play, circus skills, kid’s cabarets, and much more. Interestingly, as well as dedicated tent camping, caravan and campervan areas, you can pay a premium to book a plot with friends in a chosen area, and you can opt for boutique camping (in yurts, bell tents and more). And the toilets and showers are campsite-quality.
Eroica Britannia
When: mid June
Where: Bakewell, Peak District
Vintage and fashionista chic meets a passion for cycling – this festival sees some 50,000 visitors over the space of three days, with the centrepiece a Great British Adventure through the beauty of the Peak District on pre-1987 bikes. The Club took its pop-up campsite stand and one of the hits of the festival with the kids was our cycle-powered caravan Scalextric. Camping options include caravan and motorhome pitches, and also glamping.
One to watch
The Good Life Experience
When 16-18 September
Where: Hawarden Estate, Flintshire
Majoring on books, food and drink, craft and the great outdoors - everything that co-founder Cerys Matthews (of Catatonia fame) reckons constitutes a good festival. With campfire cooking and a celebration of the simple things, and camping options including tents, caravans, campervans and glamping, it strikes a chord with us and is definitely one to consider in the future.