Review of Just So Festival 2019 at Rode Hall in Cheshire*

From pillow fighting and midnight feasting to mask making and mischievous sheep, Just So Festival 2019 certainly lived up to its promise of providing ‘outdoor family adventure like no other’.

This year was the first time we’d been to the event, which takes place at the Rode Hall Estate, near Alsager, in Cheshire. And, to get the full Just So experience, we camped there for the whole weekend, from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 August.

Along with my husband Simon, our son Ewan, aged nine, and nephew Fin, 13, we set off in our campervan just before lunchtime on the Friday.

Unfortunately, the good old British weather picked that day to drench the ground, ensuring there was plenty of mud to make conditions challenging for everyone at the festival. As a result we found ourselves stuck in a long queue of traffic waiting to enter the site.

However, once through we quickly set up our camper, pulled on our wellies and waterproofs, and headed off to get our wristbands and start exploring.

Ewan is a big fan of making stuff, so our first stop was the lantern-making workshop (thankfully undercover) where he carefully created his lantern for the following evening’s lantern parade.

We also caught some music, got something to eat and had a wander around the magical Spellbound Forest before heading to bed.

The next day we woke to fairer weather and made a rough plan of where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. The programme was absolutely chocka with so much to choose from, but thankfully a number of the acts and activities were repeated throughout the weekend, so we had more chance of catching them.

For our first full day we packed plenty in. We marvelled at the power and poise of ‘Strong Lady’ Betty Brawn in the Roll Up, Roll Up area. We avoided being squirted by water guns by the bathers being driven along in the Vespaqua bathtub-on-wheels, and even met Celtic queen Boudicca in her chariot!

Simon took Ewan and Fin to an Aardman Model Making Workshop in the New Curiosity Shop, where they made their own Shaun the Sheep. Meanwhile, I indulged in a spot of pampering with the Hair In A Handcart team, who styled my hair with French plaits and foliage – festival glamour at its best.

The Saturday was also the day we started getting involved in collecting gold pebbles to earn points for the Tribal Tournament. To win these shiny nuggets the boys delighted in telling jokes to festival staff and volunteers.

Later, during a giant game of Guess Who, play was interrupted by a flock of cheeky sheep, led by a sheepdog (who looked more like a wolf to me). These farm animals attracted followers wherever they went, as they got up to mischief around the site, much to everyone’s amusement.

As the sun went down, we joined the lantern parade, led by the stunning and eerie Ghost Caribou, a giant illuminated street act.

That evening we enjoyed a boogie at the Retro Disco in the Flamingo Lounge and marvelled at the Fire Garden.

We even managed to stay up for the Midnight Feast (well, Ewan fell asleep on my lap and missed the feasting). Here we enjoyed storytelling by the fantastic Ian Douglas, along with music, food, and experiments courtesy of the zany Professor Pumpernickel.

By the Sunday we were feeling a little tired but that didn’t stop our fun, which included a Tribal Mask Making workshop with design company Wintercroft, who guided us step-by-step as we created fox masks.

The tribal element is in fact a big part of the festival, with festivalgoers picking a tribe to join and support (we chose foxes, hence our choice of masks).

Later, the boys grabbed their spare pillows and got stuck into the Pillow Fight. It was quite a sight to see dozens of children (and adults) battling it out in a field.

At teatime we packed up our campervan, ready to head home. But before our departure we met up with our fox tribe, ahead of parading en masse to the Tribal Tournament to discover which team had this year scored the most points.

And the 2019 champions are…

…Tribe Fox! Hurrah!

There was still more entertainment that evening but we were ready to go, and desperately in need of showers, so we made our way back to our campervan and drove home. And we didn’t get stuck in the mud or a queue.

Our verdict

To sum up our first Just So experience: it was absolutely awesome.

Yes, it was muddy and at one point the organisers had to close the car parks.

But I got the impression the majority of the festivalgoers took the weather – and the mud – in their stride. And the kids didn’t seem to mind squelching around. In fact, it probably added to their fun.

We loved the relaxed, super-friendly vibe throughout the whole weekend, and found the staff and volunteers to be friendly and helpful.

I also admire the ethos of Just So, about providing families with the opportunity to spend time together in the outdoors, away from iPads and computer gaming etc.

Plus, because the site isn’t too big, you can easily pop back to your camper or tent to make sandwiches etc. (which we did), because it can prove a bit costly to buy food from the vendors more than once a day.

We had some issues with noise at our camping pitch, but purely because we were next to the toilets and were disturbed by the banging of the doors. However, that was only a minor nuisance, and it meant we didn’t have far to walk if we needed to attend to a call of nature in the middle of the night.

We have taken away so many wonderful memories from this fabulous, welcoming event – and hope to go again!

Thank you, Just So!

Will Just So Festival return next year?

Yes, from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 August, 2020.

Where does it take place?

Just So Festival takes place at the Rode Hall Estate at Rode Heath, near Alsager. The full festival address is Cricket Ground Entrance, Rode Hall Estate, Scholar Green, Cheshire, ST7 3QT. The nearest railway station is Kidsgrove, three miles away.

How much does it cost?

Tier Two tickets for Just So Festival 2019 were £140 for an adult weekend camping ticket, £50 for a child weekend camping ticket, £95 for an adult weekend without camping ticket and £40 for a child weekend without camping ticket. Day tickets started at £30 for adults and £15 for children, local residents were eligible for discounts, and under 3s entered for free.

How do I book tickets for next year?

Visit: www.justsofestival.org.uk

Things to note

Just So Festival is committed to ensuring a more accessible and enjoyable experience for disabled customers and those with specific requirements or additional needs. It works closely with Attitude is Everything to make this possible and has been awarded Gold on their Charter of Best Practice.

About Just So Festival

Just So Festival is an internationally-renowned arts festival dedicated solely to families. With a love of stories and childhood escapades at its heart, it is a wonderland of literature, arts, theatre, dance, music, comedy and creative pursuits.

The festival is produced by Wild Rumpus CIC, a social enterprise based in Cheshire that produces large-scale outdoor arts events for families in mostly natural landscapes.

About Rode Hall

Rode Hall is a Georgian country house that has been owned by the Baker Wilbraham family for 350 years.

By Colette Warbrook

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Photo credit: Some photos have been provided by Just So Festival / Adventures Begin photography / Samuel Mills

*We were provided with free entry passes to Just So Festival 2019 in return for a review. All opinions are our own.