Magical, mystical and full of adventure – the Wild Rumpus Team behind Just So Festival pulled out all the stops for their 12th year running. Libby Wilkinson from Yeah Lifestyle was there with her family to experience the wonder of it all.
Like stepping into a child’s imagination, Just So Festival is a feast for the senses. With free-roaming animals (more on that in a second), quirky entertainers, inspiring music and art from around the world and a focus on outdoor adventure and play – it’s a kid-centric wonderland like no other. And if you live in Staffordshire, this incredible world can be found just off the A500.
Set within the grounds of Rode Hall Estate, near Alsager, in Cheshire, the grassy landscape had been completely transformed with the plenty to explore within the nearby forest and lake which had been safely transformed into the Spellbound Forest and Inky Deep, with several more weird and wonderful areas to explore. It was a festival setting like no other.
As a seasoned festival-goer myself, I’ve introduced my children Sebastian, aged 9, and Margot, aged 5, to the joy of festival’s in the past but we’d never done Just So before so we were thrilled to be able to come along and experience the magic for the first time. Thankfully, my sister’s family were also in attendance and having been year-on-year, they were excellent guides and were able to prepare us for what to expect.
Firstly, pick an animal tribe to fully embrace the festival experience. There are foxes, owls and stags roaming free at every turn so you want to blend in – of course they’re not real ones – that would be silly! Each year families dress up as one of seven animal groups: fox, bee, frog, stag, lion, fish and owl, with each team vying for the Carnival Cup. The victorious team is the team who earns the most golden pebbles and these can be earned by doing various good deeds such as recycling, helping store vendors, telling jokes, doing random acts of kindness and just embodying the ethos of Just So.
We chose to dress as bees and spent the weekend buzzing around sharing sweets with random people, recycling and litter picking and doing everything we could to secure those precious pebbles.
Since the festival site is so close to home we chose not to camp over on the Friday evening, instead, we put on our costumes and took a picnic to the site and set up next to the Footlights stage to enjoy some live music from Felka – a fabulous nu-folk outfit who serenaded us as we ate our sandwiches. We didn’t have programme at this point so we just did some exploring and stumbled on some hilarious interactive theatre from Blockbuster Factory who were shooting a movie so we got involved and vowed to catch their act again the next day. That’s the beauty of Just So, many of the performances and acts are repeated throughout the day or across the weekend so if you miss something or catch the tail end, chances are you can find them again.
We headed to the Flamingo Lounge next to take part in the Fusion Dance Workshop from Just So veterans Lana Williams and Stephen Salinger. They taught us how to cha cha cha and really got the party started. I’d definitely begun to regret not camping over as the fun was set to continue with Flamingo Lounge DJs playing from 9:30pm.
After a twinkly woodland walk in the Spellbound Forest, we bought a festival guide and made our way home, eager to arrive again the following morning and make the most of the remaining activities. We also decided we’d camp over.
Saturday promised a plethora of activity and fun with performances on the Footlights Stage from This is Your Trial, Theo Mizu & Banda, Los Chicanos and K.O.G. On the Village Green there was origami and seed bomb making, crafts and performances from Stoke-on-Trent’s Trash Cat Productions. I really wanted to catch the Most Dangerous Cup of Tea in the World from Tit for Tat but sadly we missed it as it clashed with Family Catwalk Extravaganza from Manchester’s Ghetto Fabulous. Their blend of inclusivity, diversity and ball room culture was a highlight of the entire weekend and their incredible vogue-ing and dancing absolutely blew up the Flamingo Lounge. We hung around after to sing and dance along with the Big Gay Disco Bike before heading back to the tent for dinner.
Studying the programme back at the tent there were so many other fantastic events taking place. We’d missed the Just So Quiz and Ian Douglas Campfire Stories but there was still time tomorrow.
I don’t know about you but by day 3 of a festival I’m keen to explore the more mindful and relaxing stages and spaces. The Woodland Theatre Stage was therefore perfect and I couldn’t picture a more idyllic setting to enjoy Anna McLuckie’s ethereal vocals and expert harp playing. It was simply gorgeous and the gentle music sent two of our littlest bees to sleep!
If Pilates, meditation and sound baths are what you’re after, head to Shangri-La where you can fully unwind and relax after a non-stop weekend.
After a spot of lunch from the Earthworm Kitchen and Los Churros Amigos, we headed to the Flamingo Lounge for a Bollywood Dancing masterclass from Sohan Kailey. This high-energy dance class took everything out of us but was so worth it! Our little bees were exhausted afterwards and so we made the decision to head off around 7pm. This sadly meant we missed the Carnival of Animals and after working hard collecting golden pebbles all weekend we were disappointed not to stay for the results. Sadly the bees were not victorious but we would’ve liked to have celebrated with our frog friend winners.
Rounding off the weekend, we listened to Maria Whatton’s Storytelling in the Spellbound Forest drinking hot chocolate and calming down after one heck of a weekend. There were tears on the drive home as the festival blues kicked in but we’ve promised to return next year to enjoy all the magic and adventure once more.
What we loved
Apart from the music and performances, we loved the whimsy and community feel of the festival.
We also loved Wild Rumpus’ commitment to sustainability and were very impressed with how they navigate a large scale event in a more eco-conscious society. There are plenty of recycling areas across the site and in the camping areas, mostly vegetarian and vegan catering, compostable toilets and being a part of Ecolibrium will see them turn almost 1.7 million festival travel miles into clean energy.
What we didn’t
This is an unbiased review but honestly I couldn’t pick a fault. The staff were friendly and helpful, there was a wide array of food and drink vendors and the entertainment was curated with kids and families in mind which meant everyone was happy.
Will Just So Festival return next year?
Yes, from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 August, 2023.
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 can I get tickets?
Tickets for Just So 2023 go on sale Friday 26 August at midday and can be purchased from www.justsofestival.org.uk, with a special Early Bird price for early bookers as well as a discount for local residents.
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 Libby Dallimore
You may want to read this:
Review of Just So Festival 2019 at Rode Hall in Cheshire
Rode Hall Farmers Market Review
Blogger Invite: Hartford Hall, Cheshire VIP Evening
Photo credit: Some photos have been provided by Just So Festival/Andrew Allcock/Andrew Billington
*We were provided with free entry passes to Just So Festival 2022 in return for a review. All opinions are our own.
12 comments
Oh my gosh, this looks like so much fun! I love that everyone embraces it and dresses up to make it that much more exciting. I wish we had something like this here.
Hope you do find a festival closer to you or make the trip here next year
It looks and sounds like a nice time. Love the little bee outfits. That’s a cool theme to attend the Just So Festival.
It sure is, lots to do there as well, it was non-stop
It looks like everyone had a wonderful time. I love the bee costumes – so cute!
Thank you, took a lot of planning but we wanted to dress as bees
Wow! This looks like it was such an amazing festival. I know it must have been a great experience. I’ve never heard of this festival before, but I’d love to go myself one year.
It was indeed, we all had such a great time
What an interesting festival! I had not heard of this, and I haven’t been to anything like this before. Looks like a lot of fun!
We had a smashing time and can’t wait for next year
It looks like a fun festival and I can see you guys had great time there. I would love to visit here too
Thank you, hope you do get the chance