Family Friendly Music Festivals

Oregon Country Fair! It's amazing, and super family friendly!

If you're into electronic music at all, the best family friendly festival is Lucidity Festival in the Santa Barbara mountains in April. They have a family area with tons of stuff for kids to do. You can camp right there also. There's a play structure, a few domes, tie-dying, beat boxing, smoothie making, jewelry making, etc. Our son loves it. It's the first place that we ever let him leave our immediate supervision. While people party, there aren't roving gangs of drunken frat boys like at other festivals. I never interacted with anyone who made me uncomfortable. No nudity at this one. Here's a link: http://2018.lucidityfestival.com/

A great family-friendly festival with live folk music in the Kate Wolf festival in Laytonville over the last weekend in June. It's a older crowd and I didn't notice anyone grossly drunk. There isn't the play area for kids like at Lucidity and you're camped in a parking lot instead of where the fun is. But it's still a really good place for kids. And there's amazing shopping. Bring cash because internet reception up there is spotty and it can be hard to pay with a card. http://katewolfmusicfestival.com/. The Black Oak Ranch is amazing. It's where Wavy Gravy's Hog Farm is. There will be nudity at the river where people are swimming but not elsewhere. I'm not concerned about nudity but some people are.

Strawberry is also an awesome festival. It was my very first one that I ever went to. I have not been back as a parent but I think that I would feel okay about bringing a kid. When I was there I didn't notice any kind of kid area but that could have changed. The crowd there is a lot older and pretty professional about their partying. There's a lot of alcohol but I don't think that it attracts roving gangs of frat boys. The music was amazing if you like bluegrass. There was also other types of live music.

I haven't been to High Sierra but that one looks like a drinking festival to me. Probably lots of drunk college kids. Excessive drinking makes me nervous (I love to drink but drunk men around my young son put me on high alert). I probably wouldn't choose this one but maybe a parent with experience will weigh in.

There are a lot of festivals that I'd never take my son to. These include Burning Man, Symbiosis, anything held in Belden, any type of metal festival. It's not the nudity that's an issue for me but the excessive alcohol (and non-peaceful drug) consumption. Belden is doubly scary because the Feather River is right there and I'd be nervous the whole time about my son falling in. There's a lot of theft there, I blame it on the local meth heads. 

As you might have noticed, I divide festivals based on how much alcohol people consume. If people are drinking all day and night, I worry too much to leave my son unsupervised for even a minute. To me that's not fun and I don't want to deal with it.

We had a great time at Oyster Fest last year.  It was in May.  Sunny weather, lots of kids, babies and dogs.  Passion Pit played, and it was a great social event for parents and kids alike.  It is just one day in Golden Gate Park.  When I was young and hip, I didn't think it was that cool, but last year it felt like a god send! 

Strawberry is definitely family friendly, but I haven’t been in many years and don’t know anything about the new Fall venue at Westside.  Another festival to consider is the California World Music Festival (Worldfest).  It’s held at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, usually the third week in July (7/12-15 this year).  There is camping available, but it’s not out-in-the-woods camping.  The festival is relatively small in size, which, in my opinion, makes it easier with kids.  There are a lot of different stages with music happening at the same time throughout the day.  At night, there is one main stage.  There is an arts & crafts area for kids, as well as some other kid oriented activities.  There are food vendors and we usually did a combination of cooking our own and buying food.  We went for 10 years straight (kids were 18 months and 4.5 when we started) and then some other things intruded on that time period, so it’s been less regular recently.  I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

I’ve been to High Sierra several times (though I didn’t have kids at the time) and it is definitely family friendly. In fact there is a whole area allocated for family camping as well as kid activities and a kids parade. See http://highsierramusic.com/attractions/family-area/. I plan on taking my baby when she is a little older and can participate in the activities.  The only drawback might be that the music goes late, so kids might have difficulty sleeping through the noise.  You might consider headphones or earplugs.

strawberry, strawberry, strawberry!!!  forget high sierra.  i LOVE high sierra very much and a number of people do bring kids (babes through teens), but it is the ONLY thing that completely bums me out when i go.  it is just waaaaay too adult imho for kids.  last year i saw kids being towed around in wagons by completely preoccupied/self involved parents partying.  a lot.  it looks like a 'cool' thing for kids, but it really just made me sad everytime i saw a kid looking like hipster window dressing.  true there is probably some good parenting going on, but really its just much too adult.  strawberry on the other hand is great.  yes, its bent is bluegrass but my nieces now teens have been going since they were babes in arms, and they LOVE it still.  there are many activities and things specifically for kids of every age group to do.

also, whichever you choose, please provide hearing protection for your kids.  there are great fun options making this a no brainer !!!  have fun... and DO go to high sierra when you are kid free.  it's my favorite festival.  so much fun and such a great vibe... without kids.    :)

I would recommend the Joshua Tree Music Festival and Guitarfish Festival. Both are from the same organizers and have a Kidsville. They both draw tons of families with young kids. There is a special area at the campground for families so no annoying drunk people and loud music at night.