How To Have The Ultimate Staycation

It's officially festival season! While usually you’d expect outdoor stages, food stalls and crowds of people milling about, this year things are are going a little differently. Luckily you can still get involved in some festival fun even in lockdown in the form of an at-home family fest, with the help of some DIY, crafts and a little imagination.

Could it end up being the event of the year? There's only one way to find out...

Treat Every Day Like You're On Holiday

Step one is to keep the atmosphere relaxed and light. We may not be able to leave the house but a staycation can be just as fun! Holidays are all about spending time together, and by working together to turn your house into a holiday location, you're already well on your way to making memories that'll last a lifetime.

Transform Your Home Into A Campground

The first step for making this a great staycation is to turn your house into a campground! Grab blankets and pillows, make bunting, put up fairy lights, cover stools and side tables with colourful paper tablecloths - do whatever it takes to make your living room look like a real festival site. If you've got a garden you could decorate that too - bunting and fairy lights always look great when they're hung between trees.

Promo, Promo, Promo!

Grab your coloured pens and make posters for the weekend and stick them up all over the house so that no one forgets when it is! Create your own tickets and wristbands for everyone in the family, and on the day of the festival get everyone to put on their wristbands, just like you would at a regular festival.

Set Up A Photo Booth

Assign an area of the house as the photo booth area and put up a coloured sheet behind to make a cool background. Collect fancy dress hats and sunglasses from around the house and make funny props by taping a design you've cut out of card onto a straw or lollipop stick. Set up a camera or phone on a tripod if you have one, but if not, a stack of books work just fine. Set the self-timer and 3, 2, 1, say cheese!

Go The Extra Mile

If you really want to have the full festival experience, set up a tent in your garden and sleep in it overnight! Bring your favourite teddies and blankets and snuggle up warm. If sleeping in a tent doesn't sound like your idea of fun, why not sleep in the living room instead? With all the blankets and cushions already there, it'll feel like you're falling asleep in a festival site!

Get The Right Food & Drink

Food always tastes better at a festival, doesn't it? Make big batches of salty and sweet popcorn (or both together!) to snack on during the day, have ice creams ready to munch on and of course, if the weather's good, a family BBQ is always a good way to get you in the festival spirit.

Dress To Impress

Rummage through your fancy dress box and find your brightest, sparkliest, most festival-ready clothes. We're talking feather boas, anything neon, glittery scarves - if it's a bit out-there, it's perfect for a festival! If you've got any old t-shirts you could even draw on them (preferably with fabric pens but felt tips will work if it's just going to be worn once). After you've come up with a brilliant festival name, write it on the shirt or create a cool logo so that you can keep the t-shirt as a memento for years to come.

What's A Festival Without Face Paint?

If you've got face paint, now's your time to use it. Whether you want to be a superhero, a dragon or a mermaid, or just love cool patterns, you'll automatically feel like you're at a real festival as soon as you paint your face. Remember to take loads of photos to document your cool new look!

Make Artist Playlists

Make playlists on Spotify, Apple Music or whatever streaming service you use of all the artists who are set to perform at your festival to get you excited. Sprinkle in some of your favourite tunes and just like that, you've got a festival playlist. Practise your singing, whip our your best dance moves and get ready for the event of the year.

Have Fun!

Don't put pressure on getting everything perfect - the best moments at festivals are often unplanned; the moment the rain starts to pour or an artist brings a fan on stage are always the memorable ones. If you want to take a break from the action to play a game or chill out for a bit, that's completely fine. So prep your festival site, put on your dancing shoes, and get ready to enjoy the best event of the year!