It may be 14 years since Rob da Bank and his wife Josie staged their first Camp Bestival at Lulworth but he admits that he still gets a huge kick from those first glimpses of the castle as he arrives.
“As we get towards Lulworth, it’s always a beautiful sight and we can’t wait to get to the beach for a swim. It always feels like going on holiday and we’re delighted to be coming back to Dorset again this year.”
Rob and Josie have four boys, and as we chat we discover that a couple of our children are similar ages so we have equally similar family memories of ‘Camp Besti’ over the years. Like dressing up with as much gusto as the kids, or hoisting them up to see Mr Tumble and their being so tired from the activities that they’d be literally dropping come (inflatable) bed-time.
Rob and Josie were already running a music festival when they discovered their ‘castle in a field’. “We’d been running Bestival but we went to Big Chill Dorset at Lulworth,” he says. “We thought it would be a great place for a family festival. Having kids was the reason we set up Camp Bestival: we wanted something a bit more child-friendly.
He adds: “That’s not to say a boring thing with screaming kids, anything but, it’s always been a place where grown-ups have as much fun as the children.
“So, we rang the owner, James Weld and he was bang up for it.
“Over the years there have been so many highlights: Chuck Berry, PJ Harvey, Florence and the Machine…” says Rob, “but the main one is still walking round the fields and seeing everyone so happy. No parents shouting at children, just good vibes.”
Tickets for the four-day event are selling fast and, surprisingly, Rob says that almost 50 per cent of attendees now book boutique camping. That’s a hefty chunk but, aftermath of covid restrictions on travel aside, Rob has a theory.
“People are doing less festivals so the ones they do, they seem to want to do well.
“That doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot of money. Other people prefer to turn up, get stuck in and they have just as good a time. That’s what I love about it.”
This year’s theme is Desert Island Disco, so don your satin flares and lurex top for a line-up that includes the holy trinity of disco – Sister Sledge, Earth, Wind & Fire Experience and Kool and the Gang.
Attractions reflect Camp Bestival’s eclecticism.
“We have the Wall of Death, tree climbing and new attractions,” says Rob. “The stunts in Extreme Bike Battles will be spectacular, but the most exciting thing will be the Guinness world record disco-dance challenge.”
“I can’t wait for that,” says the big kid at heart.
Camp Bestival runs 28-31 July at Lulworth.
www.dorset.campbestival.net.

by Lorraine Gibson