LolliBop 2013: Tips For A Children's Festival (Review)

We were very lucky on the weekend to have been invited to attend the LolliBop Children's Festival, in London as an ambassador family. I am not so naive that I'm not aware that as an ambassador family, our experience might have been slightly different from families who paid to go, and didn't have access to the press tent as we did, however I did go with my ever discerning eye. My eye that assesses whether things are worth the value of the ticket, worth the queues and the travel, and whether the event has been fun for my child or not. Yes 'free' is good, but I've been to some rubbish complementary events and been more than happy to 'critique objectively'.

The LolliBop festival has had a mixed reaction from parent bloggers this year, and I think that the response is very much based on what visitors are looking for from the festival. Personally, I went with a few 'must-sees' and the aim to 'go with the flow'. Our aim was to see Alex Winters and give him some Welsh cakes (admittedly, this wouldn't have happened without our little hospitality wristbands), and watch Justin Fletcher and Katy Ashworth. That's all I had planned. Anything else was a bonus.

To start at the beginning, LolliBop is an annual children's festival based in London which is now in its third year. Using the philosophy of a 'big bash for little people', it bills itself as Glastonbury for children. I think that paints the wrong impression, it's far more entertaining and comfortable with far less mud! There is a central stage for the main acts, and plenty of other smaller tents with shows running alongside the main stage throughout the day. Combined with some of the best toy companies around sponsoring play areas (Little Tikes, WOW Toys, etc.) and the variety of activities available (design a River Island t-shirt, create a Sand Art picture, etc.), along with areas to picnic, relax and play, then the whole event lends itself to some great family time enjoying a Summer's day.

The main attraction for us though was how many prominant CBeebies personalities were there, almost like an unofficial CBeebies event; Alex, Sid, Andy, Katy and Justin all were present and made it a child's dream! Combined with Dick and Dom, Rastamouse, Hello Kitty, Skylanders, Peppa Pig, Postman Pat, Mr. Men, Cloudbabies, Tickety Toc, Poppy Cat, and Titan the Robot, there was a character there to please every child.

LolliBop 2013

As far as were concerned, Katy Ashworth stole the show with her antics on the Lolli Kitchen stage. A complete natural, she interacted with both parents and children, bringing squeals of laughter during a fairly rubbish rainstorm. Ever the professional, she persevered with a wet stage and a seven month pregnant baby-bump to really show the children a good time and enthrall them. Alex Winters and his partner in crime Jem Frazer, were excellent comperes for the main stage and kept the atmosphere buzzing the entire time.

I will however admit to being a little disappointed with the Justin Fletcher segment. We'd seen him only a few months ago in Cardiff on his tour and he was excellent then, albeit aided by wonderful sets and an excellent cast. This weekend, some of the sparkle had gone from his act although I'm not sure if that was more to do with him being Justin and not dressing up as any of his characters (note to Justin: choosing to do their voices when not dressed as them is a bad move for infants; it confuses and distressed them!). We actually left his show after ten minutes due to poor visibility at the back of the very large crowd, and a daddy with a sore back from The Boy sitting on his shoulders.

Tips for LolliBop

  • LolliBop 2013 was sold out on Saturday and Sunday; that means 15,000 tickets were sold for each day. 15,000 people attending mean that visitors will have to queue for some things; toilets, activity sessions and food. However, most of those queues were fairly fast moving, and if comfort breaks and food stops are timed carefully, then the waiting time is reduced.
  • There is a huge bank of portaloos along the edge of the park, meaning queues were never very long. They are portaloos so there isn't running water for hand-washing; take wet wipes and antibacterial handgel. Toilet paper was plentiful, but I'm old fashioned and take enough to keep an Andrex factory on its toes.
  • There is a huge selection of food stands available around the entire park, there is no need to take a picnic but I would suggest packing grazing snacks so that blood sugar levels (and happiness levels!) are kept even throughout the day. There are also several stands providing free samples of their food, Barny sponge cakes and Chobani yoghurts were two.
  • Buy a lanyard programme at the main entrance and identify no more than three or four shows your children would like to see, evenly spaced throughout the day. We found ourselves having to cut off the Sid & Andy show in order to get to see Katy. Likewise we arrived too late for Justin's show and had to stand right at the back with poor visibility. Allow plenty of time beforehand to obtain prime viewing position.
  • If doing one of the very popular activities like designing a t-shirt with River Island is a must, then time it carefully and either do it straight away or at the end of the day. Lunchtime and early afternoon will see gargantuan queues.
  • Take time out to play under the trees in the Lollipromenade or The Meadows, it will help refresh and calm your nerves!
  • Do explore the discovery tents, but do it during one of the larger shows that you won't mind missing as there is more space. We missed out on the National Science Museum tent completely, much to my annoyance and by the time we walked past at 5.50 they were beginning to pack up.
  • Take plenty of water and drink a lot. Last year I didn't and ended up dehydrated with near heatstroke.
  • Avoid taking a pushchair around the site! We did take one, but only because I was able to dump it in the hospitality tent and I knew that The Boy would be tired walking back to the station afterwards. There were three pushchair parks and I recommend using them, as the main pathway which flowed through the venue was overrun with fraught pushchair parents and even more fraught people trying to guard their ankles. Use a baby carrier or sling if your child is young enough.

LolliBop 2013 1

Yes, there were queues. Of course there are going to be with 15,000 people on site. I think if a family goes with a strict timetable in mind, and tries to fit in too much or too many organised activities, then that is where discontent (and parental stress!) will set in.

I went last year when the event was held in Regent's Park, and while it was superficially prettier than this year's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, I found it less organised with fewer things to do, and I didn't particularly enjoy it. This year's venue was in the heart of the East End which made travelling to it a little more fraught, but it was in a fairly decent location and much larger with more exciting things to do.

Criticism has been made in other reviews of the lack of trees, quality of the grass and the industrial style building nearby, all of which are unfair on the LolliBop organisers; they are not in control of the wonderful Summer we've had which has blanched the grass, nor were they able to prevent another event happening weeks before which deadened the grass (LolliBop was supposed to have been the only event there this Summer). Likewise they can't control the demolition rate of the building alongside. And trees take a while to grow…

Super Earlybird Tickets for LolliBop were £16.00 each or £62.00 for a family of four. That is incredible value for money, and I would thoroughly recommend buying that price if you're looking to go next year. They then rose in price to £20.00/£78.00 (Earlybird), £23.50/£92.00 (Pre-advanced) and £28.00/£110.00 (Standard Advanced).

Would I have paid £84.00 for the three of us to attend? Yes I would. I paid £75.00 (& booking fee) to see Justin Fletcher in Cardiff for an hour and a half, so I would consider an additional £9.00 to see all of the above stars, shows and activities well worth the money. The Boy had a wonderful time, as did we.

I received free entry into the event and hospitality tent wristbands for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

An Interview With Alex Winters (LolliBop 2013)

At what age do children develop the tendency to hero-worship?

Because The Boy is there, and I can think of worse people in the world to hero-worship than Alex Winters from CBeebies. It started when we were invited to a Cardiff City football match which had him compering the backstage children's entertainment, it developed when we saw him at LolliBop last year, was further compounded when we snatched a quick hello at the celebration of Cardiff City reaching the Premier League last month, and culminated when he sent a birthday e-mail to The Boy last week.

LolliBop 2012

Quite frankly, The Boy is not the only one to hero-worship him!

It takes a genuine and special kind of person to go to that much effort to make one little boy happy. That's why we're over the moon to be returning to the LolliBop children's festival this year as official LolliBop bloggers, where Alex will be returning to host all the action on the LolliLive stage at LolliBop 2013.

Last week, I posed one or two questions to the popular CBeebies presenter (or Mr. CBeebies as I call him) and here's the answer, along with one or two others from the other LolliBop bloggers.

  • Hi Alex, how did you became involved with children's television? Also, do you have any intention of developing your own show as other presenters have, or do you prefer being the consistent face in the links?

My background is drama and theatre studies and I have always fancied being on children's television.  I love being around kids and making them laugh so when I was told that CBeebies were publicly advertising for presenters, I thought I'd give it a go.  My wife had a lot of belief in me and really encouraged me to go for it because I wasn't really sure that I would ever get such a job, after all I was just Alex from Cardiff.  I'm sure everyone thinks that but here I am and loving it.

As for developing a show, I would love to do that.  That's all down to the producers and the controller of the channel so we'll see!

  • What are you most looking forward to about LolliBop?

As the returning compere of the LolliBop Main Stage, I cannot wait to get on there and entertain the crowds.  The past two years have been so much fun and have made me laugh so much!!  This year I'll be bringing new games, jokes, dances and daft fun so be prepared for more fun than ever!

  • What was your favourite TV show when you were a kid?

Ooooh, tough question that as I remember being in love with so many.  Here goes… Mr Ben, Button Moon, Jamie & The Magic Torch and Blue Peter.  There are so many others I could mention too.  PLAYSCHOOL of course!

  • You're a dad ­ and you bring your kids to Lolli ­ what's your top tip?

My children LOVE coming to LolliBop.  They ask me and their mum "How long is it until Lollibop" for 11 months of the year!!!  My advice?  Prepare to let your hair down.  If you've got any!  Join in and have fun, you won't regret it and your children will love you forever!

LolliBop this year takes place on August 16th, 17th & 18th in its new home; Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.

Ticket information is available here, hurry while Early Bird ticket prices are still available and have a fabulous day out with entertainment for everyone!

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LolliBop 2013

LolliBop 2013

I'm over the moon to announce that we've been chosen as an official ambassador family for the LolliBop, the excellent children's festival held in London during the middle of the Summer holidays!

We went to LolliBop last year and had a fabulous time discovering the many different parts to the festival in the beautiful Regent's Park. This year however, LolliBop have relocated to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which is very exciting for me as we didn't go to the Olympics and it will be great to explore the area.

LolliBop 2013

  • LolliBop Live (central stage) is­ playing host to some of the biggest names in children's entertainment, with live music and performances from stars of stage and screen. This will be compered by Alex Winters and will see acts like:
    • LolliBop favourites Dick and Dom return with their special mix of madcap games, songs, jokes and a foam pie or twoŠ;
    • Sid Sloane and Andy Day will be hosting their very own Big Birthday Bash so expect lots of energetic songs and silliness and plenty of audience participation;
    • two of The Boy's favourites Peppa Pig and Poppy Cat will be appearing for the first time;
    • The Go! Go! Go! Show are bringing brand new pop songs, catchy, easy-to-learn dance moves and loads of laughs;
    • Sing and dance along with the adorable Cloudbabies mini show;
    • The Diary of a Wimpy Kid will also be there with its own brand of wacky humour and interview clips from the author.
  • Lollipalladiam is a live theatre tent showcasing performances from pioneering and internationally renowned companies and artists. Last year saw shows by 'The Gruffalo' and 'Mister Maker' amongst many others, this year it features Spooked, from the critically acclaimed Broken Rose Performing Arts.  Spooked promises a hilarious and spectacular blend of dance, theatre and spoken word featuring skeletons Molly, Jinny and Charlie.
  • The LolliBop Kitchen where creative little cooks will have the chance to learn new skills from live demonstrations and interactive workshops.
  • Lolli Stops ­ – Enjoy crafts from puppet making, and customised fashion workshops, to balloon modelling, and graffiti painting, there is a something to make and do around every corner.
  • Tween Town will host a number of activities including street dance, hula-hoop, and beat-box workshops.
  • Imagination Stations – A hub of creativity with lots of mess and mayhem thrown in! From clay modeling, puppet making, customised fashion workshops, balloon modeling, graffiti painting, face painting and much more.
  • Science Zone – Make a rocket, hold a dry ice cube, or get messy with gooey slime in the LolliBop lab – brimming with exploding experiments for pint sized guests to try! London's Science Museum will also be attending with live demonstrations and interactive activities.
  • Discovery Zone – will host a number of educational, interactive and hands on activities where kids can learn a new skill like beatboxing in one of the many workshops.
  • Run wild and have fun in the LolliSports area.  With activities including retro favorites like swingball, hula-hoop and frisbee to football tournaments and sports day style races.
  • The Lolli Promenade will be situated on the River Lea! A real river running through the new home, so why not relax and enjoy an ice lolly at the Lolli Promenade which also features beach hut crafts and bandstands.
  • Fun Kids is a radio station for Tweens, pre-schoolers and their families and broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio across London and the South East and online/through mobiles at funkidslive.com.
  • Skylanders will also be appearing providing LolliBoppers with the opportunity to be among the first in the UK to play Skylanders SWAP Force, which introduces the new play pattern of dynamic swapability, before it hits the shops in October.
  • The pre-school 3ft and under is also making a comeback but this time is it within the brand new Itsy Bitsy Zone.  Activities for babies and toddlers will include soft play, baby massage, storytelling, mini discos and much more along with the Enchanted Forest and The Village Green with live music, craft stalls and street theatre, making it an ideal spot for a picnic.
  • Not forgetting: the Mr Men and Little Miss Village Green Event; Shaun the Sheep's Championsheeps; the life-size Transformer Optimus Prime Truck, along with the Transformers Station Experience showcasing the new Beast Hunters toys, viewings of the cartoon series Transformers Prime and free green screen pictures; and the amazing wildlife showcase with National Geographic Kids Animal Man
  • Extensive covered buggy parks, baby changing and breast-feeding areas will be available.

For more information and tickets, see here.

LolliBop 2012

As a LolliBop Blogger I will receive free entry into the festival for my family, my endorsement of this festival is honest and unbiased and based on past experiences.

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