LolliBop 2014 – An Exciting Line-Up

As one of the top children's festivals around, LolliBop offers something for every child. We have been for the past two years and it remains the best day trip we have during the Summer holidays, mainly because of the huge range of activities and shows that The Boy can take part in and watch, all in one day!

This year sees LolliBop in a new home, Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. The new venue is completely befitting such a magical event and will be the perfect place to watch the wonderful line-up planned.

LolliBop 2014 [Read more…]

LolliBop 2014 – New Venue

One of the highlights of our Summers for the past two years has been going to the LolliBop children's festival in London. With the vast majority of the best quality children's television personalities appearing on one of the many stages, activities galore for every age and interest, and a wonderfully happy atmosphere, it is the pinnacle of our Summer days out.

LolliBop has announced a new home for the festival on 15th-17th August 2014; the majestic and fairy-like stately home Hatfield House.

LolliBop 2014 [Read more…]

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.

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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.

Days 223-229 of Project 365

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223. Mr. Bloom (We went to Margam Park in Port Talbot for the CBeebies Summer Roadshow, with a special show by Mr. Bloom. We were lucky and had press tickets to the show, which meant we had guaranteed seats even though it was free. I did take some cracking shots of Mr. B on stage, even if I did get 'heavied' about doing so.)

224. Golden (My wonderful birthday flowers. Love the depth of field on the 50mm lens I've got.)

225. Splash (I had frozen some of the Playmobil pirate treasure in a takeway container and put it on the tuff-spot for The Boy to get out. Once it had all melted then he realised he could sail his pirate boats in the water, and filled it up even more. The pirate islands were enlisted soon enough, and then he spent ages splashing the water about! Child-led learning at its best.)

226. Crinkle Cut (I bought one of the choppers that I'm always seeing the twins on Two Of Everything using, and The Boy helped me prepare tea. He loved it and I think his help will be 'needed' a lot more.)

227. People Watching (We met up with a friend and her daughter down in the Cardiff Bay Beach. The Boy spent ages burying his own legs and then examining everyone else and their activities.)

228. Joy (There's no mistaking how sad I am today; my brother came down to say goodbye to me today before he emigrates to Australia at the end of the month. I am heartbroken. I won't be visiting as it is too far and I can't afford it, so please don't suggest it. Yes there's social media but he will still be on the other side of the world, not in Oxford. This little boy cheers me up though, he is my joy.)

229. LolliBop (We spent the day in London at LolliBop in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, more to follow in a later post.)

TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky

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.

Country Kids: Country Wide

This weekend has seen us go from one side of England to the other and back again. Aside from the overnighters in hotels, we've been outside all the time and it's been brilliant to take advantage of the beautiful, albeit stiflingly hot, weather.

On Friday night we drove to Reading, where we stayed overnight before heading off to the LolliBop children's festival in Regent's Park, London. It was a blisteringly hot day, and someone decided that black would be a good colour to wear. I think at one point I actually almost passed out as my vision was swimming and my head was light. However, I'm made of sterner stuff and don't do fainting. All I needed was an Oreo cookie milkshake and the sight of Messers Maker and Winters entertaining my son to perk me up. (The pint of water and paracetomal may have helped!)

LolliBop is a great festival and I've never been in Regent's Park before so it was refreshingly beautiful when surrounded by the grey buildings of London. The festival is a riot of colour, sounds and entertainment, and we thoroughly enjoyed everything there. However, we were only too happy to be back on the train heading out of the smoke later that afternoon where we picked up the car and drove to Gloucester where we did another overnighter in a different Premier Inn. This one was fantastic and tranquil, in the middle of a lovely country village with a stereotypically quaint pub attached.

This morning we packed up early and headed off to the Forest of Dean to surprise The Boy with a Thomas Days Out trip. The Boy has recently started a fascination with the little blue engine and we regularly have to sing the theme music. Today was no different once he'd found out what was going on. Seeing his little face break out with sheer delight when Thomas chugged into the station made my heart burst, he had the best time riding on a vintage steam train and meeting Sir Topham Hatt.

To finish the weekend off, we drove up to Puzzlewood near Coleford. It's a stunning small forest that we've been to before and is such a gem to explore. At the time The Boy was only 20 months old and fell asleep while we were walking around, so this time I was very eager to show off the wonders of the mysterious woods (used in Merlin and Doctor Who). He didn't disappoint as he traipsed around the moss and mud-ladened tracks, exploring steep paths, stone steps and searching for The Gruffalo at any opportunity!

And of course the weekend wouldn't be complete without a splash in the paddling pool, right before turning his hand to his first ever spot of car cleaning!

LolliBop 2012

We were lucky enough to be invited to LolliBop 2012 at Regent's Park, London last weekend and happily went along on Saturday, the second day of the weekend long event. It was a beautifully hot and sunny day, perfect for lots of little ones to enjoy all the fun and games that had been created for them.

LolliBop 2012

The festival was held in a corner of the very large Regent's Park and was perfectly cordoned off keeping the children safe and secure. There were a huge range of activities for the children for all different ages (listed here) and there was definitely something for everyone from the under four year olds section through to the Halfords' race course (which got booked up well in advance!).

For such a large section of park, there was unfortunately not much natural shade, however the organisers had done an excellent job of creating several areas to provide an escape from the blistering heat; in the picture above you can see the coloured banners which were one of the areas. I'm grateful that they had also created a bloggers' lounge which was under the shade of some trees giving us an opportunity to cool off. (I later discovered that there was another section of the park which had a few trees and provided a relaxing area, but it wasn't obvious on the map or when walking around).

The refreshments were very good and it was nice to see a good range of family foods and drinks from Pizza Express, pie stalls, burgers and milkshake stands. The Oreo cookie milkshake was to die for! Unfortunately while the queues for these weren't long in length, they were in time, so next time I'll be taking a picnic. The toilets were portaloos and the least said about them the better. I'd envisaged the portacabin style facilities which I've seen at other children's events, where a sink with running water and soap are available.

These were some of our highlights of the day:

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  • Top left: Alex and Katy from CBeebies perform the I Can Cook song
  • Top right: watching Mister Maker in the LolliPalladium tent
  • Bottom right: being a shopkeeper in John Lewis Lane
  • Bottom right: creating a sandart picture with ScratchPatch

It's only when I look at the official higlights of the weekend that I realise how much else we missed, despite being there for most of the day. I can't wait to go again next year, when I definitely will not be wearing black!

We were provided with free tickets for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.