Oh my goodness. We saw the pictures of the mudbath that was T In The Park and just thought we needed to bring a little colour back into the festival season (and not just muddy brown).This little box of delights from those master cookie

RULE 1 Like everyone at a festival, children need to drink lots of water and keep hydrated and keep their energy levels up. If they dislike the taste of bottled water, mix in a little fruit juice, but don't give them juice or soda all the time. Bag

Off The Tracks Festival, Donington Park, DerbyshireMay 25–27Small is beautiful is the mantra of this twice-yearly affair with a mix of world music, roots, folk, dance and trance set across three stages. There’s also plenty of arts, crafts

Off The Tracks Festival June 3–5 Donington Park Farmhouse, Castle Donington, DerbyshireWychwood Festival June 3–5 Cheltenham Racecourse Eden Festival June 10–12 Raehills Meadows, Moffat, Dumfries & Galloway Blissfields Festival June 30–July 3

Chill out at Camp Bestival – and book early for 2011.A CHANGE IS as good as a rest, so they say, and what could be further removed from the strictures and routines of daily family life than the chance to let your hair down at a festival? Cool

Larmer Tree Festival is at Larmer Tree Gardens, Tollard Royal, near Salisbury, Wiltshire Capacity 4,000 What’s the vibe Celebrating its coming of age (the first festival was in 1990), Larmer Tree is a laid-back escape-from-it-all fest

JUST SO FESTIVAL August 19–21 is Near Leek, Staffs Capacity 6,000 What’s the vibe A boutique, weekend-long festival of creativity for families. Musical interludes There’s music, dance and street theatre, plus the chance for your family to take part

OFF THE TRACKS FESTIVAL MAY 27–29 is at Donington Park Farmhouse, Castle Donington, DerbyshireCapacity 1,500What’s the vibe Small is beautiful is the mantra of this intimate twice-yearly affair. Musical interludes Headliners for the spring festival

WYCHWOOD FESTIVAL JUNE 3–5 is at Cheltenham Racecourse Capacity 10,000 What’s the vibe Nominated Best Family Festival for every year since its launch, this is a leading boutique family festival with the emphasis on music and fun. Musical interludes

1. Choose your festivalIt might have been dubbed as “Three Days of Peace & Music” but turn back time to theWoodstockheyday of 1969 and you’d find the festival spirit steeped in a hazy mist of marijuana and zonked-out grown-ups. Not so the new breed