Review Just So Festival 2024

The Just So Festival in Cheshire returned for 2024 offering a weekend of family festival full of fun, magic and wonder. Discover what we thought of this year’s Just So Festival in our review.  

Summer and festivals go hand in hand, and for families, you don’t get any more magical than the Just So Festival.

If you have not come across Just So yet you have been missing out.

A fun family festival organised by Wild Rumpus, based at Rode Hall near Sandbach, Cheshire it offers a full weekend of magic, wonder, silliness and fun for kids, adults and families alike. 

We were kindly invited along to the 2024 festival for an honest review. We asked our On The Go Reviewer and Manchester Editor Gemma and her family to check it out. 

Tickets were kindly gifted for review purposes however all opinions are our reviewer 

Just So Festival Review 202

Since our first visit in 2014, Just So Festival has been a firm fixture in our summer calendar every year. We were therefore very excited to attend our 10th Just So Festival and couldn’t wait to see what adventures they had in store. 

This year we attended with two other members of the On The Go team. Our party included a 14-year-old and two 11-year-olds along with an 8 and 3-year-old who were newbies to the festival. We couldn’t wait to see what they thought. 

Just So offers a range of tickets from one-day to full weekend options. Having loved our last four years camping we opted for the full on-site experience.

For those wanting to try camping in style, glamping is available. Plus there are a limited number of motorhome/caravan tickets available to purchase. 

Camping tickets include entry to the festival from 2.00 pm Friday to Sunday midnight and camping from 12.00 noon (or 11.00 pm in accessible camping) Friday to Monday morning. 

We were in Accessible Camping and the facilities were the usual high standard with plenty of showers with hot water, clean toilets and separate sinks for washing pots and drinking water taps. We understand from friends this was the same at the main campsite. 

On the festival opening our first port of call was to pick up our programme. This is a must for us, there is so much going on it is easy to miss some of the hidden gems. 

Over the years we have found it best to try not to over-plan. To accommodate everyone, we each choose one activity or show that we would really love to see. After this, we see where the festival takes us.

One of the best things about Just So is coming across something new and little surprises as you wander around the festival.

The Just So Festival is divided into themed sections and this year it was great to see some new additions. 

We loved the new Mind Palace where the older kids had to get their thinking caps on as they tried to solve the Code Breakers Annonymous. The little ones were not forgotten, with a huge Marble Run and Giant Kerplunk which we struggled to drag them away from.

Also new was Harbour Of Spells, where you could discover everything you need to know about the mythical creature the Selkie in A Selkie Story show. Sadly we never made it over there as we were too busy in the other areas. 

Footlights is always one of our first stops and this year was no exception. Here you will find the main stage for live bands and is a great place to set up a base and chill between the various activities and shows (or after putting up a huge tent).

This is also the place to catch some Just So musts such as David Gibb Big Band who manages to capture the imagination of the kids whilst getting the adults up dancing with his amusing songs. 

We were over the moon to catch one of our Just So’s favourites the Bobby Socks, who put their own spin on well-loved songs. Here we also discovered a new amazing band the Kasai Masi with their contemporary traditional Congolese folkloric music. 

Keen to give the newbies in our party the full Just So experience Friday evening was dedicated to the Spellbound Forest.

I won’t lie, I was sad to see that it had moved to a different location deeper into the woods and was set up differently from previous years. However, I’m glad to report that the acts didn’t disappoint.

The big draw around the Campfire is Just So legend Ian Douglas. A traditional storyteller, he shares lovely folk tales and myths in the most magical way.

This year brought a new tale, and the kids and the adults in our party were delighted when I was picked to be part of the show as the ‘old wrinkly aunty’. Then even more so when the aunty has to get up and dance on the stage! 

We also managed to catch his Magic Lantern, a shadow puppetry caravan which adds lovely images to Ian’s stories and had us all captivated.  

At all the kids’ requests, we also returned early Sunday evening to join in with campfire songs with Ian Mackintosh and toast more marshmallows we had taken along – another must.

The old Spellbound Woods location had been replaced with the new Wild Woods. This housed fun activities such as a mud kitchen, leaf rubbing and wand-making and Wild Playscapes with pipes, nets, and more to build your own play area with.  

We spent a fair amount of time here over the weekend and the 3-year-old in our party declared this her favourite part of the festival.   

One of my daughter’s favourite activities each year is the circus skills, and this year was no exception.

Located in the new area Bumbly Boo, we spent Sunday afternoon here as all the kids enjoyed honing plate spinning and flower stick-throwing. They were also delighted when they got to have a go on the ring trapeze. 

We also watched and took part in The Great Just So Sports Day. Another yearly tradition is where children and parents take part in various races and competitions to win gold pebbles for their animal team. It is always lots of fun and the kids loved that lots of our party were selected to join in. 

It was also in Bumbly Boo that we managed to catch The Giant Balloon Show. Having seen the show previously I had high expectations and it didn’t disappoint as the extremely funny Dizzy O’Hare showed off his balloon sculpting skills before climbing into a giant balloon. 

Other shows we enjoyed over the weekend included the Fire Show where the performers jumped through burning hoops and the Ancient Giants where two huge god puppets, representing good and evil, battled for Sita.

However, the highlight had to be the High Wire Spectacular. Here we were treated to tightrope walker Chris Bullzini showing off his amazing skills as walked, danced, hung and did headstands on the thin wire high up in the sky. The whole audience was in awe.

All the kids in our party adore crafts. Over the weekend they loved making paper bag personas in The Pavillion going back many times. They also planned on taking part Marc Jackson doodling workshops and wacky races creations but the festival took them off in different directions. 

The food on offer at Just So is always excellent and this year was no exception. They cater for all tastes and preferences with lots of vegetarian and vegan options available.

Over the weekend favourites included a Lamb Burger from Smithy Farm, Woodfired Pizza from the Pizza Peddlars and the huge bucket of churros from Los Churros Amigos. 

Sweet treats didn’t stop there with ice cream from Hyancinths Ice-creams, Crepes from Crepe Lucette and the amazing Hot Chocolate from both The Cocoa Caravan and Ginger Cat Coffee.

Underpinning the Just So Festival is the Carnival Of Animals Run by the popular theatre company Fabularium. To take part you choose your alliance fish, fox, frog, owl, stag or bee and try to earn golden pebbles for your team by showing off a skill, being kind or helpful and helping the environment.

Coming from Manchester we yet again couldn’t resist the calling of the Bees. My children always love getting involved and the little ones in our party were just as excited.

It was great to see them making an effort to be extra kind and help keep the festival tidy. I was hoping this new ethos would make it home, but from the state of my kid’s bedrooms, it seems to have been left behind. 

Unfortunately, despite all the effort, the Bees didn’t manage a win this year and for the first time came last. Fish took first place with over 3,000 pebbles earned – well done Fish. It was however lovely to see that Stags who for a long time always finished last, took second place. 

What We Thought About Just So Festival 2024

Yet again we had an amazing time at Just So. 

Every visit has brought something different and this year with friends new to the festival, we took everything at a slower pace enjoying it all through new eyes.

There was so much to see and do and at no point during the weekend did the dreaded words of ‘I’m bored’ get uttered.

As usual came away with a list of activities we didn’t have to time fit in. As mentioned we never made it over to the Harbour Of Spells, didn’t manage any of the Children’s Books North’s storytelling sessions and kept missing out on the dance workshops in the Institute Of Silly Dancing. Although we did watch The Greatest Showman Dance Medley which looked amazing. 

Over the years I have always sung the praises of Just So to the On The Go team and it was exciting that they could experience it themselves.

It was lovely to introduce the highlight of our summer to them especially as they had younger children in tow who became instant fans.

In fact, the 8-year-old, who celebrated their birthday at the festival, declared it as the best thing she had ever done. She is already planning her next visit. 

Just like me, the adults also adored the festival. They loved seeing the children enjoying a weekend of outdoor fun, where they could explore in a safe environment with no technology in sight is priceless.

The Next Just So Festival

The organisers of Just So, Wild Rumpus have announced that the festival will be taking a break for 2025, but promised they will be back for 2026 – watch this space for more news.  

In the meantime, why not try one of Wild Rumpus’ other fabulous events such as Yuletide at Tatton Park .