Kim Gisby, Chelmsford Conservative activist, attended 3Foot People Festival last week with her children and here is her review:
Taking place over three days at Hyland’s Park, the 3Foot People Festival is a unique opportunity for pre-schoolers up to age five to experience a real festival environment. It is extremely popular, and children and families love it. With tickets bought in advance, almost everything when you go inside the gates is included in the (very reasonable) price.
This is the second year I have visited with my family. Last year we had a nearly two-year old; this year a recently turned three-year-old and her ten-month-old baby brother and I can definitely vouch for there being something for every age group!
It has to be said that it was slightly slow progress on the surrounding roads getting to the event, but once in, the initial queues were quickly forgotten. The event was carefully set up, well signposted and with lots of stewards on hand to answer questions and ensure the safety and enjoyment of the mini festival goers.
There were five main categories of event: ‘Get Sporty’, which included a range of games and races (my three year old was a big fan of the sack race); ‘Craft, Play, Mess, Repeat’, which included everything from hand and foot painting to ‘boxed in’, an opportunity for children to let their imaginations run wild a build all manner of things out of cardboard boxes; ‘Happily Ever After’, which included theatre (which saw about thirty parents doing the Time Warp- it’s not just for children!), story-telling and the odd queen riding around on an imaginary unicorn (perhaps you had to be there!); ‘Music and Movement’ activities, with appearances from Glastonbabies, Moo Music and others; and ‘Go Wild’, in which children had the opportunity to get up close and personal with a range of animals. There was also a huge variety of food, the obligatory ice cream vans and bouncy castles.
The atmosphere was lovely and all the families there were clearly enjoying themselves very much. The conservative City Council is rightly proud of having established and successfully run this event over many years, with Julia Jeapes, previously Cabinet Member for Leisure underlining what a positive impact events such as the 3Foot People Festival has on the local community. It’s very easy to see why the festival has won the ‘Best Event’ Essex Mum’s award every year since 2014 and the Best Summer Event award every year since 2015. I’m sure that 2019 will be no exception.
