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The festival dubbed ‘pint-sized Glastonbury’ that’s great for first-timers and people who hate big crowds
Plus, The Sun's guide to festivals in 2025
A FESTIVAL that has been dubbed the "pint-sized Glastonbury" is ideal for first-timers and people who hate queues and crowds.
Shindig Festival located at Charlton Park Estate in Malmsbury, Whiltshire, will take place over the bank holiday weekend - May 22 to May 25.
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Instead of just a music festival, Shindig is home to a whole host of events and attractions including a healing area, craft area, kid's zone and funfair.
The event has even been recommended by Emily Eavis, daughter of the founder of Glastonbury, as a good alternative to those who didn’t get tickets to the summer extravaganza.
Co-founder of the festival, Simon Clarke said: "I think for a lot of people, it's a bit of a trend now not to go to big festivals because of the size, the crowds, the queuing - all the hassle of having lots of people at one event.
"So, I think it's easy and convenient to go to smaller events, especially ours, which is under 10,000 people. So, there's less walking involved, you've got more energy for dancing and having fun.
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"We don't get queues for anything really - we don't get queues for the toilets or the bars."
Unlike Glastonbury, the acts have "nice crowds" that "aren't jam-packed in" so visitors can enjoy the events and be able to watch them with less stress.
Simon commented: "You get to see all the music up close, which at Glastonbury you're probably back of 30,000 people; in this you're in a crowd of maybe 2,000 at max.
"You can actually see the bands and really get into the music and hear it."
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Another great perk of the festival is that you don't lose your friends, as the event doesn't sprawl across a huge area.
Simon added: "You can leave your friends and meet up with them later quite easily - you don't have to use your phone or text or anything to find them."
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The 52-year-old explained that there is more of community feel at Shindig, due to its smaller size.
He said: "People get to know each other over the weekend, which they don't get at big events."
"People make friends for life, where they'll come back every year to see the people they go to Shindig with."
"It's sort of like an ever-growing family type vibe where they say, 'oh, we'll all be at Shindig' or 'we'll all travel to Shindig together'."
And for those who have never been to a festival before but want to attend one, Shindig is also great for first-timers.
"This is the perfect environment for that because you don't lose your kids.
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"It feels really safe and they won't get lost in a big crowd or all the hassle of a big event," explained Simon.
Simon also shared that the added benefit of a smaller event, means there is no pre-planning, as everything on the line-up is in close proximity to each other.
"Small events can [also] be in more beautiful places - we've got an arboretum."
The festival has also been created by festival lovers, who have worked with other festivals in the past.
And all of the current directors have got children of their own and therefore are always thinking of ways to make the event family-friendly.
"We basically make it for our kids," Simon said.
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"So it's safe for our kids and they've got enough entertainment. When other parents bring theirs, they sort of get the benefit of that because we're putting things in that we know our kids will enjoy [and so other kids will too].
"We've got a kids area, we've got a fun fair, we've got lots of crafts workshops going on, graffiti battles and DJ workshops."
There is entertainment for different age groups across the festival, including teenagers as the organisers did not want them to be "left in a gap, like at a lot of other festivals".
There are also yoga sessions, massages, saunas and gong therapy - some of which even take place in the trees.
"It's all about relaxation, thought and meditation and just getting out of the festival vibe for a little bit. It's quite nice to have the contrast at the festival," shared Simon.
"You can be in the action or you can just go relax somewhere and just have a nice time."
It doesn't stop there - the festival also hosts cabaret walkabouts, including brass bands and aerial performers.
Simon said: "It just adds to the element of there's lots of interesting things going on all the time and you don't really know what's going to happen next.
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"Families do really love Shindig for that fact - that it's safe and people look after each other."
Many of the suppliers at the festival are local and due to the festival's location in Wiltshire, lots of fresh produce is used at the event.
A local brewery called Ramsbury will be serving the beer and in total there are about 30 different food traders.
Each year the festival also has a theme and this year's is 'Love is the Answer' - this hearts and florals, with a 'peace' vibe.
There is currently a flash offer for The Sun readers, with an adult weekend ticket priced at £175 (usually £225).
The offer is only available for one week and to get the discount use the code 'SHINDIGSUN'
The offer ends May 13.
Read More on The Sun
Plus, The Sun's guide to festivals in 2025.
Also, what else there is to do if you didn't get Glasto tickets.
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