Product Tested By Gill Robbins – Harry, Rosie & Annie – 4 and 3 year old Twins
Gill Awarded LolliBop – The Big Bask for Little People 3.4/5
As we had review tickets we had to go to the ‘Guests’ Entrance. It was really quick and easy to gain entry. There weren’t any queues to get in other than a short one at the pre-booked tickets booth, so it all seemed quite efficient. Maps were given out on entry, however they weren’t at all clear and a lot of the attractions weren’t on there as it was a very basic map. I didn’t think it was at all easy to find what you wanted. There seemed to be vast empty spaces and then loads packed in to one area. I didn’t like the layout at all. There didn’t seem to be any real system to how they were located. I.e. by age or activity type for example. You could get your buggy in most places – and I took the double! There was plenty of space. Not so much at the main stages but that is to be expected. I didn’t leave my buggy in the buggy parks as I never leave my buggy unattended. Can’t afford to take the risk of it being stolen or taken in mistake for one of the same model. I do feel it was aimed at the slightly oldermarket (around 6-7 would have been an ideal age). There wasn’t an awful lot that was relevant to my children. The Tiny Tots bit was a bit too young and they’re not old enough for Skylanders, Moshi Monsters or Science Museum stuff at this stage. My son would have liked the B&Q stand but it was rammed all day. I booked in for Harry to have a go on the bikes at the Halfords stand. We booked at 12.30and had to go back for one so this was completely acceptable. We enquired about the mum’s massages at 11.30 and were told that it was fully booked until 4,which wasn’t quite so great. The kids had a go on some hammock type things and it was just basically a case of stand beside one that was being used and hope that the people using it were sensitive to the fact that there were people waiting. This all seemed to work OK, but perhaps a queuing system for this may have worked during busy times. To be honest, I thought the quality of the attractions was quite lame. The main stages were fine as they had characters from TV shows appearing etc., so you just had to time it to attend when the characters your children were interested in was on. This was easy enough as timetables were on the back of the map. The rest of it felt more like a trade show. My friend attended the year before and she said there was a massive inflatable and a giant slide for the younger ones. There was none of this; I expected fair ground rides and bouncy castles etc. For us it was not value for money. IF all five of us had paid to attend it would have cost us the best part of £150 plus £50 in train fares and I would have been really annoyed at such a waste of money. It could be massively improved, if only by a more comprehensive map that showed everything with age suitability. There needed to be more rides such as fair ground rides or bouncy castles, which may seem a bit basic and not very special, but kids love them and when you have to pay for them as you go, works out really expensive, so to have them free all day would be great. We thought we saw a carousel ride for the kids and went over to that, to discover it was a revolving carousel bar, much to the kids disgust (although we greatly appreciated it!). Signposting outside the park was non-existent, were just following everyone else, hoping they knew where they were going. The first time we saw any evidence of any signage or staff was as we were just entering the park and it was right in front of us. There were shade areas, however these were not enough. As it is organised for the middle of August, this should be accounted for. More staff could have been in evidence for information. I didn’t see a single member of LolliBop staff circulating on the day. My friend did say that there were Fruit Shoots being given away last year. This would have been really great this year, again, the middle of August and a kids event, you would think that they might have thought to provide some water coolers at least so the children could stay hydrated all day. Maybe the festival entrance was changed this year for health and safety reasons, but Gloucester Gate is in the middle of nowhere and not great for public transport. Personally we would not pay to attend, unless it was greatly improved. My friend recommended this to me based on last year, which sounded much better. Based on my experience, I would not recommend. To be honest I was massively underwhelmed. I’d been looking forward to it for so long that it was a real disappointment. The kids seemed to enjoy it, but they didn’t have any expectations, to them they were going for a nice day out on the train to a park. Gill Robbins – Harry, Rosie & Annie – 4 and 3 year old Twins
Product Tested By Maricela Tomlin – Yasmin & Alexander – 4 & 2 years
MaricelaAwarded LolliBop – The Big Bash for Little People 3.4/5
First impression of the festival was that it was good, but it seemed a bit disorganised; lay out wasn’t ideal. Some areas were too crowded on the sides and some of the stools or marquees were poorly run. Getting into the show was very quick and hassle free, however we were on a special’s guests list. We were given a program with a map on arrival. Besides the signs posted on the event’s tents, I don’t remember seeing any more, that could have been helpful. There were area’s or events on the map that were not really there, map didn’t match the lay out. Not the best lay out; stages were quite visible. Some of the events weren’t so easy to get to or marquee’s area too small (e.g. dance lessons). The nappy change marquee wasn’t visible enough; we just found it by chance at the end of the day, what it meant changing nappies on the go. Not enough shaded or designated area to rest. We did take our buggy as only had a light stroller we didn’t need the buggy park. But on that note we didn’t see any of them. We were a bit disappointed as we had heard so much about the previous festival (2011); I don’t think there was enough for under 5’s this year. Good John Lewis lane, Bike City, Live stage and Palladium; Science Museum challenges, Rescue Remedy free massage for mum’s while entertaining children. In our case with 2 children under five, face painting was a must, but effectively had to queue for a long time,as was the same for The John Lewis little lane, they loved both but we had to queue twice as 1st time around was too busy. Children missed out on workshops as queues were too long. On the stages was good; Shrek the musical and Zing zillas, were too short, Dick and Dom were far too long and their act a bit rude for young children. Mister maker a hit, all in all good but acts should be thought more carefully. Great presenters. For us not really value for money. For our family of four it would have being a very costly day out as we have to pay travel on top of it. Personally I would suggest more signs, better lay out, acts thought more carefully or popular ones given more time, parents shouldn’t be allowed to block children’s view of the stages. More accessible prices. Free water dispensers. Toilets should be located in more than one location, as children can’t always hold for long! Sadly it didn’t live up to the Hype. Would consider going back next year if prices were more accessible and festival in general improved. I would recommend and suggest they check the Line-up of activities and acts being presented. Good but tedious at times. Maricela Tomlin – Yasmin & Alexander – 4 & 2 years
Product Tested By Marie Gent – Poppy 4 years 2 Months
Marie Awarded LolliBop – The Big Bash For Little People 3/5
The entrance procedure was quick and we got into the festival easily. Not really any signage, it was more of a case of get the map out and wander. It was really a case of follow the noise to find the main stages. There was plenty of space to take your buggy into most areas. I didn’t leave my buggyin a buggy park, but there were plenty of buggies there so there probably wouldn’t have been an issue of security. I didn’t think the attractions were as good this year. Moshi Monsters are a specific thing and if your kids aren’t in to it, then that was a whole large attraction that they didn’t enjoy. We didn’t wait around for long for the few things we did book into/queue up for. I went to this event last year and I must say I was disappointed this year with what was available to the kids. The main stages were OK but the rest was much of a muchness. I think it does offer value for money as there is a lot there, but maybe older children would be best served. It was a boiling hot day (31 degrees) and there wasn’t enough shelter out of the sun and it would have been a nice touch to offer free water on such days as a bottle of water was £2!! Last year, FruitShoot handed out free drinks to all children; it would have been a good idea if this happened this year. I think I will leave it a couple of years before I think about going again and then look into it and check more closely what’s available. I have recommended LolliBop before, but after this year I’m not so sure. It was a disappointing day compared to our previous visit. Marie Gent – Poppy 4 Years 2Months
