Camping
Updated for 2024
Tents, Campers, Caravans! You’re all welcome at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival.
Weekend festival goers can enjoy free camping. If you’re bringing a van or caravan, there’s a one-off charge of £40.
For day ticket holders, camping for the night of the day you’re at the festival is available. It costs £10 per person and is payable on the gate. You will be camping in front of the Day Parking area. We want to avoid car movement into the weekend camping areas.
The campsite and Box Office are open from:
- Thursday 15th, 10am – 10pm (festival arena opens at 6pm)
- Friday 16th, 10am – 10pm
- Saturday 17th, 10am – 9pm
- Sunday 18th, 10am – 9pm
The festival campsite closes at midday on Monday 19th August.
We have camping fields less than 100 yards walk from the festival stages.
There are areas of flat-ish camping, but we’re in the Purbeck hills!
There are six zones to camp in:
- Tents only (no moving traffic – cars parked separately) – but as everyone likes to camp close to their cars, we have marked bays for tents and cars are to park around the outside of these bays. Cars need to be parked next to camping bays, not pointing in our out of them.
- Camping field for camper vans, caravans, and trailer tents. Only campers who have paid for van/caravan camping can camp in this field. This charge covers the costs of toilet emptying facilities and possible costs that come with heavy vehicles on grass if the grass is churned up and needs to be re-seeded etc. We keep this cost as low as we can.
- Family camping – This is an area for family camping (van and tent) with no vehicle movement. This is on the far side of the festival site, next to the Swanage Steam railway track (that only runs during the day) and is a fair way from the entrance. This area is quieter in the evenings, but you might end up with recorder playing at 9am!
- Settlements – this is for the people that want to camp with their friends. If there are more than 10 of you in a group, and we can reserve a settlement space for you. We still need you to be fairly quiet at night time; no wild parties, no amplified music, and not too loud late on – we don’t want to upset the neighbours. Apply for a Settlement here (before 21st July).
- Disabled camping – This is an area as close as we can get it to the action. Please see our page ‘Disabled Festival Goers‘ for more information.
- Day camping – On the left as you access the festival, cars must be parked and camping is in front of this area.
NOTES
Tents, Camper vans / Caravans – All are welcome. The site is a lot less hilly than the old site and there is lots of flat space. Campers and caravans might want to bring some wheel chocks for absolute spirit levelness.
Camp fires are not permitted at the festival.
Cooking on the campsite – There is no problem with cooking on the campsite, it’s just the naked fires we can’t have. A small BBQ is permitted as long as it is in a metal BBQ off the ground. Coals will need to be cooled and disposed of carefully in general rubbish.
Rubbish – bin bags will be provided, all litter gets taken and sorted at a recycling plant off-site. There are collection points in each field. Please drop off there.
Toilets – good toilets are provided both on the campsite and in the festival area.
Showers are located in two of our tent camping fields – on the way through to Family camping. We do not charge to use the showers.
