What is the 2023 must-have accessory for the festival season? A nanny!

Forget Hunter boots and face glitter, wafty kaftans and boho bags. The ultimate accessory for this year’s festival season?

A festival sitter – and, say experts, far more beneficial to one’s well-being than even the most zen massage parlor.

This year alone, over 5,000 parents have selected ‘Festival Nanny’ as one of their search criteria on childcare.co.uk, the online platform where parents and nannies can find each other – from a mum ‘looking for cover for Glastonbury festival’ to her four boys, to a couple playing at a music festival in Cornwall who need someone to look after their two girls during rehearsals.

A festival babysitter, it seems, is the latest trend in ultimate parental luxury.

Because while festivals can conjure up visions of beer-soaked students lost in the mud, the reality for many today is far less rock ‘n’ roll, with family campsites, ‘glamping’ tents and CBeebies stars taking the stage (in early morning slots).

Instead of relegating festivals to childhood, many parents are now opting to bring the kids along too – with a little help from the babysitter, of course.

“Families are increasingly taking their children to festivals and there are a lot more family-friendly festivals than there used to be,” explains Richard Conway, founder of childcare.co.uk.

‘The parents may have been festival goers for years and don’t want to go away for a few nights to leave their children with someone else.

“The demand for festival nannies has been increasing year on year since the pandemic ended and the number of applications has more than doubled so far this year compared to 2022.

‘We currently have more than 2,000 people offering their services as Festival Nannies through our platform. They charge between £12 an hour and £25 an hour, with an average of around £15 an hour.’

Typically, he adds, “when you take your babysitter on holiday or to a festival, most parents literally pay for everything: their babysitter’s wages, but also food, accommodation, travel, ticket.” That can easily amount to more than € 1,000.

So babysitting agencies are responding to demand and partnering with festivals to provide on-site childcare.

Tanja Jelley, founder of Mortimer Nannies, was first approached at the artsy Wilderness Festival in the Cotswolds. It started with a nursery in ‘a small yurt’, she recalls.

“I used to be a babysitter, so I brought a lot of my babysitting friends along too. It went very well and it snowed.’

This year at Wilderness (August 3-6), her team of 60 will work evenings at a creche, an older children’s club and as private nannies, “and occasionally also in the mornings, if parents wish sleep in.’

“Very occasionally we get parents who book an extra ’boutique’ tent for the nannies to sleep in next door so they can be on hand as soon as the kids wake up,” she added.

Prices vary by festival, but start at £45 for a two-and-a-half hour session of childcare in their main tent in Wilderness, with private babysitting options available on request (with profits after fees going to a children’s charity).

They get a few bookings every year where the nannies are booked from 7pm to 2am and then new nannies arrive at 7am with the same family to take the kids out for breakfast and have a few hours of fun. This will cost around £350 depending on the festival.

“We’ll start taking questions literally as soon as Wilderness is done. Once the parents have booked their early bird tickets for next year, they get in touch and say, “Can I provisionally reserve a sitter for Saturday night?” ‘

As Jo Chavasse, founder of Freckles Childcare puts it, ‘A festival nanny enables a parent to spend a period of time being an adult at a festival.

“A lot of people go to festivals as a big group with friends, and one parent has to be the parent on duty for the kids – so [a nanny means] they can all have fun together.’

Just like the kids. At Camp Bestival’s two sites in Dorset (July 27-30) and Shropshire (August 17-20) this summer, Jo’s team of 30 nannies will be working in a large marquee where younger children can play, as well as perform their chores to stage acts. see, do activities, take forest walks and put them to bed.

The cost is £45 for one child to join a two hour group session, or a babysitter can be booked privately for £45 per hour, for up to three children. “We get every audience: single parents, all the way up to VIPs, producers, artists.”

For Jess Orchard, 39, a Surrey-based wedding and family photographer, nannies are worth it when she takes her sons, now aged eight, six and three, to festivals.

“I was never really a festival goer before the kids,” she says, but was in “that kind of stage where you have little kids and you feel like you have no life left. So we booked in for Elderflower Fields Festival.’

The guys from Jess’ absolutely loved it, but soon got completely overwhelmed. And then we came across Tanja’s tents.

Her children loved the peace and quiet among the toys, while she and her husband “could have a little alone time.”

The cost may feel decadent, but it seems many parents think it’s worth it. ‘Many people also treat festivals as one of their holidays,’ says Jo van Freckles.

“So instead of leaving, they’re going to say, ‘Okay, we’re going to Bestival. It’s done with our big vacation budget. We’re really here for a good time.’ ‘

Parents certainly appreciate the service, says West Sussex nanny Cheryl Dean, who recalls a couple who had just dropped their child off at nursery, “high-fiving each other and hopping along the way.”

Whether it’s the dinner wagon or the disco tent, the kids will never know. . .