The upcoming Menashe Forest Festival is a great opportunity to prove to yourself that just because you are a parent, it doesn’t mean that you’ve stopped living your best life. Get inspired by the brave parents who came back from festivals with positive experiences and some great tips.
You grew up, got married, and had babies. This shouldn’t stop you from carrying a backpack and a sleeping bag or camping in the summer, you just have an additional child or two. The Menashe Forest Festival, which opens for the tenth time tomorrow (31.5), is an example of a festival that knows and understands this situation. It’s no coincidence that more and more children are forming a more distinct taste in music with every year now. In addition to a playground with a sandbox and arts and craft activities, the festival, which is free under 12 years of age, also offers a juggling complex, and special music and theater performances for children.
But if you ask the parents and the children, there’s more than just one place for them. "We do not come to music festivals to sit in the kids sections," says Dikla Dayan Zilberstein, a mother of three children aged 18 months to six years old. "We arrive at the children's compound when we need a little break in the afternoon or on our way to the morning performance area. We spend half an hour and stay for the performances. The children are a tough crowd, but when they connect to music, you see it.”
Moshe and Orly Gabai of Ramat HaShofet, parents of three, ages seven to 13, agree the performances are central for their kids as well. "Today, they try to do all kinds of special things for the children, and that's great, but they do not really need it ... The children know how to enjoy adults activities and the atmosphere. There are a lot of families and friends, so they hang around, get to know people, and keep themselves busy. For example, when my daughter was little she’d make new friendships at the festival, and we’ve kept in touch with them to this day.”
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Marina Rudich traveled with her son to the FM4 Frequency Festival in Austria when he was 11, and had an unpleasant adventure. "The police stopped us and asked for papers. They were very suspicious, they thought I'd kidnapped him. They asked why a woman was driving around with a child in a rented car, on the dark roads of the woods of Austria, on the way to an electronic music festival. There was no age restriction, but when we arrived, we discovered that he was the only child in the festival. "
Still, Marina says, "It was a successful road trip. We heard music and talked, and I think that’s amazing for a parent-child relationship." Dayan Zilberstein agrees, "When you become a parent, you have to make a decision if this thing, called parenthood, is going to take control of your life, or your children get to join your way of life. Get out of the house, don’t constrain yourself, keep being who you were, just readjust to the new situation.”
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4 Tips for a successful festival:
Make sure you are on the same page
Make peace with the fact that not everyone will get to see all their shows of choice. You need to coordinate a plan that will suit everyone. Even at the performances themselves, you should find a place where everyone can see, hear and feel good.
A blanket in the bag
Always walk around with a blanket or mat so you can lay anywhere; by the food, to the side of the stage, etc. Children get tired quickly and you want to be able to sit and rest without too much trouble.
Headphones and earplugs
The responsible adults know that you must come with something to protects the ears. Try and find something convenient, because the big headphones that look good on Instagram are not always the best solution.
Snacks and water
As with the blanket, your backpack should always include a bottled water, fruits and snacks. When the children's hunger strikes, you do not want to go all the way back to the tent in the sunny heat of the day.
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Menashe Forest Festival May 31st - June 2nd For Tickets