Camp Bestival 2025 gets under way at Lulworth Castle

Camp Bestival, the family-friendly music festival run by DJ Rob da Bank, gets under way later.

The four-day event is being held at Lulworth Castle in Dorset.

The bill includes headline appearances from Sir Tom Jones, Sugababes, and Basement Jaxx.

Curators Josie and Rob da Bank said they had wanted to attract Sir Tom “in over 20 years of booking”, and “finally the man himself has agreed to belt out Delilah for us”.

The 30,000-capacity festival has won the UK Festival Award’s Best Family Festival multiple times.

It features live acts and DJs, family raves, comedy, cocktails and a range of activities including bushcraft and circus skills.

Other acts on the 2025 bill include Lightning Seeds, Goldie, Remember Monday, and Barrioke, aka Shaun Williamson, or Barry from EastEnders.

Among the family shows are Andy and The Odd Socks, Mr Tumble, CBeebies Bedtime Stories, and Horrible Histories.

Organisers have also promised to host the world’s biggest pyjama party alongside back-to-back DJ set from Rob da Bank and former rugby union player Joe Marler.

Saxophonist Abi Harding from The Zutons told the BBC she was hoping to take a dip at Durdle Door ahead of the band’s Camp Bestival gig, and was “definitely bringing my cossie”.

“We’ve got three festivals that weekend but that’s the first one so I’m hoping, fingers crossed, maybe we go the night before,” she said.

Mister Maker, a mainstay of CBeebies, described Camp Bestival as the “greatest family festival in the world”.

He said it was “such a great atmosphere” and “truly for all ages”, with “fantastic conversations happening, loads of arts and crafts everywhere… fantastic music great comedy – there’s so much to see and do”.

James B Partridge, a teacher from Poole who found unexpected success with his primary school assembly bangers is playing the festival twice over the weekend.

He told the BBC: “I do get to hang out for the whole festival and I’m looking forward to seeing the headliners, especially Tom Jones. That’ll be a great chance to see a legend.”

Partridge’s parents and other close family will be in attendance, he said.

“Fittingly for Camp Bestival it should be a family affair.”