ONE of the world’s biggest bouncy castles is returning to an Overton festival this year.
At an impressive 23.8 metres in length and 20.7 metres in width, the exclusive activity for children will be at CarFest taking place at Laverstoke Park Farm over the August bank holiday weekend, from 23 to 25.
The huge bouncy castle will tower over the festival grounds located inside KidsFest, which offers a wide range of activities for children of all ages, from toddlers to teenagers.
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With a fantastic line up of engaging performances at KidsFest, and non-stop entertainment throughout the festival, it’s the perfect place for families to have fun and create cherished memories.
Children can also enjoy an exciting experience with the brand-new STEM Zone inspired by GraviTrax.
Designed to ignite the imaginations of future scientists, and engineers, this zone is packed with diverse, hands-on activities for all ages. Dive into robotics and engineering with Computer Xplorers, uncover geological marvels with the Royal Geology Society, and explore engineering projects with Basingstoke College of Technology.
The STEM Zone will offer captivating chemistry experiments by the Royal Chemistry Society and don’t miss Mission X’s space-themed activities, perfect for budding astronauts.
Helping to bring the fun and action at KidsFest is the much-loved BBC Children in Need’s Pudsey’s Spot hosted by CBeebies and CBBC presenters Kathryn Wilson and Nigel Clarke.
CBBC's Blue Peter is bringing their Blue Peter LIVE show back, offering an adventurous hour filled with games, dancing, and interactive fun.
BBC Children in Need’s Pudsey’s Spot is also packed with exciting entertainment including Musical Storyland LIVE! The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and trumpeter Sean Chandler will present an interactive performance of The Enormous Turnip from the CBeebies series Musical Storyland.
Comedy Club 4 Kids bring their hilarious stand-up and sketch acts, offering a kid-friendly comedy experience.
To top it all off, Pudsey will be bringing all of his friends to Pudsey’s Spot, allowing children to meet some of their best-loved characters in real life, including Bluey and Bingo, the Clangers, Hey Duggee, Peter Rabbit, and Supertato.
For all the budding athletes, The Sports Zone is the perfect place to get active, learn new skills, and have fun. Highlights include martial arts sessions with Winchester Choi Kwang Do, rugby activities with Basingstoke Rugby, and golf lessons with England Golf.
Kids can also enjoy bouncing on Ergo Trampolines, hockey with Basingstoke Hockey Club, and volleyball with South Hants Volleyball Club. Guiding Sparks Circus will also be offering circus skills workshops for budding performers.
An Arts Club Zone will offers a range of artistic activities for young creators. The Pop Up Play area features slime making and pebble painting, while Creatively Awesome will be bringing craft activities. Junk Jodie will be providing various eco-crafting activities including Superhero Earth Puppets and Mindfulness Happy Books. Little Learners brings messy play fun, and the Berkshire Printmakers help kids print their own t-shirts.
Children can also try Lego printing, and pottery sessions with Perfectly Potty.
CarFest also boasts a star-studded music line up including Verve lead singer Richard Ashcroft; lead singer of Scissor Sisters Jake Shears; and guitar virtuoso Johnny Marr of The Smiths.
The star-studded line-up also includes X Factor icon Olly Murs; Eurovision heavyweight Sam Ryder; queen of British soul Beverley Knight; iconic multi-million selling band Deacon Blue, reggae pop fusion pioneers UB40 ft Ali Campbell, pop rock legends Scouting for Girls, and many more.
Since its inception in 2012, CarFest’s core mission has been to raise funds for UK children's charities. In 2024, the festival will be supporting BBC Children in Need, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, My Black Dog, Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Teenage Cancer Trust, Young Epilepsy, and local Hampshire-based charity Naomi House & Jacksplace.
Tickets are currently on sale at www.carfest.org.
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