The festival season this year has been full and varied in the South of England. To finally set the last to bed I visited the New Forest Festival based at the wonderful venue Minstead Study Centre. Nestled down curling green lanes multicoloured flags beckon us onward, forest children with painted faces sit rapt listening to stories larger than life or learning clay craft whilst Mark Kermode and his band The Dodge Brothers bring their deep Americana washboards, harmonica and finger picking to resting parents feasting on forest venison sausages.
Small but perfectly formed New Forest Festival is a perfect summer’s end for the whole family. Performance artists roam the miniature stone circle, storytellers draw listeners into the wattle and daub roundhouse and children are brought closer to learn about the forest animals and plants that surround them.
A beautifully relaxed day in a magically made place.
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