text: Finding a place where you can experience some all-important family time, outdoor fun and a helping of luxury at the same time might sound like a tall order... But if you're partial to a weekend under canvas, family-oriented festival Elderflower Fields might be one of the best tickets you can buy this year. As its founders explain, Elderflower Fields, held in the idyllic setting of Pippingford Park in the Ashdown Forest, is about giving children and families the chance to take part in a huge range of activities. Elderflower Fields Festival will be held in the idyllic setting of Pippingford Park for the second year running . The independent festival was created in 2012 by a small team of friends to provide the perfect environment for kids and grown-ups to fully escape for a weekend. Now entering its fourth year, Elderflower Fields builds upon the winning formula of a festival designed especially for families with children. It’s an exciting experience that opens children and their parents’ minds to new opportunities in sport, music, the arts, the environment and food, all set in the great outdoors. So says Nigel Greenwood, cofounder of So Sussex, the organisation responsible for creating the festival. "We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive comments and feedback received from festival goers over the last three years. Their words sum up the ethos of the festival far better than we ever could and inspire us to improve and make Elderflower Fields 2015 the best yet," he says. The Kalakuta Millionaires were a popular draw on the main stage last year . The view from the back: The Tones played in 2012 to an appreciative crowd . "What's really exciting for us is that the festival is becoming a moment of inspiration for children, their families and festival goers to try out new things." So what can festival goers expect in 2015? "Elderflower Fields prides itself on booking the best up and coming new bands and performers and providing opportunities for young people to engage in and be inspired by music," says Greenwood. The diverse range of artists already confirmed for Elderflower Fields 2015 includes Danny and the Champions Of The World, Patch and The Giant, The Kings Parade, and Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer. Spa in the woods anyone? The chance to sip champagne in a hot tub proved rather popular in 2014... thanks to Bathing Under the Sky . Children go free! The idyllic surrounds of the Ashdown Forest made for one giant playground . Other performance experiences include a storytelling area in the woods, theatre and dance classes, magic and movement workshops, plus a good old fashioned family rave from the brilliant Big Fish Little Fish party people. This year will see the festival partner with East Sussex Music Services for the first time to provide a range of introductory music opportunities for children. This includes instrument try outs, composing workshops, songwriting workshops and a BBC Ten Pieces performance developed with schools before the festival which will then see kids learning the piece during the festival itself. Richard Navarro and other musicians will be taking time from performing to run masterclasses in the Youth Music area. Sea of green: Campers walk down through the fields to the nearby festival areas, with more activities for children going on in the woods than you can shake a stick at . Everybody say hey! The Sports camps run by Premier Sports were a huge hit with children (and parents...) Premier Sport will be running this years sports camp giving children the chance to try diverse sports such as dodgeball, lacrosse and tri-golf. Organisers say they will also be running an orienteering course and a Disc Golf course with Sussex Disc Golf. "We also have SKiL coming to provide drop in activity sessions including stickball and adventure runs, and in this the year of the Rugby World Cup we have the coaches of Lewes Rugby Club running two beach rugby sessions," says Greenwood. Meanwhile the Urban Woods welcomes back climbing, parkour, slacklining and our skateboard half pipe, plus Adventure Unlimited have been called in to provide kayaking, raft building and high ropes. Anything else? Well yes. The So Sussex Sunday picnic has become something of a trademark and is one of the highlights of the weekend. The perfect way to spend an afternoon with friends and family (or even strangers) - it's all included in the ticket. Could Elderflower Fields be the only festival in the world to supply every guest with a free shared picnic filled with delicious tasters of local produce? Yes. And don't mention the legendary chocolate cake... Elderflower Fields has more free activities on offer per child that any other festival, the organisers claim. All sessions are run by a dedicated team of professional organisations providing kids with the opportunity to discover new skills and have fun. Rafting, mud hut building, music masterclasses, parkour, science, disc golf, night walks, slack-lining, bush craft skills, art workshops, sports camp, kayaking, orienteering, pond dipping, drama workshops, climbing wall and more are all included in the price of the ticket. The Green People Woodland Spa is already taking bookings for luxurious festival pampering. It's possible to prebook supervised sports or arts camp sessions via the website so that the kids are taken care of while parents relax. The Double Decker Hot Tub Bus is back as well. As for the music lineup, think Gypsy, folk, blues, rock, cajun, swing, dance and classical. "We're super excited about the line up this year and think we have something for everyone. We also welcome a unique performance being curated on site by East Sussex Music Service as part of the BBC Ten Pieces, as well as the winners of our Youth Music Competition," says Greenwood. 5: Food and Drink: We have some of the finest local food providers at Elderflower Fields this year. Some regular favourites and a few new surprises to enjoy. All supplying affordable high quality meals. We've worked hard with suppliers to ensure all diets are catered for - especially the kids. The cocktail bar will be back with a new stage and late music for the night owls and two further bars will be serving up craft beers, local ales, ciders and more... As the organisers are parents themselves they must know the value of having time to relax and unwind... Happy families from the last three years can vouch for that. Some of the reviews of Elderflower Fields include these rather positive vibes: . "The festival was populated by happy families replete with festival cheer and zillions of small children enjoying their free-range festie-freedom. Pippingford Park is an amazing venue surrounded by some of the most beautiful nature in the south of England, well away from the hustle and bustle of daily life." Could this be paradise found for families? For more information and to buy tickets, visit elderflowerfields.co.uk . - Adult weekend tickets from £95 . - Child weekend tickets from £45 . - Under 5's go free .
target: Family festival is located in Pippingford Park in the Ashdown Forest .
  Music includes a wide range of local bands and dance tents in the woods .
  Food is locally sourced, and there's a picnic on Sunday with a free hamper .
  Stressed out parents can head for the woodland spa while their little ones play sport or do art classes .