Get ready for a Hive of playful adventures, creative workshops and hands-on fun for all ages.
Create a one-of-a-kind outfit from scrap materials before joining the much-loved Scrap Parade, or explore our classic playground favourites alongside loose parts play, where imagination leads the way. Throw, catch, climb, build, draw and make – the choice is yours.
Enjoy workshops designed to delight the senses, sing and dance with us, or step into our interactive storytelling space. Fancy running away with the circus? Learn some new skills with our wonderful circus teacher, Panda, before taking to the stage at Saturday’s Hive Show & Tell open floor. What will you share? A story? A dance? A song? We can’t wait to see this year’s show-stopping moments.
There’s plenty more to discover too, including face painting, our Ping Pong Patch, collaborative games, games you can invent yourself, and Bibbidybop Beats – where recycled treasures become musical instruments under one cosy, colourful, covered canvas.
Play isn’t just for children. We’ve got games for grown-ups too, because everyone deserves a chance to play. There’ll be plenty of seating for tired dancing feet, and lots of entertainment to enjoy while supervising your little ones as they explore alongside our friendly, skilled Hive facilitators.
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Our play space has been built using ethically sourced timber from Pippingford park and a sustainably managed woodland in Hereford, with all production offcuts thoughtfully repurposed into our play equipment and installations. Much of our décor comes from reclaimed materials, and the majority of the resources used throughout the space have been recycled. Building, making and creating from what others might throw away is what makes us buzz.
Come and discover our interactive play structures, where art, nature and the elements come together to inspire curiosity, creativity and joyful play.
You’ll find us next to the Dragonfly Pub. Check out what’s on, plan your weekend of play, and drop in anytime from morning until early evening.
Bring your good vibrations to The Hive!
Our free-flowing play space is open throughout the day, inviting children and adults alike to explore, create and play at their own pace.
Available all day:
The Hive is designed to spark imagination through playful provocations. Build towering creations with our foam blocks, cover our Drawing Wall with colourful masterpieces, or experiment with sound on the Echo Sound Sculpture, where reclaimed materials become instruments for spontaneous music-making. It’s a favourite with visitors of every age.
Our larger play pieces can be enjoyed solo or shared with friends. Challenge someone to a game on the Big Throw, create hilarious combinations with the Head, Body & Legs board, or invent entirely new ways to play.
Rather than telling people how to play, we create an environment that encourages curiosity, choice and creativity. Everyone is free to follow their own ideas, take ownership of their play and discover what brings them joy. Happy, engaged children (and happy, relaxed grown-ups) are what it’s all about.
Come and make memories together at The Hive.
We still have our dress we made last year!
Best play area at any festival I’ve been to.
So original and different.
Never seen so much free play for the kids…genius idea.
It’s made our festival – it’s been really special – thank you so much.
I just love all the activities and play equipment – everyone seems really happy and occupied.
This is a great invention! Who came up with this?
Friday & Saturday, 2pm | Sunday, 11am
Join Caroline for a gentle, creative workshop in our new dedicated Sensory Space. Returning to The Hive with nature mobiles, leaf printing and homemade playdough, you’ll have the chance to slow down, get creative and make something beautiful to help decorate The Hive for the weekend.
Find out more about Caroline and her work at www.mycelianetwork.co.uk.
Saturday & Sunday, 11am
Start your festival day with a stretch, a shake and a smile. Join Tamara for an uplifting dance workshop that gets bodies moving and spirits soaring. Wake up, find your rhythm and dance your way into another joyful day at The Hive.
Saturday, 3pm | Sunday, 4pm
Step into a world of imagination with Lydia in this interactive storytelling workshop. Together we’ll create characters, build magical worlds and weave stories through collaborative play. Expect drama games, hands-on creativity and plenty of laughter as words leap from the page into the fields of Pippingford Park.
Whether you’re an experienced storyteller or simply curious, come and discover the magic of creating together. You might even leave with something to perform at our Show & Tell Open Floor.
Saturday & Sunday, 1pm
Experience the joy of singing together with Laura from Singmeraki. Through simple, welcoming songs and shared voices, you’ll discover the uplifting power of group singing and the wonderful vibrations created when we sing as one.
No experience needed – just bring yourself. Everyone is welcome.
The Junk Robots are back!
Join our electronics mastermind, Hemma, to explore the fascinating world hidden inside our electrical items. Wiggle some wires, discover what circuit boards do and build your very own Junk Robot.
Visit The Hive crew on-site to find out when you can join the fun.
We’re delighted to introduce a day full of art-inspired creative play on Sunday with the new Art Playground. Expect paint swings, printing slides, pastel play and the return of our wonderfully messy splatter catapults – Splatterpults if you will! It’s all about experimenting, creating and embracing the joy of making. Expect to get messy.
Need a quieter moment? Our new Sensory Space offers a calm retreat within The Hive. Nestled inside a cosy bell tent, it’s a welcoming place to unwind, enjoy nature-inspired crafts, watch colours dance across the canvas, curl up with a storybook or simply take a break from the festival buzz. It’s also a comfortable space for parents to breastfeed or spend some peaceful time together.
The Hive is growing! We’re expanding the play area with even more interactive play pieces and games for 2026. Look forward to new climbing opportunities, an extended Ball Run, a tactile Velcro Board and plenty of fresh surprises waiting to be discovered.
Come and explore what’s new. We can’t wait to play!
Covering 6,500 acres of heathland and woodland surrounding Pippingford Park, Ashdown Forest is bursting with wildlife, from the tiny Silver-studded Blue butterfly to the mysterious European Nightjar. It’s a magical landscape with plenty of opportunities for curious minds, young and old, to explore and discover.And don’t forget Winnie-the-Pooh, who lived just down the road in Hartfield and had many of…
Hindleap Warren Outdoor Centre is a residential outdoor learning centre set in the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, run by the charity London Youth. It provides families, young people and children with the opportunity to build confidence, resilience and independence through meaningful time in nature. Set within over 300 acres of private woodland, young people can take part in over…
An evolving playspace where, together with you, we create a cauldron of fun, get silly and sandy, build friendships and blow our imaginations. What to expect? A rambunctious range of games and activities: scrap craft, clay creations and loose parts play for all to try, a chance to build fantastical creatures from recycled wood with Seed of Play, try your…
Ashdown Forest is a premier walking destination in East Sussex, offering vast, open heathland, tranquil woodlands, and sweeping views. Popular with hikers, the area features numerous trails, along with The Ashdown Forest Foundation, we will offer 3 mapped routes – 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes to explore the heathland and surrounding beauty from Pippingford and back to site.…
Before the day gets going, pop down to the nest for informal chatter, crafts and a nice cup of tea. The perfect way to ease yourself into the good vibrations.
A chance for you to perform on our Hive stage. Be it a song or a dance, a trick or a treat, we welcome all performers big and small to share what they wish. A polished piece or an improvised moment, you’ll get an encouraging audience and a boost of confidence to boot. Expect a small performance by the Hive…
Founded in 1972 the Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity and a leading voice in bringing the UK’s trees and woodlands to the attention of Government, land owners and the public. With a supporter base of half a million they were the first and remain the most significant contributor to woodland protections, restoration and creation in the UK.
For fitness fanatics attending this year’s festival, we have partnered with Run & Rave to host a 5K run on the Saturday morning of the festival. The run will be leaving from the bottom of the site at 11am, the trail will go across The Ashdown Forest, a perfect opportunity to dust off Friday night and prepare the body and mind for the…
Travel down the high street and past the Root, trough our peace garden you will find the Wild Spa. With stunning views over the Ashdown Forest, the Spa will boast Hot-Tubs, a Sauna, Massage and a plunge pool.
Celebrate 100 years of Winnie the Pooh with the world’s foremost expert and long standing owner of Pooh Corner Neil Reed. Explore the history behind Christopher Robin and the most famous bear to ever live on the Ashdown Forest!
We’re delighted to introduce a day full of art-inspired creative play on Sunday with the new Art Playground. Expect paint swings, printing slides, pastel play and the return of our wonderfully messy splatter catapults – Splatterpults if you will! It’s all about experimenting, creating and embracing the joy of making. Expect to get messy.
Let your creativity take you on a journey of junk modelling – make a festival accessory, design your own mandala or create a box robot… Make anything you want at our table of scrap items available for your use throughout the day.
This year at Good Vibrations Festival, the Hundred Acre Wood comes alive once more, and you’re warmly invited to step inside. A hundred years on, the forest is still whispering its secrets. Bears and tigers roam beside owls and piglets; hidden words wait in the trees; gifts sleep inside honey pots; ferns unfurl fractal visions; and somewhere deep in the…
Amrutha is more than a place to eat; it’s an invitation to sit, share and belong. Our philosophy is built around abundance, generosity and the ritual as old as time of gathering at a communal space where food is the centrepiece, but connection is the purpose. Drop in for an informal cooking lesson on Saturday and Sunday from 10am. Free…
Large scale items for a mega loose parts play activity. What will you build with tubs and tubes and fabric and rope? The idea with loose parts is that there is no set purpose, it is the children’s inventiveness and creativity that makes for endlessly different and imaginative journey of play. Play is a process, the product is of less…
Friday afternoon The Hive will host some big group games for young and old contenders. Bring your game faces and join The Games!
The Circus is back in town! We are delighted Panda is returning for another year of helping us build some circus skills. Join us Saturday 3pm at the Hive.Open to all, big and small! Try your luck at juggling, diablo, plate spinning, staff spinning and balancing things on your head with Panda the multi-talented performer and dynamic teacher of circus…
Begin your festival weekend in The Root. Come together as a group, enjoy a hit of ceremonial-grade cacao and dance your way into the weekend. Cacao’s reputation is that of a gentle yet powerful Earth medicine, containing many beneficial nutrients and goodness, perfect for these times. Cacao has been known to open your heart, create happy states, release negative emotions,…
