The festival is brand new, so i knew it would be small and was comfortable taking the kids by myself, unlike some of the bigger events like Floydfest. i also like supporting the community in these types of events and festivals, especially when they are just starting out.
The festival grounds were beautiful! It was really a nice area for a music festival. With lots of open space, rolling hills and beautiful scenery. The stage was perfect for the event. They had a dancing platform set up for clogging. The first performers were children from the Floyd Music school. It was really neat to see many local children we know perform. Three kids from my son's karate class are also involved with the music school. So it was neat for him to see them up on stage.
There was free face painting for the kids, and a very nice man (dressed as a clown, Eek!) making balloon animals. :) Lots of local vendors, handcrafters and artists. We did our part to support the food vendors. We enjoyed homemade ice cream, kettle corn and fresh squeezed lemonade with fresh strawberries. :) We also packed our own lunches, and brought plenty of snacks. There were lots of food options for those who didn't.
i admit, my kids didn't enjoy sitting in the hot sun listening to the music. So we spent a good deal of time wandering. i was a bit disappointed that festival was advertised as having lots of kids activities...but their really wasn't much for the kids...except running wild across the festival grounds. The Roanoke Kite company brought kites to demonstrate, but the kids were not allowed to fly them. There was a fenced off area with a sign that said "Kids Area" but apparently the person incharge of the kids activities failed to show up, at least that is what we were told. So the area was empty, and there was no real activities for the kids. We were not looking for much, just some swings..maybe a sandbox or a few arts and crafts. We would have normally brought some things like bubbles or coloring books...but because i had seen so much emphasis on 'kid activities and games for the kids' we didn't.
It wasn't until an awesome woman showed up with a bunch of hula hoops, that my kids stopped complaining and started having fun. This gave me the chance to sit back and enjoy the music.
Sage was too small for the hula hoops, which were water weighted...but still found a way to have fun with them.
My boy has a natural talent for hula hopping! i was very impressed. It was his first time hula hopping, and he quickly mastered one hula hoop and moved on to two!
There were lots of amazing artists, and i wish we had some extra money to spend. We enjoyed checking out work from many local artists and crafters like Thomas Baldwin Violins and Phelps Pottery. 
This woodworker was giving demonstrations of his carving. He started off using a chainsaw, it was pretty neat.
The kids also enjoyed the hay ride, and the weather was absolutely perfect for the festival. We really enjoyed ourselves. It was a really nice little festival, with a great family feel. i'm looking forward to seeing what other festivals and events they have in the future.
You can get more info about Chantilly Festival Farm on their blog, and on facebook.
Yay for your Summer holidays! Looks like a fun time. I love your childrens tops
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