MANY music festivals label themselves as family friendly but when it boils down to it there are few open-air events that have young children truly in mind.

Even when festivals are aimed squarely at youngsters they can become little more than a live version of CBeebies where daytime TV stars dominate a noisy stage.

That is all well and good but what makes Just So – an arts festival organised by social enterprise group Wild Rumpus – so special and different is that nurturing the imagination and creativity of little ones is at the forefront.

Held at Rode Hall in Scholar Green, we are lucky to have it in Cheshire.

There are no headliners as such. Instead you encounter sideshows, activities and workshops while making whimsical discoveries along the way.

And Just So’s 5,000 festival-goers are just as much part of the show thanks to the ‘tribal tournament’ where families are encouraged to pledge allegiance to a ‘tribe’ and show their colours by dressing up as the likes of foxes, frogs or fish.

It gives the festival such a distinct style and brings out the big kid in people of any age.

Arguably the best way to experience Just So is to walk around and explore because there is something around every corner.

The Rode Hall estate is such a charming location for the festival.

Part of the event is held in the woods where my four-year-old discovered clay faces staring back at him from the trees from a previous craft session.

We sang along with children’s musician and BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award finalist David Gibb at a lovingly created forest stage.

Then, as we ventured further into the woods, we met a man who was cunningly disguised as a bush who stopped us to say hello. Yep, that is just your typical early afternoon at Just So where families all come away with a different experience.

Everyone we met seemed genuinely passionate about what they were doing and there also seemed to be a bit of a bike theme this year.

My son also enjoyed a pedal powered merry-go-round while the open air production Bicycle Boy – about family bonds, the passage of time and, well, bikes – was our highlight.

Early bird tickets for Just So Festival 2019 are on sale on Friday. Visit justsofestival.org.uk