‘Molly’s First Festival’ is a children’s book about a family’s first trip to a music festival, and was self-published in June 2023, after a successful crowdfunding campaign. The story was written and illustrated by Katherine O’Shea, with the aim of providing a reassuring and entertaining story for children and parents who are sharing this experience together.

It was created entirely independently, and featured in a kids’ TV special filmed at the Glastonbury Festival by children’s channel  CBeebies

All the artwork was created by hand using pencils and watercolours, taking nearly nine months. There are are also real families drawn within the artwork, since several crowdfund donors were offered this as a reward for their support, making it a unique project with a direct connection to the real-life festival-loving families that helped make it happen.
This exhibition will be a chance to see some original hand-drawn book illustrations, but more than this, it will be an opportunity to share the inspiring story behind the book, and be a celebration of festivals and all those families who go to them.