BABIES rubbed shoulders with the bonkers and the truly bizarre to make Camp Bestival 2012 the most memorable yet.

As the Cultural Olympiad unfolded just down the road in Weymouth and Portland , the rain stayed away and the sun streamed down at last, festival goers made the most of a weekend of non-stop, rainbow-coloured entertainment designed to keep all ages and tastes happy and occupied.

And despite a wealth of contemporary fun and games at Lulworth Castle , the traditional Olympics were not ignored.

Danny Boyle’s magnificent opening ceremony was applauded by a crowd of thousands sitting and standing on the grass as it was shown on two big screens at the festival site in the exotic, lantern-lit dusk.

And Camp Bestival’s annual trademark fancy dress request was Olympic-themed, which resulted in several large men wearing togas and golden laurel wreaths while children of all ages came dressed as their athletic heroes and even the Olympic torch itself.

While adults enjoyed music from acts such as Earth Wind and Fire and Kool and the Gang on Saturday night’s disco-themed main stage and Adam Ant on Friday, the children were kept well occupied by a host of activities and performances.

If pop star heroes Rizzle Kicks, Nile Rogers, Jimmy Cliff and Stooshe were there to keep older revelers happy, the real heroes for many were Mr Tumble and Dick and Dom.

The true magic of Camp Bestival lies in its diversity, in entertainment, in food, in everything. Kids could make splatter art and watch Fantastic Mr Fox the opera while adults chilled in the Bollywood pavilion, learned the lindy hop or undertook some light yoga.

Teenagers of both sexes were also well catered for with a BMX freestyle sports area where they could watch some pretty cool biking, boarding and free running, while next door the Wall of Death motorbike arena provided plenty of thrills and – mercifully – no spills.

Rob da Bank’s Camp Bestival has been a success for five years and is one of the few sold-out festivals on this year’s circuit.

With so much to do here and literally every age group catered for – there was a very newborn baby that slept through Pig’s Big Ballroom bonanza late on Saturday night as well as grandparents grooving away to Chic – you can see why it remains such a success. Crowds were gearing up to welcome Madchester legends Happy Mondays last night as this year’s festival came to its climax.

The reformed group were the headline act of a sold-out weekend at Lulworth Castle that had something for everyone.

Andy Foster, visiting with a group of family and friends, said: “Two Bears were awesome, and Stooshe.

“It’s really clean and safe.”

Daughter Holly, 11, added: “Stooshe were really good and I like the Ferris Wheel as well. It’s a really good festival feel. There’s a nice combination of stalls as well.”