Festival season is well underway – and there’s one event in the English countryside that offers so much more than most. Why not join the beautiful glittered-up ravers at Wilderness?
The Oxfordshire festival promises a unique festival experience full of good music, laughter, a wide palette of cuisine, relaxation, and adventure. A “four-day party like no other” offering “escapism, high jinks and wholesome hedonism” – what better way to welcome in the last few weeks of the summer sunshine?
Where else can you see coveted headliners like Michael Kiwanuka alongside naked streakers prancing across a cricket match? With a stacked line-up full of live music acts, DJs, comedy, talks, banquets, wellness sessions, sports, and more; the phrase ‘there’s something for everyone’ has never been more fitting.
Music lovers: here are eight reasons why you need to go to Wilderness 2024
The iconic headliners
Wilderness Festival will is being headlined by four true champs of summer 2024
After a stunning Glastonbury set, Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka just shared the powerful and earth-moving ‘Floating Parade‘ (made with Danger Mouse and regular collaborator Inflo) – so expect that to be a peak in a set loaded with highlights.
Dance legends Faithless are back, launching new album ‘Champion Sound‘ and returning to live music for the first time since the death of frontman Maxi Jazz in 2022 – kicking a new era in their storied history. Then there’s BICEP’s Chroma AV show (one of the best live spectacles on the dance circuit) and Jessie Ware bringing the disco euphoria, still riding the high of her NME 4-star-rated 2023 album ‘That! Feels Good!’. As bill-toppers go, you won’t feel much better.
The idyllic countryside location
Wilderness takes place in the scenic Cornbury Park; an estate near Charlbury, Oxfordshire, that boasts around 5000 acres of luscious green fields, woodlands and a remnant of the Wychwood Forest. Spectacularly decorated to boot, the festival lives up to its name yet is only two hours away by train from London. Get an eyeful of this and truly escape.
It’s family-friendly – but still a raucous and hedonistic rendezvous
Making use of its expansive and wild site, Wilderness takes place across different arenas, multiple campsites, plenty of glamping options, kid-friendly areas, open-water river swimming, saunas by the water, and a whole lot more.
There’s the annual cricket match (frequently interrupted by naked streakers), hip-hop karaoke, flamboyant brass bands and more. There’s something for everyone of all ages, but it doesn’t take away from the free-spirited and fun nature of the whole festival.
The best new talent on intimate stages
There’s no better feeling of smugness than boasting about catching a new act before they blew up. You’ll certainly get that chance after Wilderness with Tara Lily, Aanya Martin, Nell Mescal, Kit Sebastian, Richard The Fourth, Chartreuse, Temm, and more all playing some of the smaller areas and stages.
Tired of stadium fuss and big crowds? Take a step back to immersing yourself in the intimacy of cosy stages and recalibrate your relationship with live music. Take a deep breath, and put some new names on your radar.
The wellbeing and spa facilities
Rarely does a festival make you feel both refreshed and energised as well as satisfied from a weekend of partying. There’s a huge range of spa and wellbeing facilities, classes, experiences and activities at Wilderness – and no better place to experience things such as yoga, pilates, breathwork workshops, and tantric communication classes than the beautiful British countryside. Shake that hangover off and go home feeling a lot more mindful.
There’s some really good eating to be had
World-class chefs are invited to Cornbury Park to provide a fine-dining culinary experience, including meat-free chef Meera Sodha and Michelin-star legends Richard Corrigan and Chantelle Nicholson – who will all be hosting banquet dinner parties on-site.
If boujee banqueting isn’t your thing, don’t fret as there is a huge host of street food vendors splattered across the entire festival site. Expect burgers, bhajis, tacos and tempura. You won’t go hungry or be lacking in choice.
More than music: great comedy and inspiring talks
Entertainment personalities, politicians and comedians including Rosie Jones, Claudia Winkleman, Jess Phillips MP, and Lee Peart will be taking the stage at Wilderness for talks and live comedy shows.
Letters Live – a regular event at the festival that has found fans in grand halls across the world – is not to be missed. Each year, celebrity guests are welcomed onto stage to read out some of the most interesting letter correspondence ever written. Who reads them out to you is a total surprise, as are the contents of the letters. Past Letters Live Wilderness performers have included Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Sir Ben Kingsley.
The fun goes on late into the night…
The fun doesn’t stop when darkness hits and the headliners close up, as dexterous DJs will keep the music and energy going well into the early hours. Over at The Valley, a forest amphitheatre 18+ only area of the festival dedicated to late-night revelry, DJs such as Sarah Story, Saint Ludo, Barry Can’t Swim, Special Request and Ewan McVicar will keep you going into the next morning.
There are also hidden pockets of the festival which bloom brighter after that sun goes down, including The House of Sublime, which hosts award-winning cabarets and contemporary drag acts – promising a queer-centric experience that “coalesces Ibiza vibes and Berlin avant-garde.”
Wilderness Festival takes place from August 1-4 at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire. Visit here for tickets and more information.