The Wilderness Festival, situated in the picturesque Cornbury Park on the edge of the Cotswolds, is considered one of the most posh festivals in the United Kingdom. With a focus on not just music but food, talks, and entertainment, it attracts a diverse crowd. Wander around the festival and you’ll find Femme Again, a group of three women in pink cowboy hats, lip-syncing to Shania Twain, while at the nearby sports ground, two teams have a dance-off over who will play dodgeball first.
Against this backdrop, audiences at the festival do not seem out of place in their unique expressions. Major electronica-funk group, Ibibio Sound Machine had the audience hyped up, while the Scottish DJ, Barry Can’t Swim, played emotional house music. Even Faithless, a 1990s dance group, blended in with their heavy metal cover of Joy Division‘s Love Will Tear Us Apart. The band transitioned seamlessly between house and thumping rock.
Some might argue that Wilderness is middle-class, but with general camping tickets priced at £278, it isn’t any more expensive than any other popular festival. The food trucks are also relatively affordable. There are luxurious dining experiences available, but these aren’t a requirement. Plebs also deserve nice things, don’t they?
Wilderness is not all about music; it offers a creative and immersive experience, as seen with the addition of “The Riddle,” a dance tent and bar built around trees that sprouted up to the rafters, which shows the joining of the two sides of the festival. However, by night, the festival turns into a party paradise, with visitors flooding the hedonistic strip known as The Valley, deep in the woods, leading to a triangular stage blasting out house and techno.
The festival also features House of Sublime, a burlesque tent that hosts BDSM dominatrix shows, with cage dancing and other over-the-top performances. By day, the festival has some family-friendly activities, such as swimming in the tree-lined lake, as well as the vast range of gastronomic experiences available.
While the lineup of the Wilderness Festival is not as star-studded compared to other festivals in the country, with Michael Kiwanuka and Bicep as the big draws, it doesn’t fall short in terms of experience. It’s a festival for those who seek pure escapism, whether it is family-friendly or hedonistic
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