About Time: You Went to Wilderness Festival, OxfordshireBy Iona Goulder
This year Wilderness Festival returns for its seventh summer with a fantastic array of new offerings. Once again Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire will be transformed into an all-singing all-dancing world of music, talks and long table feasts. We’ll be reviewing the festival in full this year, but here’s what we know so far:
Wilderness Festival: The Accommodation
The original place to stay is Cornbury park itself, you can walk from the campsites to the festival each day and swim in the lakes in the morning. Of course, there’s also a range of more boutique options including bell tents and summer lodges. Those looking for something a little different – there’s a campsite for van-dwellers, companies like Spaceship Rentals have a great range of really fun and affordable camper vans that you can drive to the festival a la Max and Paddy.
Wilderness Festival: The Music
Two Door Cinema Club open proceedings as Friday’s headliners, whilst Grace Jones heads up Saturday night: her first ever Wilderness appearance. Meanwhile, BBC Music host the Swedish sibling duo First Aid Kit and BRIT-nominated Londoner, Michael Kiwanuka. When the sun goes down there will be sets from Jackmaster, Warp Records’ Nightmares on Wax, dubstep pioneer Artwork and silky disco outfit Crazy P.
Wilderness Festival: The Food
Wilderness have lead the way in terms of food changing the very definition of festival dining. This year they’ve invited the brightest names in the culinary game to create unique feasting for hundreds in an idyllic setting. The chefs announced so far are Yotam Ottolenghi, Chiltern Firehouse wunderkind Nuno Mendes, and restaurateur and Guardian columnist Thomasina Miers. You can book tickets for the banquets here.
Wilderness Festival: Wellness
To complement the programme of everything from music, theatre, dance, cabaret and comedy, Wilderness have curated a tranquil realm of wellbeing. In their seventh year they will welcome masterclasses from eminent yoga leaders, workshops from renowned health experts, and specially designed programmes from celebrated experts. Seeing as they’re settled on the banks of a lake, the Wilderness Lakeside Spa is set to return for 2017. The Lakeside Spa is an ideal spot for a relaxing wood-fired hot tub, and to help ease the festival hangover.
Wilderness Festival will run from August 3rd – 7th August 2017. For more information and to buy tickets – visit Wilderness’ website here.
