One of the most beautiful festivals in the UK is nestled in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside. Wilderness Festival is a frivolous escape for a weekend of debauchery in this scenic Cotswolds setting. A festival for the bouijier crowd – it’s a celebration of the arts and the outdoors. Described as “wholesome and hedonistic, serene and silly” – it has everything from raves in a valley deep in the woods, to yoga, meditation and hot tubs at the lake, banquet halls, comedy and talks and much more.
This year’s festival saw the likes of Faithless, Michael Kiwanuka, Jessie Ware and BICEP headlining, with DJ sets from Barry Can’t Swim and Eats Everything, and performances from acts including De La Soul and The Teskey Brothers. The line-up is always eclectic and melds perfectly with the frivolous games and shows including cabaret and naked cricket matches that you won’t want to miss.
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Sound interesting? Read on my festival guide to Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire and find out everything you need to know before you visit, including how to plan your stay.
>> Don’t forget to check out my festival guides and articles here
Going to Wilderness Festival 2025? Here’s where you can find:
Essentials for Wilderness Festival |
| Get Wilderness Festival 2025 Tickets |
| Find cheap trains to Wilderness |
| Find hotels for Wilderness |
| Shop my festival essentials |
| Get an eSIM for Wilderness |
What is the vibe like at Wilderness Festival?
Wilderness Festival is one of the most relaxed festivals I have been to with the most beautiful campsites. We stayed in the camper van campsite and instantly made friends with our neighbours which set the tone for the weekend. The crowd is very posh with names like Tarquin and Isabella being called through the crowd. It’s a very family-friendly festival so you’ll see lots of children dancing in the crowd and playing in the kid’s areas.
Everyone was very friendly and we met lots of great people around the festival grounds, but it’s definitely a really mixed crowd with some attending for the banquets, poetry and yoga on the lake, while others are there for the naked cricket, the wild cabaret and raving after dark in The Valley. Either way, there’s plenty of space for everyone and one thing I loved was that the whole festival grounds felt so relaxed and so did security. I think there’s little need for active security at a festival like this and so the relaxed feel really permeates the overall festival vibe.
Is Wilderness Festival the Poshest Festival in the UK?
Wilderness Festival is by far one of the most luxurious events on the UK festival scene with celebrities at every turn. It is somewhat of a middle-class meet-up for boujie pals who love love playing cricket in the buff, joining yoga retreats at taking cooking classes with leading chefs. However… as boujie as Wilderness Festival is (and it is boujie) but it is not the poshest festival I have been to in the UK. That title actually goes to Wyndstock – the anti-festival which was designed for those too posh for festivals. A country house party held at Houghton Hall in Norfolk with cocktail parties, banquets and croquet on the lawn and even a fake fox hunt (it’s a guy dressed up as a fox) to keep everyone entertained. Sadly it hasn’t been held again since 2013 but wow, what a festival it was!
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Get Tickets For Wilderness Festival
Wilderness Festival 2025 will be held on 31st July to 3rd August in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. Tickets are already on sale for the festival with a range of camping options available. If you have been to the festival before, make sure you register for a discount with loyalty tickets before September 30th 2024.
> Read these tips for 19 Ways To Get Free Festival Tickets
- Weekend Camping – General Adult Ticket (18yrs & Over) – £278
- Weekend Camping – General Teen Ticket (13-17yrs) – £145
- Weekend Camping – General Junior Ticket (6-12yrs) – £45
- Weekend Camping – General Child Ticket (0-5yrs) – £12
There are also payment plan options available for tickets.
Everything You Need To Know For Wilderness Festival
Planning to go to Wilderness Festival 2025? Here’s everything you need to know before you buy a ticket, answering the most popular questions about the UK festival:
How many people attend Wilderness Festival?
Wilderness Festival 2024 welcomed a crowd of 30,000 for a weekend of debauchery in the Cotswolds. The festival has grown since 2022 when it hosted just 10,000 festival-goers. It is still considered a boutique festival but is growing each year.
How much alcohol can you bring into Wilderness Festival?
The alcohol limitations are fairly standard for a UK music festival, you can take 12 cans beer, lager, cider or pre-mixed drinks OR 2 bottles of wine (decanted into plastic bottles) per person. Or you can take a combination of the two i.e. 6 cans and 1 bottle. Strictly no spirits or hard liquor. You can also take alcohol freely into the festival from the campsites.
Top tip: If you’re going to the festival in a camper van, you can easily take in what you want as they don’t check and patrols in the campsite are few and far between.
Is Wilderness Festival family friendly?
Yes! Wilderness is one of the most family-friendly festivals I have seen. There are so many amazing activities for children to enjoy and whole areas for them to be entertained away from the main crowds. Activities for families include sensory raves, games and dance sessions, family theatre, circus, clowning and much more. Everything is bright and colourful and engaging. It’s also a very safe festival for them to be running around. Think of it as a great family alternative to a holiday!
Are there showers at Wilderness festival?
Yes there are showers at Wilderness Festival and they were the most used out of any festival I have attended! All of the campsites some with toilets, showers and water stations so make sure you pack a refillable water bottle.
Is Wilderness Festival cashless?
The festival is cashless so don’t worry about carrying cash – all bars, food vendors and shops will take card payments only. Don’t keep all your cards or money in one place – it is a safe festival but you don’t want to risk losing it all, or it being stolen.
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How To Get To Wilderness Festival
The best ways to travel to Wilderness Festival are by car, by train or by coach to make use of the festival shuttle buses that will be running throughout the weekend. When planning your journey, remember to try and make it as sustainable as possible. If you’re driving, one option is to use Liftshare to fill up your car. Here’s everything you need to know:
Driving to Wilderness Festival
The festival site is very spread out with multiple gates depending on which campsite you are staying in, so many sure to use the right postcode for the corresponding gate:
> Hire a car to get to Wilderness Festival
- OX7 3HL – Blue Gate – Cranehill Lodge (Family, Live-In Vehicle & Accessibility Camping)
- OX7 3DF – Red Gate – Witney Road (General, Quiet & Grove Camping)
- OX7 3EW – Green Gate – Southill Drive (Boutique & Meadow Camping & Bike Park)
- OX7 3EH – Yellow Gate – North Lodge (Pedestrians only)
Every vehicle at the festival must have an applicable Car Park Pass which can be booked in advance for is a £26 charge on arrival – this fee is part of the carbon offsetting and sustainability measures of the festival. >> Book yours now
Get the Coach to Wilderness
Big Green Coach are operating a festival return service from London Victoria Coach Station and London Richmond.
Catch a Train & Shuttle Bus to Wilderness Festival
The nearest train station to the festival is Charlbury Station and there are regular trains from London Paddington throughout the weekend which take 1.5 hours. There are shuttle buses that run throughout the weekend from the train station to the festival which cost £5-8 depending on a single ticket or return and are cash only. Please note there are two drop-off points within the festival so make sure you choose the right one for your campsite.
>> Get your train tickets for Wilderness now
Where to Stay and Camping at Wilderness Festival
There are a huge range of camping options available at the Cornbury Park site to suit every festival-goer. You have to book your festival ticket alongside your camping option, so make sure to check here before you buy a ticket and make sure you’ll be based where you want to be.
- General Camping
- Family Camping
- Live-In Vehicle Camping
- Boutique Camping
- Meadow Camping
- Grove Camping
- Quiet Camping
- Accessible Camping
If you don’t want to stay on-site, you can also check out >> hotels near Wilderness Festival
Here’s some recommendations for places to stay close to the festival site:
Festival Fashion and Essentials for Wilderness Festival
Bring all of your sparkle to Wilderness Festival – the outfits are fabulous and you’ll want to come prepared. Although don’t worry if you don’t have time to think outfits before, you can also shop at the festivals and there’s some amazing stalls – just prepare your bank balance for a spanking! I had the best time getting dolled up for this festival as everyone just looks so sparkly and gorgeous! Here’s my festival favourites for Wilderness:
- Suncream! It was 30ºC every day when we were there and there’s actually not as much shade if you don’t want to miss your favourite acts so be sure to pack sunscreen and actually use it! > Shop my favourite suncream for under makeup!
- Festival hat – I had so many comments on my “sparkly captain” hat – it’s one of my fave festival accessories >> Shop my fave festival hat
- A fabulous sparkly outfit! If you’ve ever dreamed of wearing something – this is the place to do it! Go skimpy, go out there, go crazy and have fun! >> Shop my fave sparkly festival outfit
- A good pair of festival shoes or boots – comfort is important when you’re on your feet for the whole weekend dancing! > Shop my fave festival shoes
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SIM Cards in Wilderness Festival
Don’t you hate when you get crappy phone signal at a music festival and you can’t get hold of your friends? Don’t get stuck at Wilderness Festival with bad signal – try these hot tips:
- Get a temporary SIM card which you just use for the weekend
- Get an eSIM with Airalo to use during the festival
eSIMs are super quick and easy to use, you can find out more about how to install and use them in this extensive guide:
> Best eSIM For Solo Female Travellers To Beat Roaming Charges
