![The Diary: Gentleman’s Journal heads to Wilderness Festival 2024](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vxy259ii/production/3ecd47454313ea545ea40d8d74109d99827bbdbb-2700x1800.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=max&q=80&w=1350)
Words: Gentleman's Journal
Jessie Ware declared it her “favourite new festival”, and for Barry Can’t Swim, his first time in Oxfordshire was “proper nice man”: at this year’s edition of Wilderness Festival, the headliners were in as high as spirits as the attendees – who ranged from outdoor enthusiasts to dedicated foodies to thrill-seeking hedonists and, of course, all of the above.
The four-day festival, held at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire, attracted revellers of all ages with its jam-packed schedule, which featured everything from luxurious banquets hosted by the likes of Meera Sodha and Josh Angus to sultry burlesque shows complete with cage dancing.
Guests spent their days lolling about in the extensive parklands, swimming and boating in the tree-lined lake and listening to inspiring talks by the likes of Olivia Colman, before dusting off their dancing shoes for a series of epic live performances and DJ events.
Highlights included performances by the soulful Michael Kiwanuka; the iconic Alison Goldfrapp, who had festival goers swaying their hips to her noughties classic “Ooh La La”; and electronic duo Bicep. This year’s festival also saw the highly anticipated launch of The Riddle, a music venue built around a secret garden with a dance floor at its centre.
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