Review: Wilderness Festival 2016

 
Art & Culture

It's coming to the end of festival season, energy is at a low, we've been wearing too many shit shirts and killed too many brain cells already. However, into the abyss once more, we rallied ourselves to enter the wild. This was Wilderness 2016. 

Living up to the name, activities on offer ranged from archery, political debates to hot yoga. Middleclass? Yes, but affordable. We felt it best to throw ourselves into the midst of the unknown, picking up a few previously unknown skills along the way. Who said festivals were simply for drinking and dancing? Nobody told Wilderness. 

Campsite dwellers consisted of varying age groups, from families with children to regular ravers. This was very much a step away from your typical piss up in the English countryside. However strange that left us feeling at first, we soon grew to realise the positives of the circumstancial clientele surrounding us, soon concluding that the standard IQ level across the site would save us the worry of someone taking a leak against the side of my tent in the middle of the night. A win for all.

Set in the scenic fields of Oxfordshire there is a lot to value in the location of the festival site. Where else can you wake up to jump in to a lake at a festival in the UK? This quickly became part of the status quo when getting over the evening before's antics. Maybe it's time to invest in a paddling pond for our flat back in London? 

Across the course of the weekend the quality of music was next to none with the likes of Goldie, Tourist, The Comet Is Coming and Glass Animals all taking to the stage.We developed a routine which involved us bouncing from the main stage to pre-arranged fun: tequila town, hot yoga and feasting on a grand table with people you've just met was all part of the experience with the only downside being that you were required to book in advance.

Of a night The Valley sprung to life. Disc Jockeys kept people moving all night long, or at least for as long as licensing allowed for, four in the morning is a cruel time to call it an evening. However, thankfully this didn't stop the night entering the early hours, find a camp fire, have a chat, play some drums, as you do you know.

Being well seasoned festival attendees, we couldn't recommend this festival more. However we did come home feeling much like John Snow -except only with a qualification in bowl making and arts and crafts. 


Visit the Wilderness Festival site HERE

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