As summer festivals go, Wilderness is so much more than a music festival, it’s a four day extravaganza in the lush rolling hills of Cornbury Park in the Oxfordshire countryside. It is also one of the poshest music festivals that I have ever been to. Case in point, there is a banqueting Wilderness dining option, a very fancy spa offering and the opportunity to do yoga on paddle boarding in the park’s picturesque lakes.

Whilst the music line up at Wilderness is an impressive offering, this boutique music festival also offers comedy, inspiring talks, wellness, art and spa activities where you can enjoy a spot of wild swimming or a reinvigorating dip in the hot tub.

Sadly, we were only at Wilderness for one day, but what a day it was! We started our day exploring the expansive and sun-dappled grounds as we meandered around Wilderness watching comedians like Russell Kane perform. The Wilderness festival site is easy to navigate thanks to well-thought out signage and a handy Wilderness festival app and there were plenty of things to see and do throughout the site.

Wilderness is ideal for couples, friends and families and the organisers endeavour to provide fun things to do for all the family from kids movies and activities to adults-only fun such as the ‘House of Sublime’ an erotic–culture infused dance tent and ‘The Riddle’ which showcased emerging artists which was a real crowd-pleaser for many added a real sense of quirk thanks to its chintzy ‘Alice in Wonderland’ vibe.

One of the day’s highlights at Wilderness was checking into the impressive ‘Hotel in the Wild’ , an events concept created by IHG hotels and We are Family. IHG’s ‘Hotel in the Wild’ was a welcome to the Wilderness festival which is now in it’s 14th year. Its aim was to provide a memorable and thrilling experience to the Wilderness festival goers and celebrities which included Melanie Blatt, Faye Tozer,  Professor Green, Sophie Turner, Daisy Ridley and many more.

As we made our way through the lush green archway into the open plan ‘hotel’, we were enchanted by the quirky yet achingly-cool decor which included a seriously covetable orange lamp that looks like it came from the set of ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’, a dazzling display of retro telephones, a blue telephone box complete with a statue nestled inside and a hoover with an exquisite floral display beside it.

The vibe was very hipster, but still incredibly elegant and of course as this was an IHG event, there were nods to the hotel industry which included an IHG-branded free-standing bath, a reception desk and a large bed adorned in stylish cottons for guests to flop on to rest after the partying got a bit too much. It was evident that the design drew  inspiration from the thousands of IHG hotels from around the world and effortlessly combined the luxury hotel lifestyle with a VIP Wilderness festival experience.

Whilst the drinks were flowing (which included some very delicious cocktails from the full-service cocktail bar) serving staff clad in those most opulent velvet jackets served up snacks and guests were entertained by Kimmy Beatbox who put on an impressive display with her beatboxing skills, an enigmatic tarot reader and a silhouette artist who deftly created mini masterpieces for the event’s guests.

This pop up hang out at the Wilderness festival was one of the best events I have been to and every tiny detail was meticulously planned and thought out and was a stellar showcase of brilliant design and decor as well as IHG’s exceptional hospitality too.

The glorious surroundings of Cornbury Park (the setting for Wilderness) were the backdrop to a stellar line-up of diverse, multi-genre talent across the weekend which included an unforgettable set from British dance stalwarts Faithless on the Friday night.

Saturday saw some fantastic music acts take the stage which included psychedelic soul legend Michael Kiwanuka whose set was an emotive masterclass, a super-charged DJ set from Craig Charles and a sultry set from Alison Goldfrapp who had the crowd dancing along (after winningly asking the crowd to ‘get their arses moving’ to her seminal hit ‘Ooh La La’ from the very first opening beats.

If you are looking to combine wellness, music and unforgettable experiences, then a trip to the Wilderness festival in 2025 should most definitely be on your ‘book it’ list!