THE first of more than 40,000 music-lovers are today descending on two county festivals for Oxfordshire’s biggest weekend of live music. Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, near Banbury, and Wilderness, near Charlbury open their gates to revellers this morning. Both events attract guests from across the country.

Wilderness has already sold out of tickets for its 20,000-capacity event at Cornbury Park, which runs until Sunday night. A similar number is expected at Cropredy, which finishes on Saturday night.

Thousands more festival-goers will tomorrow head to Ipsden, near Wallingford, for the start of the three-day Supernormal festival, in Braziers Park.

Wilderness is headlined by Australian synth-pop duo Empire of the Sun, folk-pop band Noah and the Whale, and American singer-songwriter Sixto Díaz Rodríguez. Cropredy features shock-rocker Alice Cooper, folk-punks Levellers and art-pop act 10cc among others. Supernormal, which runs until Sunday, will feature sets by Clinic, Michael Chapman, Terminal Cheesecake, Sontaran Experiment, Sun Skeletons, Woodpecker Wooliams and Good Throb.

Organisers of Wilderness, which is held on Lord and Lady Rotherwick’s Cornbury estate, have welcomed the surge in demand for tickets for the festival which is only in its third year.

Director Tim Harvey said: “It has taken a team of dedicated and passionate people to curate this unique experience. We are so pleased that all our hard work and vision have paid off.”

Fairport Convention’s Simon Nicol, who lives in Chipping Norton, said: “I have got more and more excited as the moment approaches.

“It’s something you never get used to.”

For details of each festival, go to wildernessfestival.com, fairportconvention.com and supernormalfestival.co.uk.