Tim Hughes joins the last of the party people leaving 'the best festival of the summer'

WITH the last of 30,000 festival-goers, artists and performers finally leaving the site of the Wilderness festival, thoughts are already turning to next year's event.

The four day gathering at Cornbury Park, near Charlbury, came to a close on Sunday night, with organisers describing it as the best yet.

Oklahoma alternative rock band The Flaming Lips brought the main stage to a close with a vivid and surreal stage show featuring strange inflatable monsters, animal suits and a curtain of glowing fibre optic tubes, like the tendrils of a giant jellyfish.

Music-lovers also joined in a mass choir for a tribute to the late David Bowie – and were joined by special guests Kate Nash and Charlotte Church, with music provided by the Heritage Orchestra.

The music continued until 2pm in the festival's Valley – an illuminated steep-sided ravine in the woods – with revellers dancing in the steep ravine to DJ sets by drum & bass legend Goldie and Wilderness regular Tom Middleton.

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They joined a weekend line up which also featured sets by Robert Plant, Parov Stelar, Crystal Fighters, Shura, Jericho band Glass Animals and East Oxford DJ Count Skylarkin.

Festival-goers donned glamorous fancy dress for the event, which had a golden theme. Fun-lovers included the Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney, TV presenter Jonathan Ross and radio presenter Jo Whiley, explorer Simon Reeve, and chef Raymond Blanc, who brought some of his team from his two Michelin-starred Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons at Great Milton, to prepare a pair of spectacular banquets for 400 diners. He also took time to catch some of the bands over the weekend, including Robert Plant.

"He was amazing" he said. "I love Led Zeppelin. It's great psychedelic rock, and I like their music even more than The Beatles or Rolling Stones.

"Robert is a customer at Le Manoir too, so it was really great to see him play at Wilderness. We have had a great time."

Cornbury Park, which was formerly a royal hunting lodge, is centered on the 17th century Cornbury House, and is owned by Lord and Lady Rotherwick.

Lady Rotherwick spent the weekend camping with her children in a bell tent in the garden and joined in the fun at the festival's 16 stages and venues and was yesterday at the festival after-party at the exclusive Soho Farmhouse, near Great Tew.

She said:"This year was the best yet. It was unbelievable. The only problem was that there was too much stuff to see and do, which meant I missed so many wonderful things.

"It was a total joy and could not have gone better. Now I am tired but deliriously happy!"

"We are already looking forward to next year, with tickets going on sale next week."

And she praised the festival-goers for joining in the spirit of the event. "We have the best audience of any festival," she said. "They are intelligent, absolutely threw themselves into it – and looked great!"