Festival organiser Jo Vidler takes us into the Wilderness

It takes an absolute perfectionist to create something as beautiful as Wilderness festival.

And Jo Vidler admits she is that woman.

With the countdown on to the start of this year’s event, the festival director and her team have been tweaking the site – “just to make it look absolutely right!”

“It drives everyone else nuts, but it’s very important to us how the site is laid out,” she laughs, taking a break beneath the gnarled oaks of the vast Cornbury Estate.

“You can move something 10 metres one way and change the whole dynamic. We’ve changed the layout four times already. You wouldn’t get that anywhere else. We’re on a mission to keep it fresh. Every year we want to give people that feeling of discovery.”

From today until Sunday, 30,000 people will descend on the clipped lawns, wooded valleys and hidden glades of the last real vestige of the ancient Wychwood Forest, near Charlbury, for four days of music, theatre, dancing, eating, relaxing and general merry-making.

More than a music festival, Wilderness is an immersive experience – inspired by the landscape not imposed on it. And it is Jo’s job to make sure it is perfect.

While resolutely “not just a music festival”, the weekend does nonetheless boast some big names – and none are bigger than tomorrow’s headliner, Bjork. Top slots are also occupied by singer-songwriter Ben Howard and jazz-funk artist George Clinton, along with a diverse range of artists covering everything from folk and country to classical, electro-house, burlesque and blues.

The most exciting artists, however, are not household names, but underground stars, or up-and-coming acts. They include Moloko’s Roisin Murphy, Hercules & Love Affair, Nick Mulvey, Nils Frahm, the Brandt Bauer Frick Ensemble, Caravan Palace, Ibibio Sound Machine, Will & The People, Benjamin Clementine, Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons, Asgeir, Bombino, Lapsley and CC Smugglers.

“We have taken Wilderness to the next level,” says Jo. “And that has given us the chance to work through all the genres – from Roisin Murphy to Nils Frahm to Bjork. It’s going to be pretty insane!”

Jo said she was especially excited about welcoming Bjork. “She’s very particular about where she plays. We wooed her and she came to us, realising we were her best fit.

“I’m also excited about Benjamin Clemantine and George Clinton – and what he’ll do to get us all partying. It’s a real figurehead line-up.”

Clinton’s set will be followed by a procession, elaborate puppet parade and acrobatic display. “The festival is a real gathering,” she said. “These processions get everyone together in one place at the same time. That energy and magic is something you never usually get to experience. It’s about building a community. It’s a chance to meet like-minded people and hopefully new friends.”

There will also be classical music, circus, theatre, discussions, comedy, talks and poetry – and, especially, food. While other festivals are content with burgers or mass-produced curry and noodles, Wilderness prides itself on its gastronomic credentials.

Banquets are hosted by Angela Hartnett, Nuno Mendes and James Knappett, while our own Raymond Blanc swaps the luxury of his Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, at Great Milton, for a large tent.

Festival-goers who want to try their own hand at the stove, meanwhile, can join a cooking school.

A highlight of the festival are its late night balls, held in Cornbury’s own hidden valley.

• Bjork will be headlining the festival

This year’s tunes come courtesy of world famous DJ Tom Middleton, electronic music producer and Hercules and Love Affair vocalist Kim Ann Foxman, and DJ Harvey.

They will be joined by Amsterdam’s Rush Hour founder Antal, blending house and techno with Afro and disco; Felix Dickinson, one of the champions of the burgeoning dance underground and party-starting Leeds duo PBR Streetgang; Mojo Filter, aka production and remix master Ben Zaven Crane; YOMS and Ollie Keens.

There will be more dancing courtesy of jazz-swing and Latin funk outfit The Brass Funkeys, Bristol six-piece theatrical showband Carny Villains, Duffy Moonshine Big Band, 13-piece Balkan brass act Trans Siberian March Band, and 60s-style Voodoo Love Orchestra.

If all that dancing gets too much, there are more soothing sounds in the Travelling Folk Barn, which offers Eastern European rhythms from The Turbans, upbeat melodic pop from The Buffalo Skinners, Americana from Goodnight Lenin and acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Zachary Lucky.

More down-tempo sounds are on offer in the Travelling Folk Barn, with Eastern European rhythms from The Turbans, upbeat melodic pop from The Buffalo Skinners and Americana from Goodnight Lenin. Then there is the lakeside spa, swimming in the lakes, workshops in forest craft and artistic pursuits – or just the pleasures of eating and drinking.

But, says Jo, it’s up to people to discover their own perfect weekend. “People come for the experience not because of the line-up. It’s about the whole festival not just a concert experience, and that means having people spread out across the site exploring, and stumbling upon things And with all these people here, whatever you do, it’s going to be something amazing.”

GO ALONG
Wilderness Festival. Cornbury Park, Charlbury from today until Sunday.
For details and tickets go to wildernessfestival.com