THERE was once a time when music festivals were all about... well, music.

Try telling that to those attending this weekend’s Wilderness festival.

The three-day event at Cornbury Park, Charlbury, may offer a packed line-up of bands and artists, but that’s not the half of it. In fact, it’s safe to say, it’s not even the quarter of it.

Billed as a celebration of creativity in the great outdoors, one could quite happily spend the entire festival without seeing a single band.

Wilderness, which begins on Friday, was first held last year, and proved the surprise hit of the summer – practically selling out in its first year.

This year it has expanded substantially, and incorporates the Vintage Festival, Wayne Hemingway’s celebration of all things sartorial, which has moved from its former home in Northamptonshire to rescue it from poor ticket sales.

No such problems affect Wilderness. A bill including Spiritualized, Wilco, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Crystal Fighters, Jake Bugg, Sharon Jones, the Temper Trap and Stornoway ensure it attracts the serious music fans, and an array of top chefs, including Yotem Ottolenghi and Valentine Warner, will pull in the foodies.

Theatre from the likes of Creation, film from Future Cinema, and art from the Drawing Room, will appeal to creative types, while fans of the outdoors can get closer to nature with rambles, foraging expeditions, bush craft demonstrations and wild swimming.

For tickets and full details, click on the link