AWARD-WINNING WILDERNESS FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR 2012
AWARD-WINNING WILDERNESS FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR 2012
A BANQUET FOR ALL THE SENSES
Music:
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA performing exclusively with C.U.B.A, WILCO, SPIRITUALIZED, STORNOWAY, LIANNE LA HAVAS, LONDON FOLK GUILD, CLOUD CONTROL, GIANT GIANT SAND, GRANT LEE BUFFALO, JENNY O, FIELD MUSIC, FATOUMATA DIAWARA, MIILAGRES, TO KILL A KING
Food:
YOTAM OTTOLENGHI, FERGUS HENDERSON (ST JOHN’S), VALENTINE WARNER, MORO SOUK TENT, THYME FOOD SCHOOL
Talks, Debates and Well-being:
INTELLIGENCE SQUARED, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, THE SCHOOL OF LIFE, THE IDLER ACADEMY, THE LAKESIDE SPA, THE HEALING GARDEN
Late night parties:
THE OLD VIC TUNNELS MASKED BALL
The award winning Wilderness festival, today announces its first wave of enchanting acts across music, food, talks and debates, theatre, late night parties and outdoor pursuits. Curated by the producers of Lovebox and Secret Garden Party, Wilderness is a celebration of the arts and outdoors and will return to the breathtaking Cornbury Estate on 10-12th August 2012.
Set in the wilds of England against an exquisite backdrop of lakes, forests and parklands, Wilderness 2012 will offer a gastronomic banquet for all the senses.
Some of the finest names in musicianship are already confirmed for the 2012 spectacular and Wilderness is proud to announce that Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela and pulse pounding orchestra C.U.B.A will be a performing together in a UK festival exclusive.
Also venturing into the wild this year will be Chicago stalwarts Wilco, who wil bring their own brand of bold and breathtaking alternative rock to proceedings. Joining them are space-rock icons Spiritualized, Oxford boys Stornoway, British soul sensation Lianne La Havas and Sydney based psych-folk four-piece Cloud Control.
London Folk Guild are also returning for a second year bringing a variety of folk performers to the festival.
Other feasts for the ears will include; US rockers Giant Giant Sand and Grant Lee Buffalo, the honey voiced Jenny O, Sunderland’s finest Field Music, Malian songstress Fatoumata Diawara, New York hipsters Milagres and folk-pop outfit To Kill a King.
Tim Harvey, festival organiser says:
“Last year was the first ever Wilderness festival and we were thrilled to see that 10,000 others shared our passion for a new festival concept. This year, the festival is back and we’re planning even more adventure as we celebrate the arts and outdoors in the beautiful Cornbury Park.
“For us, it’s important for friends and family to come along and use the weekend as a place to indulge the senses, relax, eat well, escape, learn and enjoy activities that aren’t so easily accessible in our day to day lives. We’ll be adding foraging in the woods, horse riding, food workshops, a bandstand, a new twist on wine tasting and plenty other new entertainment.”
The much lauded banquets will be making a welcome return for 2012 and will see another three days of communal feasting in the beautiful Wilderness banqueting tent. Wilderness is delighted to welcome the incomparable Yotam Ottolenghi who will headline and curate one of the weekend’s three sumptuous feasts. He will be joined by the founder of the award winning St John restaurant, Michelin Star chef Fergus Henderson. Completing the set is nature lover Valentine Warner who will be sourcing the ingredients for his veritable feast from a three-mile radius of the Wilderness festival site. Expect lavish three course banquets served on long communal tables in stunning surroundings.
Exmouth market’s famous Moro will be making a welcome return to the wild for 2012 to host their very own Souk Tent. The beautifully dressed Bedouin tent will be open for the duration of the festival and will serve a fusion of Spanish and Middle Eastern dishes with an accompaniment of cocktails, wines and aperitifs.
The 2012 food offering will also include an immersive mix of talks, tastings and workshops curated by local Cotswolds food school Thyme at Southrope Manor. The Thyme area will offer three days of total immersion in everything from market gardening to gourmet gastronomy.
The fo:rem will also return to feed and enrich the mind with its nourishing line up of talks and debates. The likes of Aleks Krotoski, Tim Gill, Intelligence Squared and Robin Ince will be amongst the speakers lined up for a weekend of talks, debates and related workshops.
A new addition to the talks and debates lineup is The School of Life whose London-based workshops have consistently sold out and offer a place for people to step back and think wisely.
Tom Hodkinson’s Idler Academy will return to Wilderness inviting festival goers to view life differently and The Royal Observatory will also be on hand offering star gazing sessions.
One of last year’s biggest highlights, The Old Vic will be back to host a wild masked ball bringing together incredible performance and an outlandish party deep in the woods.
And after you have fed your stomach and mind, why not relax the body with The Wilderness Spa? Set alongside the beautiful lakes, it will offer festival-goers hot tubs, a champagne bar, saunas and massages.
A new addition for 2012 is The Healing Herb Garden, which can be found nestled in the woods amongst saves of lavender and geranium galore offering a safe haven of restorative treatments and workshops.
There will also be bigger and more improved kids and family area which will include ‘laughter therapy’ with the Flying Seagulls, Fairyland Trust workshops and even Guerilla Geography. Bearded Kitten will be returning to host the famous ‘Not Your Average’ Cricket match on the lawn complete with lashing of Pimms and piles of cucumber sandwiches will also be on offer and will all take place against the stunning backdrop of Cornbury estate.
Weekend Tickets Available from £119
Weekend Young Person (11-17 years) Tickets available for £54
Family Ticket available from £287
Deposit Ticket Scheme available
Children under 10 go free
All tickets available via www.wildernessfestival.com
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Notes to editors:
Rodrigo y Gabriela
www.rodgab.com
Also known as "El Rodri y La Gabi” Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican musical duo who specialise in playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars. The duo is made up of Rodrigo Sánchez, lead guitar, and Gabriela Quintero, rhythm guitar. The two musicians primarily gained a reputation by playing in the pubs and bars of Dublin, Ireland, and despite their unusual style, gained a cult following. They received their break when Damien Rice approached them to provide the support for the Irish music festival Oxygen.
Wilco
www.wilcoworld.net
American alternative rock band, Wilco, formed in Chicago in 1994. Since then, Wilco has released eight studio albums, a live double album, and three collaborations: two with Billy Bragg and one with The Minus 5. Wilco's music has been inspired by a wide variety of artists and styles, including Bill Fay and Television and has in turn influenced music by a number of modern alternative rock acts.
Spiritualized
www.spiritualized.com
Spiritualized are an English space rock band formed in 1990 from the ashes of the trance-rockers Spacemen 3, singer/guitarist Jason Pierce's group. Under Pierce's direction the band transmutes the best qualities of psychedelic rock, pop, blues, jazz, gospel, soul, and minimalist composition into a unique sonic vision. They have released six studio albums, best known and most critically acclaimed was 1997's ‘Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space.’ This year in March, after more than two years in the making the band will release their new album, ‘Sweet Heart Sweet Light.’
Stornoway
www.stornoway.eu
A British indie folk band formed in 2006 in the Cowley area of Oxford, UK. Having self-released three EPs, the band signed to 4AD in March 2010, releasing their debut single for the label just weeks later. Their home-recorded debut long player, Beachcomber’s Windowsill followed shortly after in May, building on the already substantial fanbase the band had acquired through breathless word of mouth reverie.
Ottolenghi
www.ottolenghi.co.uk
In 1998, Yotam Ottolenghi came to London to study cookery at Le Cordon Bleu. This subsequently led him to become an assistant at the pastry department of The Capital restaurant in Knightsbridge, before moving on to become a pastry chef at the Kensington Place group of restaurants, headed by Rowley Leigh. His next stop was at the famous Baker and Spice shop in Chelsea, where he eventually became the head pastry chef and gained some of his most valuable professional experience. Ottolenghi now has restaurants in Notting Hill, Islington, Kensington and Belgravia.
Fergus Henderson
www.stjohnrestaurant.com
An English chef who opened the French House Dining Room in 1992 and founded St John restaurant on St John Street in London in 1995, is renowned for his philosophy of nose to tail eating, including unusual delights, such as chitterlings, chicken necks and squirrel on his award winning menus. St John restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star in 2009 has won numerous awards and accolades, including Best British and Best Overall London Restaurant at the 2001 Moët & Chandon Restaurant Awards.
Valentine Warner
www.valentinewarner.com
Known to many as ‘truffle head’, due to his passion for truffles, Valentine Warner is known to others as a cook. His television career started in 2008 when the TV series of his book ‘What to Eat Now’ focussed on the importance of why we should eat food that’s in season. Growing up on a farm, Warner, developed a strong connection culinary skills along with his interest in how animal’s and plant’s lives provide as much interest as the dish they provide on the plate.
Thyme Food School at Southrope Manor
www.thymeatsouthrop.co.uk/food-school
Thyme Food school aims to teach culinary philosophy and develop skills that extend beyond cooking. Students of the school can take part in growing, gardening, cooking and foraging courses, which vary between championing the Best of British dining and baking. Students can also extend their knowledge through lectures in food theories and ‘exploring nature’s larder’ with their in-house forager, Claudio Bincoletto. The Thyme School of Cookery endorses the ideology of ‘sow, grow, pick, cook, serve, drink, eat' through sensible and sustainable methods of food production.
The Old Vic
www.oldvictheatre.com
The Old Vic is one of the best known and best loved theatres in the world. Synonymous with the greatest acting talent that Britain has ever produced, the likes of Laurence Olivier, Peggy Ashcroft, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Albert Finney, and Peter O'Toole have graced the stage. The iconic 192-year-old building has a rich history of great performances and The Old Vic Theatre Company under the artistic leadership of Kevin Spacey, continues to attract the best creative talent from the UK and all over the world to tread its famous boards.
The Old Vic Tunnels is a unique performance space offering opportunities for young people to gain experience in production and be part of an innovative and diverse arts venue. Is the latest winner of the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award.
Royal Observatory
www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory/history
Based in the heart of Britain’s maritime mecca, The Royal Observatory forms part of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. Home to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and the Prime Meridian of the World, it is the starting point for each new day and year. It was found by Charles II in 1675 and holds the UK’s largest refracting telescope and London’s only planetarium, The Harrison Timekeepers. It was originally built to improve navigation at Sea but now it is a much loved international tourist destination and this year will host the Astronomy Photographer of the Year.
School of Life
www.theschooloflife.com
This social enterprise was started in 2008 in London and offers people a place to step back and think about how to live wisely and well. People who visit the school of life are offered a variety of programmes and services which help them to address such questions as why work can be unfulfilling and why relationships are challenging. It aims to direct people towards a host of ideas from philosophy to literature, psychology to visual arts.
FO:REM PARTNERS:
Intelligence Squared
The Royal Greenwich Observatory
Granta
The Idler Academy
5X15
Oxford University Astrophysics Dept.
The School of Life
Liars League
Literary Death Match
Fast Future
Elephant
Tibor Jones
Jamie Catto
Roman Krznaric
Alex Krotoski
The Huffington Post
Robin Ince
Dark Mountain
