The Kaiser Chiefs, Bryan Adams, glitter paint and helter skelters. Find out what went down at the last ever Cornbury Festival…
I hasten to admit, I am a total festival novice, and *cue storms of outrage* had never fancied the idea. The thought of being cramped in a field with smelly toilets, no showers and a diet of pot noodles or over-priced stall food really didn’t appeal.
That however, all changed this weekend.
And I have Cornbury to thank.
In the depths of the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, Friday to Sunday (7-10 July) saw Cornbury Festival return for the final time (sobs) after a fourteen year reign in Tew Park. This festival, nicknamed lovingly by locals as Poshstock, took all my preconceptions of festivals and tore them into shreds. For it was incredible.
We arrived on Friday afternoon to the swell of British sunshine, checked in efficiently and loaded ourselves with our camping equipment, envying those sensible enough to have brought trailers to transport their things. Looking rather like we were moving in for good rather than staying for the weekend, we found a great spot to set up. The field was an abundance of coloured tents, adorned by fairy lights, flags and bunting, revellers relaxing in chairs under the sunshine, the soft sound of music weaving lazily through the air. The atmosphere was full of trepidation and excitement, yet it was also so relaxed and so chilled. I’ve heard festival atmospheres can be overwhelming (and not in a good way) with a constant worry of belongings being stolen, tents being trashed and just for general safety. Cornbury festival is the total opposite and whilst we’re not saying you don’t need to be vigilant, it feels safe and secure and like a home away from home.
The festival itself is composed of three main stages, a comedy tent and a whole host of stalls selling food, drink, clothing and accessories. Food wise, one thing that surprised me was the pricing. I was queued up for lunch and braced for the extortionate pricing, clutching a ten pound note and hoping it would scrape a can of coke as well as a burger, but everywhere was extremely reasonably priced. A cup of tea was £1.50, a large bacon and egg baguette £4.50, portion of chips £3.50… Waitrose had a cafe stand set up and for £10 you got a meal and a glass of prosecco included. Wines were about £6 a glass and beer £5 – all in all, it was as affordable as it was delicious.
Dusk soon rolled around and after heading to the Riverside Stage to watch a few of the up and coming acts we settled down to watch Jack Savoretti. After spending the first two songs trying to deduce if he was miming (he wasn’t) we firmly agreed he was one of the best live singers we have ever had the pleasure of experiencing – if you ever get the chance to go and see him, make sure you do.
After his set we hurried back to the tent to cook some sausages before heading back to see the Kaiser Chiefs in the evening. They belted out all their classics alongside some new ones and the atmosphere was electric. The sun was peeking out from the rolling hills and there wasn’t even the hint of a chill.
Even once the main acts were finished (Kaiser Chiefs bowed off the stage at around 11) there was still plenty of things to do. DJ’s stay and play until late and there are also campfire sessions by the tent area. A fire surrounded by logs was soon occupied by a crowd of pyjama-adorned festival-goers, singing and swaying to chilled acoustic as the evening blended into the early hours of the morning.
We were woken on Saturday by the sun beating into the tent, setting premise for another beautiful day. And that it was.
We refuelled with bacon baguettes and a cup of tea from one of the breakfast stalls and sat enjoying the sun outside the tent, watching people emerge bleary eyed and stumble to the toilets, or else engaging in a morning organised yoga session atop the hill. A point to note is the cleanliness of the toilets at Cornbury, even after over 36 hours of the site being opened they were super clean – something I hadn’t been expecting.
We commenced the festival activities with a wander round the site to check out the fun fair which we hadn’t had time to do the previous day. With a helter skelter, arcade and a waltzer included in the attractions there was more than enough to keep the whole family occupied. Everything at the festival is of close distance, meaning you don’t need to partake in a half-marathon if you need to pop back to your tent for something.
The music that afternoon and evening commenced with Tom Chaplin of Keane who played out a number of the band’s biggest hits drawing a great reception. This was followed by a scramble to head to the other stage where Scouting for Girls got the whole crowd belting out and dancing to their classic hits. The final headliner of the day was Bryan Adams back on the main stage at 9:30. A true legend, it was a privilege as much as a pleasure to see him perform.
As Sunday rolled around and many packed tents away, ready to spend the day on the ground and head off in the evening, there was a slight sense of sadness in the air that this really was the last one (although we’re sincerely hoping not.) But festival revellers did not let this get in the way of the stellar line up- Midge Ure, Imelda May and The Pretenders all played, with Jools Holland closing the festival. We watched a display from the working dogs charity and enjoyed a can of Cawston Press juice whilst looking at a children’s guitar lesson in the kids area – further proof of the diverse attraction of Cornbury and the appeal for all folk – old and young.
We discovered a great band Key West on the main stage and chilled nearer the back on our camping chairs in the designated seating area, willing the day to never end.
Jools Holland took to the stage later on, treating the crowd to his much loved songs, the festival ending to an explosion of fireworks and a banner stating “That’s all folks!”
Cornbury was an experience unlike any we had experienced before and something that changed our perception of festival-going. It retained the perfect balance between exciting and entertaining and relaxing and rejuvenating. It was chilled but thrilling and left us with memories to last a lifetime. They prove you can never have too much of a good thing and we’re hoping the festival comes back into our lives in the future…
