Wilderness Festival unveils new dance music stage, The Riddle

Wilderness Festival has announced a new dance music stage, The Riddle, for this year’s event.

Designed and programmed by emerging promoters, Will Kayll and Jemima Howden, the space will feature a “secret walled garden with a dancefloor at its centre.”

The Riddle line-up, also announced today (6th June), echoes the stage’s sentiments of “mystery, music and inclusivity”, with headliners including electro-funk pioneer Greg Wilson, French DJ Dombrance and Colombia’s Julio Victoria, who will perform an exclusive UK showcase of his live show.

Other performers on the new stage across the weekend include Kristin Velvet, ABEL, Trevor Fung, MiNNA, Bateman, Caspa Mono and more. 

The Riddle also has a no-phone policy as part of the curators efforts to “encourage genuine human connection” and encourage punters to “really live in the moment”. 

“The ethos of the Riddle is to create a space for young creatives to showcase their talents within a safe environment,” curators Kayll and Howden shared.

“We want to create a feeling of mystery and curiosity. We want you to dance like nobody’s watching, explore like there is no tomorrow and embrace every wild and wonderful moment. Express yourself, hug, laugh, smile and just go for it!”

This year’s Wilderness Festival will take place from 1st to 4th August in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, marking the thirteenth edition of the beloved knees-up.

The four-day festival will welcome headliners Bicep with their Chroma AV/DJ show, alongside the newly resurgent Faithless (Live), Grammy award-winning Michael Kiwanuka, and Jessie Ware, who is back ten years after making her Wilderness debut in 2014.

Over on the electronic-focused Valley stage, Ewan McVicar will go B2B with Special Request, alongside sets throughout the weekend from De La Soul, Alison Goldfrapp, Barry Can’t Swim (DJ), Sarah Story, Eats Everything, Ibibio Sound Machine, and many more.

Along with live music and DJ sets, Wilderness will also offer an extensive line-up of comedy, film screenings, Q&As, panels, label takeovers, and more. Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months.

Find out more about The Riddle stage below, and check out the full Audi presents Wilderness line-up so far here.

Last year’s edition of the festival saw The Chemical Brothers, Christine and The Queens and Fatboy Slim as headliners, alongside sets from Kerri Chandler, Honey Dijon, Todd Terry and more.

Faithless’ Sister Bliss has recently returned with her latest solo single, ‘Do It Right’. The track arrived shortly after the announcement from Faithless of their return to the stage in 2024 after an eight-year absence.