When it comes to a festival co-founded by Bear Grylls, you’d expect nothing less than an event packed to the brim with adventure and adrenaline – and you wouldn’t be wrong.
In just three short years, Gone Wild has become the UK’s fastest growing family festival and having attended two years running it’s easy to see why.
Whether it’s abseiling, rock-climbing, fire-making or axe-throwing that floats your boat, there is no shortage of things to do at the festival like no other. In between my workout with Joe Wicks and witnessing the spectacular Red Devils parachute display, I caught up with Bear on the impressive grounds of Devon’s Powderham Castle for an exclusive chat with HELLO!.
© Gone WildHe gave me the rundown on why Gone Wild is the ultimate family getaway, why camping IS for you, and how to book next year.
“It’s grown 60% since last year,” Bear said, full of enthusiasm and passion for the festival which is also alive with the likes of parkour workshops, stunt shows, and kid-friendly dance tents. “I see all the changes, the growth and the new activities and it has been so fun reacting to what families want to make things bigger and better.
“I love hearing all the stories from people who have come up to me to say how their kids have learned new things and tried activities they would never normally get the opportunity to do.”
A £400 ticket allows a family of four to camp, get entry to the festival each day and includes most of the activities on site. (there are premium choices too, but with so much to do for free, we barely had time for these).
Bear previously expressed how important it was for he and his fellow co-founder and marine, Oliver Mason, to make true on their promise to provide families with an affordable option to holiday together.
“It’s ever harder to go on holidays abroad and I’ve learned from a lifetime of stuff that you don’t need to go to the ends of the earth to have an adventure,” he said. “Adventure is a state of mind. If you are with the people you really love and you’re doing things that are challenging but fun, then you’re winning.”
This year, the musical lineup included Scouting for Girls, Sugarbabes, Gabrielle, Feeder and more, and when guest speaker, astronaut Tim Peake, took to the main stage, the kids and adults were mesmerized.
It couldn’t happen without the amazing and dedicated team behind it, which features an abundance of members of the armed forces.
“They’ve championed this adventurous safe family space where people can come and experience fun things. It’s really amazing and now Gone Wild is the fastest growing family festival in the UK.”
While Bear is a dab hand at “roughing it,” – if you’ve watched Running Wild or Man Vs Wild, you’ll know what we are talking about – even he admits those who aren’t lovers of camping, can make it work for them too.
“I’ve got plenty of friends who have said, ‘sounds great, we’re gonna come and have fun, listen to the music, do the colour run, and we have found an Airbnb down the road to stay in’.
© PANOPTIC GROUP LTD“That’s fine, I just go with it but I can see what is going to happen, and the next year, they’re camping. “There are loos, there’s showers, everybody is doing it. It’s so easy to camp nowadays. It’s not like you’re on Salisbury Plain as a soldier having to dig a shell scrape (in layman’s terms a shallow grave or trench).
“I even encourage people to bring a duvet! You don’t even have to own all the stuff, you can borrow tents, you’ve got yurts here and you can even bring your camper van.”
As for the future of Gone Wild? Tickets are already on sale for 2024, and if this is what they can achieve in three short years, we can’t wait to find out what next year brings.
