After a summer of glorious sunshine, the natural world desperately needed some rain. Hallelujah, we got it in bucketloads! We even had to wade through thick mud, that all-too-frequent rite of passage at British festivals. And yet, praise the lord, it hardly dampened proceedings a jot. What rain? We all carried on playing in the deluge as if it was a blazing 30 degrees. 

I have long loved the opening ceremony at this alcohol-free festival. It’s usually notable for a quiet chaos of inaudibility, charming pomposity, and impressive-looking Tibetan monks who don’t read the room with their too-long prayers. This year, though, the ceremony was seamless (other than running late), with a little bit of drumming, a moving poem, and some short-lived Tibetan monk horn blowing. It was a rousing success. Very disappointing. 

For a smaller festival, Into the Wild is jam-packed with activities. There’s the music, of course: highlights for me included powerful Soweto band BCUC, Irish combo Mega Trad, the soothingly beautiful music of Subhadra Desai, and the excellent TashiLunpo Monks from Tibet (albeit a little goes a long way for me). 

I can’t vouch for Sika, Mr Williamz and Fulu Muzika on the Sunday night, though, as I was busy elsewhere, chatting to new friends in a cramped teepee over a hot chai. I heard the cabaret I missed was excellent too, plus a fair few performers on the smaller stage. Oh, and I should mention the late-night dance tent, which I also missed, and just sitting and chatting away around warming fires (thanks to the rain, they were possible). My FOMO was in overdrive.

Into the Wild’s great charm is its slightly cobbled-together feel. In a good way, you understand. Of course, there must be a whole lot of organising going on to put on such a varied programme, but there’s always a sense of benign jeopardy, as though anything might happen at any moment. I don’t know how the festival achieves this, but I like it. 

From the many casual chats I had – it’s very friendly – it seems people are drawn to Into the Wild from all over the British Isles, and some from beyond. This is quite an achievement for what has the intimate and heartening feel of a local festival. Perhaps it’s because of the hopeful sense of something brewing in its alternative ether, a vision of a better way to live, peacefully connected to each other, with a deep reverence for nature. Or maybe it’s just for the craic – as I say, there’s a heck of a lot going on over the long and lively weekend.

Talking of brewing, my weekend kicked off with an inspiring talk from Old Tree Brewery founder Tom Daniell, and an even more inspiring tasting session of his kombuchas, many made from Sussex-foraged ingredients. I followed this with a relaxing gong bath (I went to two over the weekend) and Kirtan with an irritatingly charismatic long-haired monk (really?) who reminded me a little of Russell Brand in his pomp, without the drugs and sex-pest stuff, of course. Me jealous? Don’t be ridiculous.

While their quality inevitably varies, the many and varied workshops are the heart and soul of Into the Wild. Those I went to included Ayurvedic Wisdom (which was excellent – who knew that it was aggressively surpressed by the British Raj?), Herbs for Emotional Wellbeing, Family Constellations, Folk Singing, Exploring Celtic Spirituality, and singing Marki Wild Harmony. And this was just scratching the surface. 

On top of the workshops, there is an extensive Healing Fields area, great if you want some one-on-one nurturing, and a serious discussion programme – I particularly enjoyed the talk with Green Party second-in-command Rachel Millward.

The festival puts on a comprehensive weekend programme for kids too. Not having any with me, I didn’t linger around their dedicated area, so I can’t vouch for the quality, but I did very much enjoy the excited screams coming from the Punch and Judy show set up in the heart of the festival site. 

Many of the older kids, and plenty of adults too, spent a lot of time in the excellent craft area of the festival. Activities included spoon carving, archery, jewellery making, natural dyeing, printing, ironwork, and various Stone Age pursuits organised by the pleasingly eccentric Will Lord. There were also walks into the gorgeous woods for a bit of forest bathing. 

The food and drink choices are fairly limited but good – I especially enjoyed my savoury crepe – and there is an interesting variety of stalls selling all sorts of stuff, from Indian flutes to, well, the usual jewellery and clothes and so on, as well as a few charity and NGO stalls.

All said and done, Into the Wild is a great little festival, full of hidden, and not-so-hidden delights, set in beautiful bucolic Sussex. There’s always something to enjoy and, even when it rains, it’s a joy to be there. 

I’m hoping to be back next year…

www.neildelstrother.co.uk