MAGICAL and utterly unique – the Wilderness Festival has officially kicked off, with organisers claiming 2016's smash-hit event is one not to miss out on.

Hosted at Cornbury Park, the festival saw 30,000 people join in the fun last year – with actress Minnie Driver, blur bassist Alex James, TV presenter Jonathon Ross, film director Sam Mendes, and chef Jamie Oliver joining the fun.

Known to be completely weird and wonderful, the festival this year offers visitors the chance to walk on fire; engage in debate with Larry Sanders, the brother of unsuccessful US Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders; join a rogue taxidermy session and make a two-headed winged rat; and even learn to butcher a deer before cooking and eating it with fresh produce from Cornbury woods.

Music lovers will be able to taste sounds from eight different areas of the festival, with headline sets by Robert Plant and his seven piece ensemble the Sensational Space Shifters, and psych-rock outfit The Flaming Lips. Named one of the 50 bands to see before you die by Q Magazine, the band will perform their 1999 album The Soft Bulletin.

Also playing are Crystal Fighters, Goldie and the Heritage Orchestra.

Also new this year is theatre venue The Playhouse which will showcase new comedy and cabaret, and The Atrium which will display an array of music and dance from around the world.

New projects will include an orchestral tribute to the work of David Bowie.

Nick Weston of Hunter Gather Cook is among those cooking at the festival and spoke about some of the work he does as a hunter.

He said: "All wild animals have their challenges, but I would say deer stalking is certainly up there.

"Patience, stealth and shot placement have to be bang on, and many hours can be spent in pursuit of them, and having the ground and the opportunity to stalk them can be even more challenging.

"The perfect meal is about the right food being cooked the right way in the right place with the right people."

Wilderness festival takes until August 7 at Cornbury Park, near Charlbury.

Visit wildernessfestival.com for details and tickets.