Bear Grylls’ Gone Wild Festival racks up £750k of debt

The survival expert brought his annual Gone Wild Festival to the Holkham Estate, near Wells-next-the-Sea, for the first time this August, with plans already in place for it to return next year.

But despite Grylls and partners pumping hundreds of thousands of pounds into the event, Gone Wild Events Ltd, which handles its finances, recorded more than £747,000 of debt in its latest accounts for 2023.

However, Grylls is confident the event can continue despite the numbers shown in the company's accounts.

Bear Grylls (Image: Gone Wild) The festival - which is aimed at families - began in Devon in 2021 with the north Norfolk estate becoming its second location this year.

Gone Wild's 2025 dates for the Holkham Estate festival have been confirmed as August 7 to 10, with tickets currently on sale. 

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It was co-founded by Grylls and former Royal Marines officer Oli Mason. The pair are two of the events company's six directors.

This year's four-day festival in Norfolk featured a line-up of chart-topping musicians, including Example, Sam Ryder, Reef, Scouting for Girls and McFly, alongside more than 100 activities included in the ticket price.

Scouting for Girls performing at Gone Wild Festival at Holkham (Image: Gone Wild Festival) The addition of Norfolk as a second location for the festival followed its sell-out success at Powderham Castle in Devon, which was attended by more than 10,000 people in 2023. 

Grylls said: "It has been amazing to witness the energy of Gone Wild at Holkham, where families from all over the country have been able to spend time together getting back to nature."

Bear Grylls meeting attendees at Holkham (Image: Gone Wild Festival)

Oli Mason, co-founder and a former Holkham employee, said: "Holkham Hall has delivered as an amazing venue and we can’t wait to come back next year."

More than 9,500 people attended the 2024 event.