Alternative Miss Wilderness

Andrew Logan, the radically inclusive artist and entrepreneur launched Alternative Miss World in 1972 as a tongue-in-cheek reaction to the Miss World pageants of the time. Described by Logan himself as a "pansexual beauty pageant" where “bizarre is beautiful”, the pageant has been embraced as an expression of queer culture and has, over the years, has been won by both men and women - and, in 1985, by a robot called Miss Rosa Bosom. Logan has diplomatically hosted each event dressed half as a woman and half as a man.

In 2018, in a collaboration with the festival, Alternative Miss Wilderness was born. Founded on similar principles of radical inclusivity and celebration of differences and hosted by Logan himself, the first theme was Secrets, with competitors modelling their finest ‘lake wear’ and taking part in the trademark on-stage personality interview.

Over the last six years, the pageant has become a fixture of the show, firm favourite of many, returning every year with an entourage of wild and wonderful hosts and contestants. This year, drag artist Lolo Brow is at the helm. The wider influence of the community represented at the pageant can be felt in the programming and the very existence of the House of Sublime - a world of the fabulous and unexpected featuring exquisite, intersectional, and queer-centric artistry from a smorgasbord of international nightlife artists. The venue is informed and inspired by London’s many vibrant groups and movements, transporting artists and promotors directly from the city’s queer and alternative scenes.

In fact, the impact of the pageant can be seen, and felt, across the whole of Wilderness, with ever more inclusive and alternative programming and performance, increasingly flamboyant and celebratory attire and an ever-evolving identity to be found in the streams of people flowing about the show.

The tradition for dress up, for self-expression and the celebration of diverse identities has fanned out fabulously from the House of Sublime, with radically inclusive events such as Alternative Miss Wilderness adding colour and mingling with the already thriving festival fancy dress culture to create a beautiful palette of diversity and celebration, fishnets, acceptance, and sequins, served with a heavy side of the surreal and a few fluttering false eyelashes.

Adding to the mix are the Wilderness themes, existing to inspire self-expression, to be embraced and embodied in whatever way you care to interpret them.

So, the Wilderness message to be taken literally:

Be bold, be brave, be kind, be whoever you want.

The question is, are YOU the next Alternative Miss Wilderness?

Apply HERE. And if you don't already have a ticket to Wilderness, don't worry! If you're chosen for the pageant we'll send you x1 standard entry ticket + x1 ticket for your bestie.