Fifty-person orgies, ‘hot wives’ and a VERY naughty karaoke game… watch as The Sun goes inside UK’s biggest sex festival
NAKED festival-goers peruse the saucy sex toy stalls as if they’re picking up their weekly groceries.
Nearby, two couples, hand-in-hand, disappear into a play tent.
The sun is finally out and today is heating up, in more ways than one.
Welcome to Swingathon, the UK’s biggest swinging festival. As The Sun’s Sexpert, I’ve been invited to cover the four-day, X-rated extravaganza.
We’re the first paper to sneak a peek behind the curtains of this usually hush-hush event.
Over 1,000 revellers have, ahem, come together in Grantham, Lincs, to let loose.
This once quaint town, known for being the birthplace of Margaret Thatcher and the school town of Isaac Newton, is now the sizzling hotspot for swingers from all over the country.
Kinky guests have shelled out up to £265 for a couple’s ticket, which includes access to showers and an electric hookup.
“People’s self-confidence goes through the roof after a weekend here,” explains founder Matt Cole. “You can walk around naked or dress up in a sexy outfit and just be unapologetically yourself.
“Whatever your kink, there’s something for everyone. We’ve got orgy tents, private sex rooms, foam parties, pole dancing and lots of sex games.
“On the BDSM side we’ve got festish tents and flogging demonstrations and for the OnlyFans crowd they’ve got their own private content area to film.
“The youngest attendee here is 22 and the oldest is 74 but the average is between 35 to 45 years old.
“I’ve seen everything. Girls playing with sex toys together to a 50-strong orgy in a tent. There’s no judgement.
“I’ve seen it change over the last few years, some people sit on the fence and think either you’re a swinger or you’re into kink but then they’ll watch a demonstration and think, ‘Yeah that’s a bit of me.’
“Ten mins later, they’ll be tied up and getting whipped or flogged, fully immersed in the experience.”
Bigger and bolder
This year’s festival promises to be bigger, bolder and better – filled with more fun, frolic, and a whole lot of friskiness!
“I’m a mum by day and a sexual deviant by night,” says Denise Grant, 43, a mum of four who’s married to Joshua, 28, her second husband.
“It’s escapism,” she explains. “For four days I get to be a woman, not a mum, not a wife – well, sometimes someone else’s wife!”
Denise tells me how she’s been swinging for four years and runs a podcast called SwingBook – which helps curious people explore the lifestyle safely.
I’m a mum by day and a sexual deviant by night
Denise Grant
“From going to a lot of events I realised what I wanted from swinging nights and wanted to create a safe space and support group.
It can feel quite isolating at times, it’s not always easy to say to your friend at work, ‘I’ve always wanted to have an orgy’.
“We want to give people the answers to the questions they haven’t got the confidence to ask.”
Inside the sex tent
Matt shows me around the venue. First stop, a play tent filled with inflatable beds with a giant sign which reads: “Orgy?”
Within a few hours, it will be teeming with horny revellers. The atmosphere is electric, buzzing with anticipation as naked attendees stroll around in the sunshine, checking each other out.
Inside the orgy tent I meet Bethany Rose, 38, and Slavithin, 42, who are property developers from Wales and have been swinging for twenty years.
“We are here for freedom, friends, and f***ery,” laughs Slavithin. “We’ve spotted a few couples we might play with later, but we’ll be selective.
I’ve bought some leather pants for my kinky policeman’s outfit tomorrow
Plumber Jay
“We’re more into personality than looks and enjoy threesomes with another girl.
We’ll either invite them back to our tent – we have air con, which is a big plus in this heat – or get things going in the orgy tent.
“In the outside world, we usually meet couples on swingingapps or just end up chatting up the barmaid!
“We’ve taken a few barmaids home with us – not from sex clubs, just your everyday barmaids.
We just talk to people, and if they give the right vibe, we tell some jokes and see where the evening takes us.”
The pair tell me how they’re into “mirroring” – where you only go “as far” as the other couple want to.
“We don’t have a safe word to end play as we’ve been doing it so long we know what the other one likes!”
Kinky stalls
Nearby, Jay, 55, a plumber from Cornwall and Sally, 52, a carer from Weston-Super -Mare, are giggling over his cheeky purchase from one of the sex stalls.
Alongside the orgy tents, there’s an array of kinky shops hawking every sex toy and piece of lingerie under the sun.
“I’ve bought some leather pants for my kinky policeman’s outfit tomorrow,” he smiles.
‘Hot wife’
Sally tells me she’s a “hot wife” – a term used to describe a married woman who is allowed/ or encouraged by her husband to pursue sexual relationships with others.
“I got married two weeks ago,” she explains. “Not to Jay! My husband isn’t very well so he likes to know I’m being looked after by other men.
“I’ve been swinging for a few years now. It’s really made our relationship so much better. My husband loves to watch and film it. I’m 52 and having the best sex of my life.”
The pair are like kids in a candy shop, eagerly exploring the festival together. I leave them to it as I go to get a drink from the bar.
There, I meet Char, 42, and Bry, 53, a supermarket driver from Peterborough.
The couple has been married for four years. Char tells me how she medically retired from the prison service after being diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer in 2018.
“I started talking to Bry over a dating app when I was in hospital,” Char laughs. “He was in hospital too and we bonded over our disdain for hospital food and swapped messages about more exciting topics. One thing led to another, and here we are!”
Char and Bry had dabbled in swinging before with previous partners, but it wasn’t until they connected that they decided to fully embrace the lifestyle.
The couple explore their fantasies with other men, with Char embracing the role of a “hot wife” while Bry enjoys watching.
“The cancer diagnosis made me want to live life to the fullest,” Char explains, showing me the ‘hot wife’ tattoo on her arm. “And that’s exactly why I’m here today.”
My husband loves to watch and film me having sex with other men
Sally
Outside the SpicyMatch tent, Emma, one of the organisers, tells me about the upcoming activities.
“We’re going to be playing a number of sex games, including Vibrator Karaoke. The aim of the game is to see how long you can last by popping a vibrator down your pants while you sing. Whoever lasts the longest without orgasming wins!”
Nearby, things are heating up in the hot tub with bikini-clad Summer Reid, 29, and Queenie G, the dynamic content creator duo from Bristol.
“We swing together, we create content together and we live together…” Summer explains.
“Basically we do everything together!” Queenie G laughs. “This festival is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people. We can’t wait.”
Council fightback
The event was approved despite objections raised last year by the South Kesteven District Council licensing committee and Lincolnshire Police.
Their concerns included preventing crime and disorder, ensuring public safety, avoiding public nuisance, and protecting children from harm.
Swingathon organiser Kerry Voellner became the swinging Erin Brockovich in her fight against the council – and won.
The bisexual 45-year-old, who has been in swinging for over 20 years and runs Manchester’s Adam and Eve’s swinging nightclub, said: “What you do behind closed doors and who you choose to do it with is your business. Society shouldn’t judge your choices.
“We’re in an era where sexual freedom is a basic human right. Whether I choose to sleep with different men or women, that’s my prerogative. It doesn’t make me a bad person – just open-minded.
“People are beginning to understand that everyone deserves recognition and a safe space. Winning the court case was a major victory for us but there’s still more work to be done.”
Matt adds: “There were plenty of ridiculous articles claiming locals were upset about moaning and screaming from the tents. That’s impossible – first, we’re in the middle of a field, and second, the rock music is so loud you wouldn’t hear a thing!”
It’s true. The band on stage are blasting out rock hits from Guns N’ Roses and Tina Turner. For a moment, I almost forget I’m even at a swinging festival – until I see couples coming and going from the play tents.
“There’s a lot to be said about having a naughty little secret but there’s a lot to be said about normalising being a sexual adult,” continues Denise.
“Saying do you know what, I like to have sex with my friends and have a little drink and a dance, what’s wrong with that?”
As the sun gives way to the moon, the party gets into full swing. The day might be ending, but for these revellers, the night is just getting started.
For four days people can escape the mundanity of their lives and explore their inner fantasies. Come Monday, they’ll put their coats back on and return to the office with some unforgettable memories.
Bring on next year!
