Secret Garden Party

Choose your own adventure...

It’s possible to do pretty much nothing but soak up the vibes at Secret Garden and still have an amazing time. While other festivals attract punters with fanfares of big name bands, Secret Garden thrives on an altogether more hedonistic draw: FUN. Tucked around a beautiful lake the tranquillity of the countryside is soon sent packing as the narcotics are liberally distributed and the soundsystems begin to quake.

The Secret Garden ethos is involvement and the SGP founders are determined for you to Choose Your Own Adventure. For the weekend you are a gardener and are expected to dig in. With thousands of eccentric activities all around the site a typical day could consist of being decadently punted around the lake with a Bloody Mary in hand; having an imprint of your bottom read by an Asstrologist; watching (or if you were lucky enough to be christened Dave, participating in) the contest to discover the best Dave of all in the Dave-Off; or dancing with abandon on a floating dancefloor in the light of the setting sun.

One of the newer additions to the festival is Strummerville, a fireside stage run by a musical charity for the nourishing of new music acts in the name of the late and great Joe Strummer; their eclectic line up is a perfect match for SGP. Best of all is gruff voiced songster Beans On Toast whose unique brand of folk consists of wry mashed up festival stories that will have you chuckling to yourself for weeks to come.

Despite the music playing second fiddle to the fun times, the line up is nonetheless strong: The Whip, Fenech Soler, Fionn Regan, Lulu and the Lampshades, Horace Andy & Dub Ashante, and Dreadzone all play noteworthy sets throughout the magical weekend. The close of Sunday saw Mercury Rev playing a truly glorious set to an enraptured but sleepy crowd of gardeners. Perfection.

Though Secret Garden has swelled from a mere smattering to fifteen thousand, it has kept its integrity and remains one of the best festivals the UK has. If you’re of the type that can go to Glastonbury and barely see a single band in favour of rollicking around with your chums in the grass, this is a festival you’ll approve of. Those of a frail or sensitive disposition should approach with caution!

Words by Hannah Lanfear

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