The secret’s out and SGP has become a big player in its perfect, bijou way
Definitely no secret anymore, this colourful party has been transforming its corner of the Cambridgeshire countryside into a glittery hedonists’ playground for the last 12 years.
Taking place 21-24 July, Secret Garden Party (SGP) boasts one of the prettiest festival sites you’ll ever encounter, set across a 100-acre countryside paradise complete with lush lakes, magical woodland glades and an abundance of beautiful art installations. Best of all it’s just down the road in Abbots Ripton, an easy hop of around 35 minutes from central Cambridge (depending on the mood of the A14 of course). If you managed to bag yourself a ticket or you’re still thinking about it, here’s a taster of what’s in store at this year’s Secret Garden Party.
Music
Unlike many other festivals, the music line-up can take a bit of a back seat at SGP, purely because there’s just so much going on. But that’s not to say it’s lacking – far from it – you can enjoy a fantastically curated selection of artists from a huge variety of genres across the 15+ stages.
The Great Stage, nestled by the shimmering lake on a grassy hillside, is the focal point of the whole festival and where you’ll catch the biggest names. This year’s line-up includes electronic music giant Caribou, as well as French synth-pop duo Air, makers of iconic hits like Kelly Watch the Stars and Sexy Boy. Joining them will be Primal Scream, Submotion Orchestra, Hot 8 Brass Band and DJ Shadow. Art pop darlings Teleman, whose star is determinedly in the ascendant right now, are likely to prove another highlight.
Elsewhere, whether your poison is dirty drum and bass or solid gold disco, you’ll find your tribe.
Serious ravers will find their spiritual home in The Drop: a hands-in-the-air celebration of the best of UK electronic music, served up in a natural hollow in the rolling hillside. Expect underground house, techno and acts like Waze and Odyssey doing their thing.
If you can face the inevitable queues, The Pagoda, an incredible floating dance floor on the lake, is the stuff of legend and a dream spot for dancing as the sun sets.
Elsewhere, The Living Room will be kicking out a great line-up of acoustic acts, including plenty of local Cambridgeshire talent, whilst Where the Wild Things Are, an otherworldly confection of branches, twigs and tree trunks, will play host to a series of artists at the more experimental, off-kilter end of the spectrum.
Art
SGP is one big theatre for visual arts, and each and every year the organisers manage to blow festivallers away with the little (and enormous) surprises sprinkled around the site. In previous years we’ve been treated to LED ‘stars’ falling from the sky, water holograms and a secret sunflower field, entered via an innocuous looking Portaloo – so we can’t wait to see what’s in store
for 2016.
The Great Lake will once again play host to the biggest installation of the lot – which gets ceremoniously set alight during the big burn after Saturday night’s jaw-dropping fireworks display.
Fun & Games
From space safaris to fire walking, dance-offs to mud wrestling, you don’t have to walk far to find some silliness to get stuck into at SGP. One of the most glorious spectacles of the whole weekend is always Sunday afternoon’s huge paint fight. A riot of colour, noise and craziness, it takes place by the main stage and rejuvenates everyone nicely for the final stretch of the festival heading into Sunday evening.
The Bearded Kitten gang, holed up in their huge straw castle, always have a bonkers line-up of interactive high jinks on the go. Pay them a visit for aerial tussles, food fights and probably some nakedness.
Got moves to kill? Make a trip to the boxing ring style Dance Off stage, which kicks out feel-good grooves day and night and puts Soul Train to shame with its epic dance challenges.
Pampering
There comes a point during every festival where securing some R&R becomes your main priority, and SGP excels at providing weary festivallers with the rejuvenating they so desperately need.
Escape to The Sanctuary, which is nestled on the banks of the lake, and offers massages, yoga classes, well-being therapies and restorative juices and healthy food. Or, spend a blissful couple of hours at Bathing under the Sky, where you can relax in the wood-fired hot tubs and saunas while enjoying a glass or two of fizz from their champagne bar.
Hungry? SGP’s food offering is always a cut above, but for a full-on feast in style, it has to be Milliway’s, this year’s on-site fine dining restaurant. For brunch they’ll be serving up eggs Florentine with Bloody Marys, and come dinner, it’s all about beautiful Italian fare and great wine – all served up in a huge, gorgeously decked-out yurt. Bon appetit!
21-24 July 2016
