Taking place each July in Abbots Ripton, Secret Garden Party has become one of the UK’s best-loved festivals during its 11-year tenure. The 100-acre site, a countryside paradise complete with lush lakes and jaw-dropping art installations, is without doubt one of the prettiest festival settings you’ll encounter, and the emphasis is on creativity, friendliness, participation and, most importantly, fun. Tickets sold out months in advance for the first time ever this year – and if you did manage to score yourself some, here’s a little bit of what you can expect in the Garden this year…
MUSIC
The site’s 14 stages serve up a heady mix of everything from solid gold disco to dirty drum and bass across the course of the four days, and while you might not see as many huge name acts on the bill at SGP as you would other festivals, the selection is always brilliantly curated, with great music to discover around every corner. The Great Stage, nestled on the edge of the twinkling lake at the foot of a grassy hill, provides a centrepiece for the whole festival, and it’s where you’ll catch some of the biggest names. This year’s headliners include mysterious electro funk collective Jungle, UK hip-hop artist Roots Manuva, SGP favourites Caravan Palace and The Correspondents, as well as Public Service Broadcasting, Kate Tempest and The Cat Empire, amongst others (so definitely something for all tastes!)
The Pagoda – a dance floor floating on the lake – has become the stuff of legend (so expect queues to get on to it), but it’s known for being one of the best spots for a dance, especially when the sun’s setting. This year, catch the likes of Waze & Odyssey, Btraits and Eats Everything on the wheels of steel. The serious ravers will find their spiritual home in The Drop, a natural hollow in the rolling hills which serves up the best home- grown underground house, techno and everything in between.
Many will be pleased to hear that drum and bass label Hospitality will be taking over the Collosillyum (a huge hay bale amphitheatre) on the Saturday, with a line-up that features the cream of the scene, including London Elektricity, S.P.Y, Fred V & Grafix and Logistics. The Temple of Boom has been ousted this year in favour of the intriguing sounding Psychedelia Smithsonian, “a sonic tribute to LSD, in all its musical forms”, where you can expect San Francisco inspired flower power, tripped-out electronica and blissed-out ambient beats aplenty.
Elsewhere, The Chai Wallahs will be running a fantastical 24-hour Woodland Party, The Crossroads will be kicking out its signature combination of low-down soul, organic rock ’n’ roll and rhythm and blues, and the woodland hideaway that is Where The Wild Things Are will be offering up off- kilter acts and rising stars including Marika Hackman and Bernhoft.
ART
The incredible art installations, dotted all around the festival site, are a big part of what makes Secret Garden Party such a special place. Whilst the organisers always keep the details under wraps so as not to spoil the surprise, they are once again promising an iconic centrepiece on the lake, designed by the PirateTechnics crew and destined to be ceremoniously set alight after the fireworks display. Last year’s offerings included a vast sunflower field (entered via an innocuous looking Portaloo), LED falling ‘stars’ and water-based holograms, so we can’t wait to see what they’ve got up their sleeves for this year.
FUN
Perhaps the most dazzling spectacle of the entire festival (and it’s a tough call) is the now famous Paint Fight, which takes place at The Great Stage on the Sunday afternoon. A riot of colour, mess and silliness, it totally encapsulates what the whole event is about and nicely reinvigorates jaded partiers for the final hurrah on Sunday night. For guaranteed giggles, go and visit the Bearded Kitten gang in the Collosillyum, where they’ll be coercing festivalgoers into getting involved with their bonkers games (think mud wrestling, aerial truss wars and food fights), and swing by the Village Hall for some good, wholesome (kind of) fun of the vintage variety. The Dance Off, with its good-time tunes and up for it crowd, is a stage not to be missed, and make sure you catch the giant parades too – led by a motley band of performers, musicians, merrymakers, floats and boats.
TREATS
When you’re in need of a bit of pampering, The Sanctuary offers an oasis of calm in the thick of the action. Relax and rejuvenate with yoga classes, well-being therapies, massages, facials and other treats for the senses, then indulge in some restorative superfoods and juices. Following last summer’s huge popularity, Bathing Under the Sky will once again be in attendance at SGP, bringing with them luxurious wood fired hot tubs, a dry Finnish sauna with cooling shower, hair and beauty facilities and a champagne bar. There are always loads of great food traders at the festival too, but if you want to really feast in style, it’s got to be the Soulfire Restaurant, a full-on fine dining experience, housed in a series of beautiful yurts.
SGP runs 23-26 July.
