Secret Garden Party 2014 festival preview: The stuff of legends

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Secret Garden Party paint fight

Secret Garden Party paint fight

The Secret Garden Party is the stuff of legends; situated in the vast, idyllic grounds of a Georgian farmhouse, this festival is a creative dreamscape that helps office workers remove themselves from droning computers, and enables everyone to act as crazily as they please. The – almost – ten year old festival was created as an alternative to the well-known mainstream music festivals, and boy has it blossomed. Now a haven for creativity, with stalls and workshops to unleash the artist/performer/musician in us all, Secret Garden Party has a cult following under its belt and rising numbers of ‘gardeners’ every year.

Unlike most festivals, SGP sells a large amount of its tickets long before the headline acts are even announced. The uniqueness of this festival is appealing to young, old, and crazy families with the hippy parents I always wish I’d had.

Not only is there a great variety of music (Folk, Reggae, Dance, World, and Rock), there is also a plethora of once in a lifetime experiences and activities.

With the number of attendees growing each year, there must be something that attracts the new audiences. Personally, it was the variety of, well, everything; a festival with a lesser focus on music, is a refreshing change to many that I have attended in the past.

At the mainstream music festivals, there seems to be a pattern, where, between acts attendees will return to their tent to drink copious amounts of cheap booze prior to returning to the festival ground, then repeat. An example of the craziness SGP are famous for could be the pig racing, or maybe the arse reader (who holds the more formal title of asstrologist), the dance off’s, the mud wrestling, or the river where people frolic, naked and oblivious to the world outside.

However, we must look into the music, as it is still a key (and enticing) part of the festival; headlining musicians include Fat Freddy’s Drop, Little Dragon, and Public Enemy. There are whispers of surprise acts, as with every year, where reliance on luck is the best way to be at the stage.

With over 350 acts, with genres ranging from Danish electro-artist playing in the Temple of Boom, to the ‘cosmic folk’ act of Zervas & Pepper at the (famous) Where the Wild Things Are stage, falling into a world of new and interesting genres has never been easier.

The 11 stages host a variety of acts and atmospheres that suit all audiences, and introduce everyone to the new genres: ranging from acoustic, to dance, to debates, every ‘gardener’ has a different experience.

The festival consists of a beautiful blend of craziness and tranquillity, with a constant underlying theme of creativity- which all coincides quite nicely with my summer plans; after a heavy year of work, and work, summer is my time to let go and run through fields barefoot. Seemingly far away from Lad Culture, SGP is the safest bet for me to live out my peaceful fantasies, while offering a relapse into the party culture I’ll need (when friendship bracelet making gets too boring).

Each year, the festival has a theme which helps the audience ease into the aesthetics of the area. This year’s theme is “goodbye yellow brick road” which, in layman’s terms, means ditching the norm. To add to the dress-up, the festival organisers have promised over 50 art installations, their usual workshops, and obviously, the infamous, Artful Badgers.

To those of you unfamiliar with the Artful Badgers, they are a group most famous for their animal mask clad performers. Tucked away in the forest, they have amazing artists, DJs, teachers, and performers who are there to guide audiences through their bonkers world.

Another attractive feature about the Secret Garden Party is their ethical ethos; past visitors have spoken of the solar powered showers, cycle powered blenders and their urging to recycle where possible. This isn’t a go in, get pissed, burn things, and leave your disposable tent-esque festival, this is more free spirited, laid back, and with heavy focuses in all the right places (please take your tent home).

As with all the dress up festivals, there is also a parade; a brass band wielding, glitter-bomb of a parade. Combined with the last night fireworks, and controlled fires on stages (The sinking ship circa 2013), this is the cherry on top of Secret Garden Party’s creative, magical paradise.

For those who aren’t really into the camping scene, there’s a boutique experience for a bit more money. The area, with a variety of tents, huts, dorms, and tepees to choose from, has its own restaurant, spa, and separate loos.

It’s rather easy to see why anyone would want to go; creativity oozes from every orifice of the Secret Garden Party and unique experiences are everywhere. The whole premise of this festival is to let go, ignore the clocks and enjoy life. When it is so easy to be sucked in to the monotony of the 9-5, SGP have created a counteracting tranquil world, that offers us escape, however short the event is.

The Secret Garden Party takes places at Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire from Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th July 2014.

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Photo: Luke Turner