The Secret Garden Party, often colloquially shortened to the SGP, is an independent arts and music festival which takes place in Abbots Ripton near Huntingdon in England. This location is on part of the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse and has its own lakes, river and landscaped gardens. The festival was launched by Fred Fellowes [1] and James Whewell in 2004 as an alternative to the established mainstream music festivals. Since its inception the festival has increased in popularity and size,[2] and has grown from one stage and 300 visitors in 2002, to more than 15 stages and 35,000 revellers in 2017.
| Secret Garden Party | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Rock, World, Electronic, Reggae, Folk, Dance, House, Alternative |
| Dates | July (4 days) |
| Location(s) | Abbots Ripton, England |
| Years active | 2002–2017, 2022–present |
| Website | secretgardenparty.com |
In March 2017, it was announced that the 2017 edition would be the last.[3]
Over its initial 15 year run, The Secret Garden Party won the UK Festival Award for Best Small-Sized Festival in 2005 and 2008, and then Award for Best Medium-Sized Festival in 2011. It also won the Act of Independence award from the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) for its work with The Loop, a harm reduction charity which tested drugs on site during the event.[4] This practice has now been adopted by some other UK festivals.
In August 2021, it was announced that after a five-year hiatus, the Secret Garden Party would return in summer 2022. On relaunching, 20,000 tickets were placed on sale which sold out in under 20 minutes via a registration process that featured a questionnaire. The event took place from 21 to 24 July 2022 in Cambridgeshire, with the line-up announced each day of the festival. [5] The festival has planned additional events for 2023 and 2024.
The Secret Garden Party supports The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), which aims to prevent male suicide in the United Kingdom, [6] as well as mental health charity My Black Dog as of 2022.
Lineups edit
2004 edit
2005 edit
- Super Furry Animals[8]
- Desmond Dekker
- Mando Diao
- Regina Spektor
- Adam Freeland
- The Noisettes
- Boy Kill Boy
2006 edit
2007 edit
26–29 July
- Echo & The Bunnymen[10]
- Indigo Moss
- The Noisettes
- The Sunshine Underground
- New Young Pony Club
- Alabama 3
2008 edit
24–27 July
- Grace Jones[11]
- Morcheeba
- Alphabeat
- Shout Out Louds
- Florence & The Machine
- Metronomy
- My Pretend Orchestra
- Eugene Francis Jnr
- Noah and the Whale
- Mumford and Sons[12]
2009 edit
23–26 July
2010 edit
22–25 July
- Gorillaz[14]
- Marina and the Diamonds
- Echaskech[15]
- Hybrid
- Cloud Control
- Eliza Doolittle
- Animal Kingdom
- Mystery Jets
- Infadels
- Crystal Fighters
2011 edit
21–24 July
- Blondie[16]
- Leftfield
- Cosmo Jarvis
- Adam Freeland
- Matt and Kim
- Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
- Mystery Jets
- I am Kloot
2012 edit
19–22 July
- Orbital
- Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
- KT Tunstall
- Little Roy
- Caravan Palace
- Little Dragon
- Alabama Shakes
- Tim Minchin
- Lamb
- Lianne La Havas
- The Ladykillers
- Bastille
2013 edit
25–28 July
- Faithless
- Regina Spektor
- 2ManyDJs
- Django Django
- David Icke
- The Ladykillers
- SYKUR
- Bastille
- Phildel
Attendance: 29,000[17]
2014 edit
24–27 July
- Little Dragon
- Sub Focus
- My Nu Leng
- Clean Bandit
- MØ
- Gorgon City
- Morcheeba
- Sigma
- Matrix and Futurebound
- The Skints
- Years and Years
- Fat Freddy's Drop
2015 edit
23-26 July
- Kae Tempest
- Caravan Palace
- Jungle
2016 edit
21-24 July
- Caribou
- Dua Lipa
- Air
- The Temper Trap
- Field Music
Primal Scream were due to appear but cancelled shortly before the festival.
2017 edit
20-23 July
Related events edit
The 2009 Secret Garden Party Valentines Bacchanalia Ball, named after annual parties held in honour of the Greek god Dionysus, took place on 28 February at the Dex Club in Brixton, London.[18]
Secret Garden Party's co-organizers, Secret Productions teamed up with Thai production company Scratch First to produce the inaugural Wonderfruit - a sustainable lifestyle festival in Thailand.[19]
External links edit
Notes edit
- ^ "Interview with Fred Fellowes". Toxin Magazine. Archived from the original on September 3, 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ Weinstock, Louis (30 July 2010). "Festival Review: The Secret Garden Party". The Independent. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
- ^ "Secret Garden Party announces this year's festival will be its last". huntspost.com. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
- ^ "Secret Garden Party became the first UK festival to test drugs at the weekend". Mixmag. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Secret Garden Party: Festival returns after five-year break". BBC News. September 2021.
- ^ "Secret Garden Party". www.secretgardenparty.com. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ "2004 Secret Garden Party". virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "2005 Secret Garden Party". virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "2006 Secret Garden Party". virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "2007 Secret Garden Party". virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "2008 Secret Garden Party". virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "eFestivals.co.uk - music festivals news, info, tickets, reviews and photos". eFestivals. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- ^ "2009 Secret Garden Party". virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "2010 Secret Garden Party". virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Preview: Secret Garden Party 2010". music ohm.
- ^ "2011 Secret Garden Party". virtualfestivals.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Secret Garden Party ends - and tickets go on sale for 2014". Cambridge News. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
- ^ "Secret Garden Party Bacchanalia Ball". Spoonfed. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
- ^ "Wonderfruit Festival announces its launch". Record of the Day. Record of the Day. Retrieved 18 August 2014.