The beloved Secret Garden Festival has announced that 2019 will be their final ever run, and we’re not crying, you’re crying!
In a statement, organisers of the Orangeville NSW festival said what they’ve achieved over the past decade has far outreached their expectations.
“Each year 100’s of musicians, dancers, performance artists, visual artists have descended on our forest and turned it into an explosion of creativity and adventure,” organisers said in a statement.
Multiple awards, almost $500,000 raised for charities, and 10 sold-out forest discos later, next month’s final run is set to be a celebration of everything Secret Garden represents: community, creativity, adventure, and more.
“We may reappear in some other form in the future. But as a wise person once said, always leave a party when you’re still having fun,” said organisers.
After 1o Secret Gardens, punters and advocates are unsurprisingly ropeable.
One fan simply tagged in their friends to the Facebook announcement post and said, “this is bullshit”.
Another said: “An eternal thank you to everyone who has worked on this festival over the last 11 years. One of the best festivals I have ever attended anywhere in the world. You will be greatly missed.”
Read Secret Garden’s full statement below:
“We have known for a long time that Secret Garden 2019 would be our last year. We have always wanted to go out with a big bang and the stars have aligned for this year to be the perfect time to drop the mic and say, Secret Garden – 11 and out.
We started Secret Garden because we desperately wanted a different kind of festival experience. A festival less about the headliners and irritable crowds, and more about getting together a community of good people, in over-the-top costumes and creating a world where patrons participate rather than just spectate.
11 years on and what we set out to do has far outreached our expectations of what we thought Secret Garden could ever be. Each year 100’s of musicians, dancers, performance artists, visual artists have descended on our forest and turned it into an explosion of creativity and adventure. We have picked up many awards and recognition for being one of Australia’s best and most unique festivals. We have raised nearly $500,000 for charities and most importantly we have been an essential escape and a release for thousands of old and new friends. It has been a privilege to have touched so many lives in this way.
We may reappear in some other form in the future. But as a wise person once said, always leave a party when you’re still having fun.
We have been deliberating over announcing this news before we open our garden gates one last time in February 2019. However, we wanted to give our loyal friends a final chance to attend the last ever forest disco
In celebration of this massive bombshell being dropped, we will be dialling everything up to 11 this year for – One Last Night in Paradise
Some extra tix have been put ON SALE for the loyal lovers of our forest disco.”
Watch the announcement video below:
