“… This is a serious party,” reads the end of the festival’s 2013 official video.
As you can watch below the visuals demonstrate just how rabid a Secret Garden Party can be. But when they say “serious party” they don’t mean it in the Gatsby fashion that some might be confused with.
This festival is uptight, not in its approach to having fun, but in its aim to put on an environmentally friendly and first class unique event that you won’t get anywhere else in the world.
If that’s there official mantra than Secret Garden Party more than lives up to the ideals it advertises.
This is the type of independent arts and music festival where punters don’t just engage with one feature more than the other. They become enveloped in an experience that is soundtracked by incredible DJs and musicians, while the visual aspect of the weekend encompasses the eccentric, the inspiring and the beautiful.
It is a garden party after all and with some of the stages defined by outlining tree trunks, a lake and a man made island, it demonstrates why this is fields apart from other mainstream British festivals.
With 15 stages and 26,000 revellers in 2013 this event continues to grow in size from the one stage and 1000 punters of its inaugural 2004 edition.
While acts like Lily Allen, Florence & The Machine, Lykke Li, The xx, Emiliana Torrini, Mystery Jets, Gorrilaz and Regina Spektor have undoubtedly contributed to its growing popularity the music has never been the main draw card here.
Secret Garden Party is about the ‘experience’ in every sense of the word. You could go to this festival and only discover half of its secrets and be forgiven.
There is a labyrinth of art and music to explore with a different theme each year. It’s time you went got lost there.
Lineup
Headlining The Great Stage of this 2014 event is Sweden’s Little Dragon who will almost certainly play cuts from their forthcoming Nabuma Rubberband album. Kiwi seven-piece Fat Freddy’s Drop are just one tier below with the act playing in support of last year’s Blackbird.
However the main stage will be filled with new music from Denmark’s MØ and Britian’s Foxes with both releasing their debut albums in 2014.
Our very own Jagwar Ma will headline the Where The Wild Things Are stage, while Sub Focus will close out the Temple Of Boom with a DJ set.
Other must see sets will come from the likes of Deap Valley, The Amazing Snakeheads and Kyla la Grange to name just a few.
See the full lineup here.
Where And When
This exclusive forest excursion will take pace from the 24th to the 27th of July in the East Anglia countryside near Huntingdon.
How To Get There
With the festival site just 70 miles outside of central London your flight destination is set for the British capital.
You can fly to London with just about any major airline and the following are a list of estimated return airfares that were available at the time of writing.
Adelaide: One-stop journeys are worth upwards of $2600, while two-stop flights will set you back around $2500.
Brisbane: One-stop journeys are worth upwards of $2500, while two-stop flights will set you back around $2000.
Melbourne: One-stop journeys are worth upwards of $2100, while two-stop flights will set you back around $2000.
Perth: One-stop journeys are worth upwards of $2100, while two-stop flights will set you back around $2000.
Sydney: One-stop journeys are worth upwards of $2100, while two-stop flights will set you back around $2100.
From London the festival offers the following directions if you happen to have a car handy.
“From the A1/A14 Junction (aka Brampton Hut)
Take the A14 towards Huntingdon Industrial Estate (ignore signs to Huntingdon)
At next roundabout go straight over (signposted A141 March & Ely)
Continue straight over the next three roundabouts.
The last roundabout will have a huge Tescos on it.
Shortly after, there will be a turning left (signposted Kings Ripton.)
Take this turning and follow the road down to the next crossroads.
Turn left towards Abbots Ripton (B1090)
The Festival is about a mile on your right – very hard to miss…”
If you’re driving or looking for a ride down consider registering with gocarshare to hitch a ride or offer a lift to fill up your car.
Alternatively we’d encourage you to book a ticket with the Big Green Coach company (they depart from various cities across England) with buses departing for the festival on Thursday 24th and leaving for home on Monday the 28th of July. Fares start from £34 and you can purchase them as an add on to your festival ticket when you’re at the online check out.
You can also take a train with the closest station to the festival in Huntingdon. The travel time from London Kings Cross is estimated at about an hour with trains departing every half hour. Tickets are valued at £23 normal return or £40 anytime return.
Where To Stay
Where do we start? It’s camping of course and the basic option is there for the taking, but before you settle just takes a quick look at the indulgent boutique camping options the festival has to offer.
If you purchase a boutique camping option you will not only get access to “luxury” toilets and showers, you will also have “bellboys and barrow girls” to take your luggage to your bed.
Access to the boutique camping area is sold separately to your accommodation to make it fair on those who are staying with less people. The boutique camping wristband is valued at £40 per person.
The top of the range option for boutique campers are the two person Suite Huts, which includes everything you’d expect from a hotel (en suite, towels, TV/DVD, fridge, kettle, ipod dock) for £1800.
The Extravagant Yurts (pictured) come in at the slightly cheaper price of £1500 and sleep up to four people. Among the beautiful décor you also get a mirror, clothes hooks, electric lighting, charging stations and a festival goodie basket.
The Luxury Yurts are much the same just a touch more fancier. The price varies depending on your bedding requirements, but it ranges from £1200 to £1320 and sleeps up to four people.
The Lotus Belle Tents are valued at £1000 for up to four people and include lighting, chairs and table, mineral water and baby wipes and a handmade velvet eye mask to stop the early sunrise from waking you.
The above are just some of the most luxurious options, but there are quite a few more that cater for varying budgets and needs. Read all about them here.
How To Get Tickets
Adult tickets for the weekend are valued at £180.50 with booking fees included. A teen ticket, which must be accompanied by someone aged over 21 years, is worth £135.00.
You can purchase your tickets here.
Insider Tips & Tricks/Things You Shouldn’t Miss
By now you know that Secret Garden Party is an incredibly unique and crazy experience. But what individual features make it so?
First and foremost everyone loves a paint fight. But at a festival when the whole weekend builds to this explosion of colour it becomes all the more special and a particularly Instagram worthy moment at that.
The festival has its own Colosseum as well – or as they call it, Colosillyum – and you can fight it out in everything from hot dog eating contests to mud wrestling and dance-offs. Not only that but there’s a bunch of stunts and DJs to draw 1000 plus crowds to this area.
At The Forum you can take a seat and engage in intellectual debates and philosophical questions. This is a place for discussion so head on down and who knows what interesting chit chat could take place?
Guerilla Science “is the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll of the laboratory”. Has your interest peaked? Here you can witness a mad scientist undertake experiments and play with fire among many other science related things.
Among the festival grounds punters will also be able to witness parades and a variety of art installations, while you can even stop by for a show at the event’s own theatre.
While you will obviously bring your own food we recommend you splurge on brunch or dinner at the Soul Fire Restaurant. It “brings you fine dining with an Italian twist” with delicious food served on wooden tables by candlelight. There’s also some amazing DJs to soundtrack the best festival meal you could ever have.
Hot tubs, spas and saunas are all located at the festival site, while The Secret Sanctuary holds yoga teachers, massage therapists and healers by the lake.
For more details head to the official Secret Garden Party website.
