What is it that makes attending a festival truly memorable beyond simply a great lineup? According to Glen ‘Goose’ McGrath of one of Australia’s best new boutique festivals The Pleasure Garden, it’s all about creating an inclusive, community-focused environment that focuses on an immersive experience and encourages festivalgoers to come together and connect, rather than simply be passive consumers.
McGrath and business partner Geordie Baker will bring the vibrant festival back to Catani Gardens in St. Kilda this December, following a successful debut event last year. It boasts an enticing, diverse lineup including the likes of Fat Freddy’s Drop, Montaigne, Remi and Crooked Colours to name a few, as well as art installations, roving theatrical performances, and boutique gastronomical delights.
Between them, the pair have decades of event and festival experience, having worked locally and overseas for names like Burning Man, Big Day Out, Glastonbury and the London Olympics, and it’s that expertise they now bring to the Australian festival circuit.
Unless there’s an actual community environment that inspires people to connect with the people around them, then the concept of a festival is really lacking
“I’ve been personally working on events since I was 14 years old, and worked on Big Day Out when I was 18,” says McGrath. “It’s been a long path of seeing and exploring different events around the world – everything from Burning Man in Nevada to the Olympics. Meanwhile, Geordie has done eight years working overseas on some pretty amazing events like Glastonbury and Secret Garden party.”
Working on those events in the UK, Europe and the States, McGrath says what they saw was a much more comprehensive, cohesive environment than those back home, providing an environment that was fully experiential and holistic.
“It’s bound together in something that’s greater than the sum of its parts that isn’t simply the consumerist model – walk in, eat food, buy booze, watch bands, leave. Unless there’s anything there to tie those things together, an actual community environment that inspires people to connect with the people around them, then the concept of a festival is really lacking.”
If you missed out on experiencing The Pleasure Garden last year, here’s an idea of what you’ll find.
Community-building is a vital ingredient to providing a great festival experience, according to McGrath. “Community is about how we can encourage people to connect with each other. I think creating those environments that are immersive and fully creative and experiential is the building block to building a community, and that’s one of the driving forces behind the festival.”
Reflecting on The Pleasure Garden’s “momentous” first year, McGrath acknowledges that the pair put a lot on the line to make their dream a reality. “We’re just two young guys, we’re not coming from a big financial background or anything like that, so it was quite a big undertaking. It was a big risk, and it was scary. Every first year event struggles and we were no exception, so it’s been a massive learning curve.”
McGrath says it was a challenge translating the skills and ideas to bring the festival to life over to marketing the event itself.
We’ve basically taken all the good parts about last year and ramped it up
“We know how to make the environments, right? The thing we didn’t bank on was being a promoter. We build and create festivals, but we didn’t start out to promote. So it’s like, how do you get people there?
“You can build the coolest space in the world but if no one comes then what’s the point. The only thing we could hold onto was if we just stick to our guns and create the most amazing experience we know how to create, that’s what’s going to shine. Like, yes, it’s going to be difficult, but we cannot compromise on that vision.”
“It’s what’s driven us to continue to push forward,” he says of the punters’ response to that vision, “hence the decision to continue the festival this year. We’ve added two more stages, we’ve got an expanded art program, more food. We’ve basically taken all the good parts about last year and ramped it up.”
A behind the scenes glimpse into just how much hard work goes into running a festival like this one.
Goose and the team consider one of the most important aspects of planning the festival to be thinking about how the space can be a welcoming as possible to people from all walks of life.
“I think it’s about creating an inclusive environment, and that’s being consciously aware of how you do that,” he says. “‘Inclusive’ goes beyond just making sure you have a gender-diverse lineup. It’s about this: how do we broadly reach all segments of a community, whether that’s across boundary lines of gender, race and religion, but also along the lines of socio-economic demographics.
“Are these people rich or poor? Artists or bankers? If we can engage them all in a way that allows all those people to connect with each other, that’s what helps break down those psychological boundaries between different groups of people.”
Why don’t people that identify as queer or LGBTI feel safe to go to these events? I’m horrified that they don’t feel safe
In particular, McGrath hopes to bridge the gap between queer and non-queer party environments. “I’m really driven to try and break down those boundaries, that’s one of the things I want to see change. Why don’t people that identify as queer or LGBTI feel safe to go to these events? Quite frankly, I’m horrified that the reason for that is that they don’t feel safe.
“If we want to keep progressing and make actually inclusive environments, it’s about going, ‘what do we need to do?’ How do we need to change our behavior to make sure everyone who wants to come into our space can enjoy it?”
Ultimately, what McGrath and Baker hope to offer with The Pleasure Garden is a brief yet impactful escape from the division and disconnection we find in modern society. Through a celebration of artistic diversity and an emphasis on participation, festivalgoers leave with a memorable experience and, perhaps most importantly, a strong sense of community.
The Pleasure Garden kicks off at Catani Gardens in St. Kilda on Saturday December 9 – check up the full lineup below, and find out more here.
The Pleasure Garden may be about more than just the lineup – but that doesn’t mean it’s not stacked
The Pleasure Garden 2017 full lineup
Saturday, 9th December
Catani Gardens, St Kilda Foreshore, Melbourne
Tickets on sale now through Eventbrite
Fat Freddy’s Drop
Opiuo
Montaigne
REMi
Stickybuds
L-Fresh The Lion
Chant Down Sound
Moodmachine
Thankyou City
JPS
Willaris. K
8 Foot Felix
Lickweed
Rachel By The Stream
Monkee & C:1 + Dyzlexic
Mz Rizk
Mama Wonkita
Crooked Colours
Ed Solo
Baker Boy
Sunshine
Heartical Hi-Powa Ft. Stryka D & Macky Banton
Griff
Mike Callander
Otologic
Jesse I
Tickbox
Mickey Space
Jamima Jones
Chelsea Brown
Nam
