Secret Garden Party is no more. Well… that’s a bit of a lie actually. Allow me to rephrase. Secret Garden Party will be no more AFTER one of the biggest farewell celebrations seen in Cambridge since Oxford’s boat ended up at the bottom of the Thames (the boat race of ’51 if you’re wondering).
With integrity, and other substances, oozing out of every orifice, the garden party offered up a glitter doused alternate reality. From expressive dance lessons with the Dalai Llama (seemed feasible at the time), to a hallucinogenic knees up with Noel Fielding, SGP was a breath of fresh air in the midst of an exploding industry predominantly catering to rowdy pre-teens.
Secret Garden Party © Olivia Williams
It’s a festival that’s proved to be more than just another fad. Embracing the golden hippy sensibilities of Woodstock during the 60s, the hedonistic (albeit colder) ideologies of Burning Man and a lack of network coverage that ensured the technologically obsessed stayed well clear, SGP was a rare breed. It was a shining mirror ball of escapism. A vibrant haven away from endless commutes. A senseless mass of creativity. And with ’boutique’ offerings popping up all over the shop – most of which amounted a few tents, a middle aged bloke’s back garden and some has-been popstar attempting to resurrect their career – SGP held the originality card aloft with both hands.
Carefully cultivated by founder and self-appointed ‘Head Gardener’ Freddie Fellowes, his guiding hands selected obscure and emerging talent, placing them side by side with established musical royalty like Jarvis Cocker and Blondie. The effects of giant corporations, mass branding and endless self-promotion were kept to a minimum. It embraced the eccentric and shunned the conformity of the 9-5 we all love to loathe. In short, Secret Garden Party was a self-indulgent melting pot filled with the unconventional.
Secret Garden Party © Danny North
“We have been on a long journey but I concede to the infamous phrase that ‘All good things must come to an end’,” wrote Fellowes in his farewell statement, “and so it is, I announce today that this summer will host the last Secret Garden Party as we all know it.” If it were a funeral, SGP would want us to go out high as a kite, raving in a forest whilst dressed as a flamingo.
Brilliant, now what do I do with that custom-made fancy dress costume I purchased as an ‘investment’ piece? Although it may mark the end of an era, it’s clear from Fellowes’ statement that something is set to rise from the ashes of 2017s final campfire. What form this phoenix will take remains to be seen. For the time being, sit tight, buy yourself one final ticket, and make sure you get yourself to Cambridge and dance at the funeral.
Secret Garden Party © Samantha Milligan
