Secret Garden Party

Arts and Music Festival

The Secret Garden Party is an independent arts and music festival which takes place every year in an estate near Cambridge, England. Part of the grounds of a Georgian farm house, the location has its own lake, river and landscaped gardens.
The festival is run by four friends who have been involved since its birth when it was founded in 2004. Since then it has dramatically increased in popularity and size.
The Secret Garden Party began in 2004 with 1000 people attending. It simply consisted of one hand-built stage, two small bars, a naked stage manager and the organisers could be found swimming in the lake at dawn.
In 2005 the word had spread and 3000 people turned up, however the same relaxed atmosphere remained. There was a feeling that people could do anything that they wanted; and many people did. Dressed as Dictators, people threw themselves over and into 6 ft (1.8 m) high pianos in the Suicide Olympics, and by 10am on the Monday the wild times were still rolling.
In 2006 the festival swelled to 6000. In September 2006 the Head Gardener and Team participated at Burning Man in the Nevada Desert. They took off their clothes, painted themselves blue and decided to begin a new phase of the Secret Garden Party.
Brave New Worlds was created. They introduced the Action Camps & Events, The Avant Garden and established the Annual Expression Theme designed to encourage vision and participation.
As 2007 was a revolution for the SGP, they felt it was appropriate to use 2008 to explore the dramatic transformations of Past, Present and Future, and the great happenings that have created the world we inhabit today. The Expression Theme became Come The Revolutions. As an individual at the Secret Garden Party you have that rare opportunity to be and do anything you desire. Few people, few places and even fewer countries have this powerful freedom.
2008 also saw a flypast of XH558, the worlds only flying Avro Vulcan.
At the 2008 Secret Garden Party, a derelict tent from earlier on in the festival was found, and magically restored into a dance tent by a group of teenagers. It filled within seconds of the music being turned on, and was the last tent left open at the festival, as stated by a festival goer who called the radio channel Q103.
The theme for 2009 was Babylon and Eden. Gardeners (as SGP attendees are referred to) were allocated to the nature loving Edenite tribe or the pleasure seeking Babylonians. The Party culminated in a fire parade and the burning of the 'tower of Babel' in the middle of the lake. Musical acts present included Jarvis Cocker, Peter Green, Emmy the great, Noah and the Whale, Evil Nine and Dogs. The festival also offered conspiracy camps, sock and mud wrestling, grass surfing and a ferris wheel along with many, many other activities.

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