Secret Garden Party 2016 w/ Air, Band of Skulls, Caribou, Rae Morris, Swim Deep, Teleman & More

Secret Garden Party, or SGP to the locals, is pound for pound the most beautiful festival on the circuit – such an array of sweet sounds, sights, scents and people at possibly the most serene and idyllic festival I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting.

Easy to get to from the capital (45 mins from Kings Cross) easy to get in (15 mins from coach to wristband), easy stroll to a beautiful campsite (20 mins from wristband to tent up), then a feast on the eyes from there on in.

As we made our way around on the Thursday afternoon, we were bowled over by the lush landscaping, which houses and hides all kinds of treats, from a hay bale amphitheatre, huge fox on a hill and pretty lakes, to a wrestling ring built for dancing, and an assortment of stands and stalls selling pretty potions and performance pieces.

Musically, Secret Garden Party 2016 was an ensemble of electronic rock stars, reggae, dancehall, ska seducers, and some actual indie guitar action with Natty, The Skints, Swim Deep, Caribou, London’s Hoxton heroine, Sasha Brown, and new firm favourites, Band of Skulls, all performing blissful sets.

We were also treated to the most magical Fireworks display on the Saturday night, as Submotion Orchestra blew the crowd away – we were fired high into the sky with a light show and audio accompaniment, which closed with two massive explosions lighting up the sky, as David Bowie’s β€˜Starman’ bought the entire festival to a tearful high.

Shout out to the Secret FM crew – the local radio station broadcasting 24 hours on 87.9fm – who created a community vibe across the festival, bringing local line up news, travel info, weather updates and exclusive sets and interviews to the radio heads in the team.

For an easy, beautiful, ferociously fun festival: Secret Garden Party is your ticket.

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Words: David Preshaah, Hoxton Radio
Photos: Andrew Whitton, Danny North, Giles Smith, Gobinder Jhitta, Jenna Foxton, Max Miechowski, Nick Caro, Olivia Williams & Samantha Milligan (c) Fanatic 2016