In 2004, The Secret Garden party launched, pulling a crowd of 1000 human souls looking to hear some good music and feel good vibes. Fast forward ten years and now the festival draws in many more revellers seeking to forget the everyday rat race and just let go. This year even Prince Harry couldn’t resist seeing what the festival had to offer, adding  royalty to the already wonderfully diverse crowd in attendance.

This year boasted arguably SGP’s most impressive line-up in terms of musical acclaim. Some FAULT Favourite artists – Mø, Foxes, The Correspondents and Cherub were all performing on The Great Stage this year so naturally we were very happy (and a little smug) to see that someone out there agrees with us!

It was also great to see so many young people appreciating the music of Martha Reeves, Ken Boothe, The Dub Pistols, as well as the show-stopping performance by hip-hop legends Public Enemy.

 

It must be said that, unlike other music festivals where it’s all about who you see, at SGP it’s just as much about what you see. A secret sunflower meadow sat hidden behind a portaloo door and an epic dance battle held within the confines of an openair boxing ring were just some of the great amenities that sets SGP apart from so many other British music festivals.

 

 

All in all, it’s great to see what SGP has become in the last ten years. While, like any popular festival, there seems to be an increasing number of annoying ‘lads on tour’ and ‘suns out, guns out’ vest-wearers flocking down each year, something about SGP allows you to show acceptance and tolerance towards everybody and just shrug it off. And, if non-violent appreciation isn’t your thing, you can always revel in the glow of the annual burning ceremony in the lake, where one of the floating marvels from the festival is purged by fire in the name of heady summer debauchery. Rest assured – we’ll be back!

‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’… until next year!

Words & photography: Miles Holder