Secret Garden Party, A New Hope:

A look through the portal into the Future of Art

By Ellis Kerwood @ell.icious

*Image by Joshua Atkins, courtesy of Secret Garden Party*

In a darkening forest in Huntingdon, the last natural light of the day reflects on sparkling waters. The liquid's surface begins to ripple as a robotic face appears from the depths, heralding the beginning of a weekend of sheer fantasy.

Varying tents protrude from a clearing, inviting the crowds of partygoers in. Alien lighting distorts the natural shapes of the forest, creating a little slice of wonderland. Once you go through the portal, there is no looking back, but why would you want to anyway? The unmissable Secret Garden Party has returned; and this time, it has better toilets!

About the festival

The award-winning festival is back for a four-day party filled with arts, camping and music. Secret Garden Party returned last year and instantly reinstated itself as an unmissable event for out-of-the-box creatives. The festival will commence on 20th July at its usual grounds in Huntingdon. This innovative summer event will feature unique sculptural pieces, parades and performances.

But what sets Secret Garden Party apart from other festivals I hear you ask? Well it is the largest UK music festival to launch as a social enterprise, with 65% of the profits going to music-based charities that the artist and attendees have picked. It demonstrates a festival dedicated to giving back and helping to nurture the arts, showing an earnest passion for this world.

Episode XVII: A New Hope

Secret Garden Party is an award-winning event; and just like all the best events, there is always a creative theme. This year is entitled 'A New Hope', and with a focus on how we can return to the future, they are 'inviting you to dip bits of yourself into a future romantic scape and shoot for the stars.'

They have curated a team of artists and designers who have worked hard to breathe life and create a sci-fi dystopian world. Having gone so far as to make a variety of intricate alien artefacts, revamped Tuk-Tuks and disguising them as emergency escape pods – they have even created an ethereal 12ft robot that emerges from the centre of the lake – transforming the grounds into a visually astonishing fantasy playground for attendees.

There is nothing Aether magazine loves more than creating outfits to match a theme, and this year we will be travelling through the portals of the festival to hunt for the most elaborate and impressive outfits. We are excited to see and document the different interpretations as well as see how people have creatively interpreted the brief.

Aether, as a magazine, is all about uplifting smaller creatives which is why the Secret Garden Party is such an intrinsic festival for us. We inspire and are inspired by art, so as a team we couldn’t be more enthusiastic to see how the festival designers this year have worked to construct this space-themed world, whether from the impressive visual displays to the 'street' artists showcasing their craft.

Music

Secret Garden Party is a complete celebration of the arts, and this year they have curated an outstanding roster of music artists for attendees to enjoy. The line-up features big names and a few Aether favourites such as Roisin Murphy, Fat Freddy's Drop, Peaches, Biig Piig, and others performing on the main stage. The line-up is curated so that no matter who you are, there will always be performances that resonate with you.

It is a festival of discovery, and that does not change when it comes to music, whether that be exploring through the mazes to discover exclusive stages with refreshing talent or making your way to unmissable covert queer parties. Secret Garden Party has always found the most exciting new up-and-coming artists, giving them a stage to display their work.

Fabio & Grooverider and The Outlook Orchestra are among the most Aether things there – this is a truly legendary collaboration. Fabio & Grooverider are an iconic duo in the jungle and drum and bass scene. They have teamed up with The Outlook Orchestra to create something quite incredible. Having an orchestra perform live jungle, garage and drum and bass tunes is an innovative and genius idea with an even better payoff. Get ready to see the genres redefined by this influential collaboration.

Moreover, Aether is readying to join the circus as the iconic queer party crew, HE.SHE.THEY are back and presenting their new Circus Maximus. There is no party like a queer party; this collective knows how to throw the best one. With local and international talent, it will be one of our highlights, including magazine favourites such as BBC 6 Music's Jamz Supernova, Chloe Robinson b2b DJ ADHD and SHERELLE and I.

Aether magazine has been curating a unique world and vision for some time, and there rarely seems to be a real-life escape that reflects the universe we have created. Secret Garden Party perfectly echoes our creative plane; it mixes visual escapism with music and art, making you feel extremely present. The portal to a new hope has opened, and we are not looking back.

Links

@aethermagazine / Secretgardenparty.com / @thesecretgardenparty