Secret Garden Party 2017: The Final Party!
There are so many music festivals to choose from these days. Some very big like Coachella or Glastonbury. Others very small like Innocent Festival or Critical Massive. Some go beyond the music and push people to rethink how human society should function entirely like Burning Man or Envision Festival.
The Secret Garden Party is one of those festivals. Not too big. Not too small. A festival that has quietly changed the festival ethos for over a decade now.
SGP started with 500 friends gathering at the bottom of a garden on the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse in England. The goal was to listen to good music, spread some good vibes and have a party. From the beginning the organizers (better known as the ‘head gardeners’) decided that unlike most other festivals of the time, they would never expose their guests to sponsorship, advertising, brand activations or VIP areas. Over the years they’ve cultivated an ethos around the Secret Garden Party; an ethical code that would create the best experience for all. It was a festival standard of sorts that included guidelines like: “Behave honourably at all times…” and “If you haven’t come to learn, come to teach” and “Help all those who are lost.”
It was a festival ideal that was only achievable with smaller scale festivals at the time but SGP was determined to bring that environment, that set of ethics, to more and more like-minded people. Ten years after SGP launched, it grew from 500 people to tens of thousands of people and dozens of stages. And the ethos remains the same: This is your party not anyone else’s.
Sadly, it was announced that this year will be the last year of the Secret Garden Party. “We have been on a long journey” wrote the Head Gardener in his letter to SGP’s followers earlier this year. “I concede to the infamous phrase that ‘All good things must come to an end’, and so it is, I announce today that this summer will host the last Secret Garden Party as we all know it.”
In a way, this made sense. Over the years the gardeners have achieved everything they set out to achieve. The garden party acted as a guiding light for other festivals. And rather than go on like an American TV sitcom for infinity, SGP decided to go out like Notorious B.I.G. with a bang.
So this year they’ve dedicated the party to fame, celebrity and the media that obsesses over both. Whether it’s America’s Got Talent, I’m A Kardashian #get-me-out-of-here or The Jersey Shore, we live in an instant, socially connected, blog-about-everything online world that worships fame. It’s the new religion. And who better to dissect this new normal than the hundreds of devoted SGP followers?
To help you contemplate the new ideal, SGP has enlisted an arsenal of artists to entertain you, including Metronomy, Crystal Fighters, Toot & The Maytals, Maribou State, Tom Misch, Sub Focus, and Eats Everything (among many more).
“We will satiate these worldly distractions to the point where we can finally break free from them,” says SGP’s Head Gardener. “And in doing so, gain a true perspective… SO, we’re donning our finest threads and polishing up like never before; for the biggest VIP LOL-off you’ve ever seen.
Where everyone likes / follows / adores you, the bouncers all know your name and the Sweet Dreams are made by You…”
Join the movement for one last year with a ticket to Secret Garden Party.
Secret Garden Party 2017 Sampler
The Secret Garden Party Ethical Code:
- Decide your own life, don’t let another person run or rule you.
- Behave honourably at all times and respect the local law and officials.
- Do not take advantage of someone who is in a vulnerable situation.
- Do not allow yourself to become a stupid drunk and set a bad example for the treatment of other Gardeners.
Always respect nature; do not leave rubbish where you are playing. - You are in a community, pitch in and help.
- Try to stay clean.
- If you haven’t come to learn, come to teach.
- When traveling, take your trip respectfully, take no personal chances & cause no problems.
- Do not allow other Gardeners to harm anyone, expose all abusers to authorities. People who intentionally cause harm to others are the worst people to infest any society.
- Help all who are lost, and try to induce them to return home.
- Look after your fellow Gardeners whenever and wherever needed, you may need their help someday.
- This is a Serious Party.
SGP Grand Finale – a Love Letter from the Head Gardener
Playlist
Hate To See You Go – The Rolling Stones
Evil Is Going On – John Hammond
Travelling Light – Leonard Cohen
Goodnight Moon – Shivaree
One – Johnny Cash
Tuyo – Rodrigo Amarante
You Got The Love – UnClubbed
What Is Love – Pretty Pink
Tell Me – Anas.A, Alternative K
Driven Feat. Mooryc – Douglas Greed
Pandora – Younotus
BluesGreen – Saite Zwei
Soulmates – Melokind
Perlentacher – KlangTherepeuten
* This love letter mix is absolutely NOT dripping in deeper meaning and no inference should be made from its content
Secret Garden Party 2017 Lineup
Headliners
METRONOMY
CRYSTAL FIGHTERS
TOOTS & THE MAYTALS
WILD BEASTS / JAGWAR MA / PEACHES /
REJJIE SNOW / RAY BLK / HONNE / JAIN / KATE NASH / TOM MISCH / JEREMY LOOPS / AKALA / JORJA SMITH / FICKLE FRIENDS / DMA’S / DEAP VALLY / THE MOONLANDINGZ / BONZAI / PUMAROSA / ALL THEM WITCHES / ZAK ABEL / TOM GRENNAN / MABEL / CLEAN CUT KID / ETTA BOND / LET’S EAT GRANDMA / NORTH DOWNS / SERAMIC / WILL JOSEPH COOK / TOOTHLESS / BOXED IN / CHARLOTTE OC / ANTEROS / BE CHARLOTTE / ALICE JEMIMA / LAUREL / THE CORRESPONDENTS / AINE CAHILL / CROOX / COSMO SHELDRAKE / WOWH / MONT JAKE / EARL OKIN
EATS EVERYTHING / SUB FOCUS / NERO / JACKMASTER / GEORGE FITZGERALD / SOUL CLAP / METRIK / CAMO / KROOKED / SPY / DC BREAKS / MARIBOU STATE (DJ) / WAZE & ODYSSEY / CRAIG RICHARDS / DUSKY / RENE LA VICE / FRED V & GRAFIX/HUXLEY /JONAS RATHSMAN /ANDHIM /
EDDY TM / ABSTRACT ORCHESTRA / ADAM SHELTON / AINE CAHILL / AKALA / ALICE JEMIMA / ALL ABOUT TOBE / ALL THEM WITCHES / ANDHIM / ANTEROS / ASH WALKER / ASHLEY WILD / ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK / AUDLEY / BAGHDADDIES / BALAPHONICS / BEANS ON TOAST / BE CHARLOTTE / BARE WOLLOP / BOBBY PLEASURE / BONZAI / BOXED IN / BUTCH / CAMO / CARASEL / CHARLIE MCFARLEY / CHARLOTTE OC / CHORDS / CHRISTOPHE / CITIZENN / CLEAN CUT KID / COSMO SHELDRAKE / CRAIG CAMPBELL / CRAIG RICHARDS / CROOX / CULTURE SHOCK / DAKHLA BRASS / DAVE HARVEY / DAVID MINNS / DAVID RODIGAN / DAXTA / DC BREAKS / DEAP VALLY / DENNEY / DISCO LOVERS / DMA’S / DOJO / DOM SERVINI / EARL OKIN / EATS EVERYTHING / EDDY TM / EDU IMBERNON / EJECA / ETTA BOND / FAT TONY / FEEL GOOD EXPERIMENT / FELIX DICKENSON / FICKLE FRIENDS / FLAMINGODS / FLUX / FOR BETTER OR WORSE / FRANK.CO / FRANKEE / FRED V & GRAFIX / FUNK FROM THE TRUNK / FUNSTER / GALLOWSTREET / GECKO / GENTLE MYSTICS SOUND SYSTEM / GEORGE FITZGERALD / GIN & JUICE / GYPSIES OF BOHEMIA / HALF BAKED / HAZEL SCOTT-SOMME / HEAD GARDENER / HOLLY HOLDEN Y SU BANDA / HONEY SOUNDSYSTEM / HONEYFEET / HONNE / HOSPITAL RECORDS / HOR$EMAN & THE UPPERCUT BAND / HOUSE HUSBAND / HOUSE OF CLEARANCE / ID / ITCHY RICH / JACKMASTER / JAGWAR MA / JAIN / JAMES CAVENDISH / JAMES PHILLIPS / JEREMY LOOPS / JIM WARBOY / JODY / JONAS RATHSMAN / JONATHAN BESTLEY / JONJO JURY / JONO MA / JORJA SMITH / K.O.G. & THE ZONGO BRIGADE / KATE NASH / KEENO / KITE HIGH / KIOKO / KOFFIE / KRAKOTA / KROOKED / LAKUTA / LANCELOT / LAUREL / LAZY HABITS / LEELAND / LET’S EAT GRANDMA / LEWIS BURTON / LIAM BAILEY / LORD LEOPARD / LOST COLOURS / LUKE SOLOMON / MABEL / MALKA / MAMMAL HANDS / MAN POWER / MANSUSHI / MARIBOU STATE / MATT TOLFREY/ MAXXI SOUNDSYSTEM / MAZE&MASTERS / ME AND MY FRIENDS / MELE / MELLA DEE / METRIK / MOJO FILTER / MONT JAKE / MORE LIKE TREES / MR PRICE / MR VAST / NED DYLAN / NEW ORLEANS SWAMP DONKEYS / NIC FISCHER / NORTH DOWNS / NU:LOGIC / OLAF STUUT / OLAH BLISS / OLI KEENS / OLLIE MUNDY / OSCAR MIC / PAUL HERON / PEACHES / PEDESTRIAN / POLYNATION / POWER MAN / PUMAROSA / QASH / RAY BLK / RAM RECORDS / RED RACK’EM / REJJIE SNOW / RENE LAVICE / RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW / RUTHLESS / SAM AND THE WOMP / SAM GOKU / SASHA BROWN / SERAMIC / SHAPES / SHEELA NA GIG / SLEAZY WONDER / SLUG RAVE / SMASH HIFI / SO FRESH SO CLEAN / SOCCER96 / SOLA ROSA / SOLANA / SOPHIE LLOYD / SOUL CLAP/ SPACESTATION / SPY / STANTON WARRIORS / STEVE DAVIS & KAVUS / TORABI / SUB FOCUS / TERRY VIETHEER / THE CORRESPONDENTS / THE CRAFTY RASCALS / THE HEATWAVE / THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS / THE MOONLANDINGZ / THE SKA VENGERS / THE URBAN FOLK QUARTET / TIM FANUCCI / TIME FOR TTOKIO MYERS / TOM GRENNAN / TOM MISCH / TOOTHLESS / TOSH OHTA / TWICE SHY PRESENTS GAY GARAGE / UONE / URULU / VOJTA / WAIFS & STRAYS / WAX WINGS / WAZE & ODYSSEY / WILD BEASTS / WILL JOSEPH COOK / WONKY DISCO / WOWHYUMI & THE WEATHER/ ZAK ABEL / ZENZERO / ZERO 7
