The Secret Garden Party, often colloquially shortened to the SGP, is an independent arts and music festival which takes place in Abbots Ripton near Huntingdon in England. This location is on part of the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse and has its own lakes, river and landscaped gardens. The festival was launched by Fred Fellowes and James Whewell in 2004 as an alternative to the established mainstream music festivals. Since its inception the festival has increased in popularity and size, and has grown from one stage and 300 visitors in 2002, to more than 15 stages and 35,000 revellers in 2017. In March 2017, it was announced that the 2017 edition would be the last. Over its initial 15 year run, The Secret Garden Party won the UK Festival Award for Best Small-Sized Festival in 2005 and 2008, and then Award for Best Medium-Sized Festival in 2011. It also won the Act of Independence award from the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) for its work with The LOOP that tests drugs on site during the event, a practice which has now been adopted by other UK festivals. In August 2021, it was announced that after a five-year hiatus, the Secret Garden Party would return in summer 2022. On relaunching, 20,000 tickets were placed on sale which sold out in under 20 minutes via a registration process that featured a questionnaire. The event will take place from 21st to 24th July 2022 in Cambridgeshire, with a line-up to be announced each day of the festival. The Secret Garden Party supports The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), which aims to prevent male suicide in the United Kingdom, as well as mental health charity My Black Dog as of 2022. (en)
The Secret Garden Party, often colloquially shortened to the SGP, is an independent arts and music festival which takes place in Abbots Ripton near Huntingdon in England. This location is on part of the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse and has its own lakes, river and landscaped gardens. The festival was launched by Fred Fellowes and James Whewell in 2004 as an alternative to the established mainstream music festivals. Since its inception the festival has increased in popularity and size, and has grown from one stage and 300 visitors in 2002, to more than 15 stages and 35,000 revellers in 2017. (en)