The post 7 Wonders – Secret Garden Party appeared first on Wonderland.

I had completely resigned myself to the fact that for the first time in three years, I wouldn’t be going to Secret Garden Party, but then, “beep beep” – “Hi Max, I’m not sure if you remember but I’m managing the gay bar at SGP this year and one of our podium dancers has dropped out… fancy it?”

So there I was, alone on Friday afternoon at Kings Cross – under prepared, over excited and completely terrified by the prospect of podium dancing for a festival ticket. After compartmentalising my anguish about the ensuing 24 hour rainstorm and shooting it off in a rocket, I was ready; in the zone, in the game and in the mud.

Secret Garden Party is well known for its left-field bookings and beautiful settings, with a massive emphasis on the experience, rather than just the line up. The festival is just screaming to be explored. Middle class hedonism, not seen so voraciously since the Skins era is well and truly in force here, with the obligatory festival smattering of forest people (where the hell do these people go in the winter?).

The first act I caught were Hinds (FKA Deers), playing the Where the Wild Things Are stage; a twisted, interwoven branch enclave winding around the lake. Never has Spanish, lo-fi garage rock sounded so good. That evening I saw soul funk outfit Jungle lose their festival headlining virginity. The purveyors of 70’s influenced bliss–pop were not put off by the monsoon and gave one of the most rousing, anthemic, groovy sets I have seen in a long time. By the end, the entire crowd were twisted in ecstatic union, bathed in the thick steam billowing off their muddy, writhing bodies.

From there we ricocheted into the deep of the festival. The natural beauty of the site in the day is transformed into a Star Wars meets Game of Thrones-esque war zone at night. We soon found ourselves at The Collisillium, dancing in a Jeremy Bentham style panopticon, only made of hay and soundtracked by drum n bass. Top tip if you are going next time and there’s a queue – find the secret entrance to the left behind an ice cream van (you can thank me later). There were also some new stages to discover this year, such as the Maya Jane Coles curated ‘Little Horrors’, with a stellar line up that included Alex Arnout, B.Traits and Monki.

After Friday’s madness I managed to pull myself together enough to catch XL signing Ibeyi as they played a mesmerising afternoon main stage set. The magnetic twins’ vocals danced over the crowd, sung in the Nigerian language of Yoruba as the Saturday sunshine lifted our rain drenched spirits. Saturday night saw Ry X’s electronic evolution The Acid steal the show, providing the perfect soundscape for a packed crowd of chemically altered bodies. His shimmering electronic pulses controlled the enchanted audience, bringing them into a trance like level of euphoria. It was all you could ever want from a 1am festival billing.

Secret Garden Party truly is a mad, mysterious festival. It’s kind of like that mate you love, who always forces you to have shots but might also ditch you in the middle of the night. Everywhere you go there is something new to find and shocking to see. One moment you are dancing to the best deep house you have ever heard and the next you have stumbled upon a secret rave hidden through a phone box. If you look hard enough you might even see this weary writer, reluctantly podium dancing in a gay bar…

 Words: Max Cocking

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This year’s Secret Garden Party may have been the biggest and most popular to date, but that didn’t detract from the whimsical andfantastical nature that it’s renowned for. Still managing to retain its appealing boutique feel with well over 20,000 revelers in attendanceis no mean feat, but we’re happy to say they pulled it off. Wonderland was there to check out one of the worst kept secrets this year, and here are the things we enjoyed the most. Prepare to reminisce, Gardeners.

ART INSTALLATIONS

Arguably one of the festival’s most talked about elements are its art installations. Every year no expense is spared in order to bring life tocountless visual treats for Gardeners to see, touch and interact with.From bronze statues hanging in trees to hammocks made entirely ofcling film, the bar was raised high. However this year’s star was undoubtedly the floating Emerald City, which was the subject of the annual Big Burn on closing night.

ROAD TO NOWHERE’S LABYRINTH

While all the music stages have their own redeeming features and are vastly more creative than the majority of festivals, East London collective Road To Nowhere’s Labyrinth had a special place in our hearts this year. Hidden in the forest and containing a secret Speakeasy, a glitter station, and sets from the likes of Ben Pearce and Richy Ahmed, if you managed to find it then you’ll understand.

SATURDAY SPECTACLE

Each year one of the festival’s visual highlights is the Saturday Spectacle. We managed to bag a prime viewing spot by the lake to witness a fireworks display that would make even New Year’s Eve jealous. Also joining in the fun were glitter cannons, holographic displays, aerial acrobats and skywriters, along with an impressive ticket drop to finish it off. That’s right free tickets for next year – yes please!

HEADLINERS

While Secret Garden Party isn’t necessarily concerned with cramming as many big names into a lineup as possible, the eclectic rabble of headliners this year were definitely worth a watch. There aren’t many other festivals where you can see Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Public Enemy and Fat Freddy’s Drop in one place, but they were all pretty great.

SECRET SUNFLOWERS

One of the most surprising finds this year has to be the mysterious Sunflower Field. Hidden behind the door of a seemingly normal portaloo, if you were lucky enough to choose it then you were greeted by a large field of tall sunflowers as well as a ball pit and DJ booth. There was also a super secret afterparty there once everything else had closed, which we were very glad to have stumbled upon.

HEAD GARDENER Q&A

As well as the music and visual excitement, there were also some more relaxing activities to attend. This year’s Secret Forum held comedy performances from the likes of Justin Moorhouse and Joel Dommott, as well as a Q&A session with the Head Gardener. Where else can you have a nice chat with the man behind the magic?

FIT FOR A PRINCE

If a member of the Royal Family is in attendance, especially one coined the ‘Party Prince’, then it has to make this list. While a few members of our group were convinced they saw Harry at the time, we put it down to too much glitter in their eyes. Apparently he wasn’t up to anything too mischevious though, unfortunately.

Words: Jordan Porteous

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So Coachella, the sparkling, bro-filled diamond of the US festival circuit, kicks off this weekend. But who wants to be surrounded by alcohol funnels and teenage cries of “anyone seen molly?” while trying to spot Lindsay going into yet another shame spiral? We decided to cast our gaze closer to home for our summer of fun. Here are our personal European festival highlights – some more established, some brand spanking new. And unlike Glastonbury, all of them are still on sale right now.

1. OPTIMUS PRIMAVERA SOUND
30th May-1st June | Porto, Spain

Think of this as the Optimus Prime of newbie festivals. The little brother to Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Optimus Primavera has the added advantage of being in the beautiful city of Porto, Portugal, which boasts its own UNESCO World Heritage site and was nominated as Best City in the 2012 Design Awards. Blur, My Bloody Valentine, Four Tet and Hot Chip are all lined up, while legendary act The Breeders are set to play Last Splash in full. Plus, discerning music fans will be pleased to know that Pitchfork will be curating a stage at the festival for the first time.

Weekend tickets are sold out but €125 (£69) day tickets are still available. www.optimusprimaverasound.com

2. BENICASSIM

18-21st July | Spain

If sunning yourself on the Costa del Azahar’s langorious coasts, drinking Sangria and dusting down your embarrassing New Rock Revolution trillby doesn’t quite tick your summery boxes, scoot on down the road to Beni while you’re there. Hosting a Stellar (Artois) lineup, including Beach House, Queens of the Stone Age, Temples, The Child of Lov and Swim Deep. Aaaaand, breath. Aaaaaand book your tickets right away.

Weekend tickets are available from £150. Day tickets from £70. http://benicassimfestival.co.uk

3. LONGITUDE
19-21 July | Dublin, Ireland

The sister festival of Suffolk’s Latitude Festival, the inaugural Longitude is an open-air event set in Dublin’s Marlay Park. Taking place on the same weekend with Latitude, it shares the same stellar line-up and is one of Ireland’s leading summer events. German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk have been announced as headliners and promise another triumphant return with their 3D concert; Brit newcomer Tom Odell, Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are scheduled too.

Weekend tickets are €149.50 (£127); day tickets cost €54.50 (£46). longitude.ie

4. MELT
19-21 July | Gräfenhainichen, Germany

For a German alternative to Longtitude, check out Melt, which happens over the same July weekend at Ferropolis, an open museum of old huge industrial machines in Gräfenhainichen, a city near Dessau, Germany. Reigning supreme for the last 15 years, Melt has well and truly established itself as a major player on the festival calendar, scoring a nomination for Best Overseas Festival in 2001’s UK Festival Awards. Ferropolis is known as the ‘City of Steel’, and its imposingly huge machinery exhibits give the festival the feel of a dystopian sci-fi. Confirmed acts that include Atoms For Peace, The Knife, Flying Lotus, Everything Everthing and Mount Kimbie.

Weekend tickets are €119 (£100.73) plus booking fee. www.meltfestival.de/en

5. SECRET GARDEN PARTY
25-28th July | Cambridgeshire, UK

This crazed blend of fancy dress, surreal art and music was initially inspired by Burning Man, the infamous drug-friendly hippie utopia. That pretty much tells us all about SGP, which has grown from being a tiny invite-only party to a thousands-strong contender on the boutique festival line-up. Set in a 220-acre landscaped garden (essentially the backyard of a British aristocrat), think of it as a prim garden party gone to the dark side. Django Django, Regina Spektor and Soulwax are playing, along with Wonderland favourites Wolf Alice and Bastille.

Tier 4 tickets are £185 plus booking fee. www.secretgardenparty.com

6. WAY OUT WEST
8-10th August | Gothenburg, Sweden

This 3 day event plays host to some of the most sought after international artists, who take to the stage in various venues all over the city. Clubs, churches, theatres and cultural centres are all set to showcase emerging talent as well as more established acts such as Azealia Banks, The Knife, Local Natives, Solange and veteran musicians Neil Young and Crazy Horse. The big acts perform in Slottsskogen Park in the centre of Gothenburg, whilst the rest of the festival’s ‘Stay Out West’ line-up takes place throughout the city from Thursday evening onwards.

Standard weekend ticket are 1,895 kr (£189), with day options available. www.wayoutwest.se/en

7. OUTLOOK / DIMENSIONS
Fort Punta Christo, Croatia
29 August-2 September5-9th September | Fort Punta Cristo Pula, Croatia

Croatia is shaping up to be the festival destination of summer, with both Dimensions, Unknown (below) and Outlook heading to its sunny shores. Outlook and Dimensions are organised by the same underground party crew, who can be relied on to bring epic soundsystems and a friendly, up-for-it vibe that makes dancing all night in flip-flops a true joy. In particular, Dimensions has gathered much critical acclaim since it launched last year, notably for having one of the most forward-thinking electronic music line-up. It’s less bass-heavy than its older brother, Outlook – though both boast the highest technical specification of soundsystem. Featuring everything from daytime beach sessions to boat parties, don’t be surprised if you’ll never want to get on the EasyJet plane home. This year’s Dimensions line-up includes Mount Kimbie, Gilles Peterson, Skudge, Blawan and Zed Bias while Outlook has nabbed Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Rustie and many others.*

Standard tickets are £135. www.outlookfestival.com / www.dimensionsfestival.com

8. UNKNOWN
10-14th September | Rovinj, Croatia

The brains behind The Warehouse Project and Field Day have developed something brand new for 2013 in the shape of Unknown. Enhanced by the beautiful backdrop of summery Rovinj, Croatia, the festival promises to incorporate what they already do best with an impressive collection of DJ sets and live performances. Alongside the forward-thinking music programme will be what the organisers promise as intimate design space projects to match the hedonistic mood. Entertaining the crowd will be Jamie xx, Joy Orbison, SBTRKT, Disclosure and Jessie Ware.

Standard weekend ticket costs £109. Various accommodation packages are available. www.unknowncroatia.com

* Want to win a pair of tickets to Outlook or Dimensions? Click here to find out more.

Words: Shane Hawkins

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