Area 51 ensured everything in the garden was rosy and other-worldly at one of the UK’s most stunning festivals.
A gargantuan-sized crew of 65 crack entertainers descended on the stunning Secret Garden Party site in the picturesque environs of Cambridgeshire to deliver a four-day quota of quixotic mirth that left revellers smiling from ear to ear.
Hidden among a phantasmagorical maze a collection of fantasy and alien characters provided a surprise around every corner while interactive walkabout acts and funambulists treated SGP bacchanlians.
When darkness fell the team turned their attention to the now legendary Drop Stage to perform alongside headline acts in a variety of guises.
Both the march of the robots and the dance of sexy alien girls were complimented by eye-catching fire breathers, angle-grinders and contortionists in front of a riotous crowd.
Secret Garden Party has established itself as one of the most magical of UK festivals in its 12-year tenure in Cambridgeshire and in 2016 organisers gave it the theme of “Gardeners’ Guide To The Galaxy.”
The event is set in sumptuous ten-acres of landscaped gardens bordering on both a river and a lake and containing the historic 18th century Abbotts Ripton Hall, the seat of John Ailwyn Fellowes, the 4th Baron de Ramsey whose son Freddie Fellowes, organises SGP annually.
Headliners at the 2016 event included Air, Caribou, Maribou State and Rae Morris. Primal Scream’s bill topping slot had to be cancelled after singer Bobby Gillespie was injured in a fall on stage at a gig in Switzerland but even that blow didn’t detract from an outstanding event. Other acts featured included Lissie, Milky Chance, The Temper Trap, Shura, Submotion Orchestra, Band Of Skulls, Andreya Triana, Field Music, Izzy Bizu, La Femme, Hot Since ’82, Teleman, Money, Dua Lipa, Billie Marten, Beardyman, the Martinez Brothers, Jackmaster and many others.
Video courtesy of Open Eyes Media. Images courtesy of Jamie Allsop.
