The Secret Garden: Freddie Fellowes

The Secret Garden is a three-day music-and-much-more festival with a twist, a small boutique event oozing decadence, quirkiness, and sheer outright eclecticism, complete with a space-hopper grand prix and a pub quiz taking place alongside DJs knocking out tunes from a tree house! Having just held its second annual gathering over the August bank holiday weekend, its founder and organiser Freddie Fellowes explains what it's all about and how it came to be. 

Virtual festivals: How did the Secret Garden Party get started? Who owns the land?
FF: The land is owned by my family and held in trust for them. So 23 people own it and decide on its future. The party got started when we were looking for alternative uses for the land (no money in farming they cry!) and events seemed worth investigating as a source of income.

VF: Have you had any local objections?
FF: No, we try and include the local community in the event as much as is possible. If the event doesn't benefit the community it's in, it doesn't have a future.

VF: How did this year's go compared to the first one you did?
FF: This year was undoubtedly smoother and easier as we knew some of the things to expect. However last year was run by three of us, the other two are now running Caukus (www.caukus.com), so it was the first year run by myself alone; that in itself throws up new problems. However the crew, excluding the Caukus boys, has remained the same so there's huge knowledge and ability to work as a team. But having said that, most of the production team viewed this year as the first Secret Garden party as last year's was the first Caukus event.

VF: Is it going to continue?
FF: Of course. 

VF: Who chooses the bands?
FF: I do. Some are personal favourites, some are more pragmatically chosen.

VF: Any trouble?
FF: The rain and the late harvest. We had to cancel our snail race due to these two things.

VF: The site and decor is fantastic. Is it worth the effort?
FF: Festivals of our size should be focused on making the punter feel involved in the lunacy and a source of it. With that atmosphere, barriers are broken down and you meet new people. The best parties you've been to are not so because of the music or price of beer, but whether you met new friends. And that is what we try and encourage.

VF: Are there any plans to continue, expand or advertise it more?
FF: The Secret Garden never intends to remain static or rest on its laurels.
We believe things should always progress; and with the Secret Garden party that does mean bigger and better. There are, however, limitations and ceilings..... We know what we're going to do; you'll just have to wait and see!!!