In 2016, Secret Garden Festival will see 50 bands and DJs, 30 actors, dancers and comedians, 18 pop-up performances, 10 drag queens, eight d-floors, six stages, two days of fancy dress and one overtly busy kissing booth. For the first time this year, the SG team announced the expansion of the festival into a full two-day program, but they've also decided to let 'Gardeners' choose their own adventure, with a limited release of one-day tickets on sale from 8am AEDT this Friday, November 27.
Of course, Secret Garden are keeping their 2016 lineup under wraps — you won't see any skerrick of it until tickets are sold out. So we asked the SG team for some of their favourite music moments from the last eight years, to give you an idea of what to expect.
PETER COMBE SINGING 'WASH YOUR FACE WITH ORANGE JUICE' ON A BIRTHDAY CAKE STAGE
"In 2015, Gardeners were invited to celebrate Secret Garden’s 7th birthday slumber party. We hosted a full blown seven-year-old's birthday party, complete with a ball pit, fairy glen, crafternoon, pillow fort and of course Peter Combe belting out some old familiar tunes we used to sing along to as kids. As the sun set, Combe brought the magic, with two thousand adults singing ‘wash your face in orange juice’ [to] a stage dressed as a birthday cake — quickly followed by a mass pillow fight, of course."
EGDAR THE FARMER FINDING HIMSELF STAR OF THE DRAG SHOW
"In 2011, we really began to transform the festival into a creative melting pot of crowd participation, a place to discover foreign worlds and mass choreographed dance routines. It was the year farmer Edgar [the Secret Garden farm owner] got up on stage with the Secret Garden resident drags, who all exclaimed, 'Oh my god ladies and gentleman, a real live farmer is in the house,’ and to Edgar’s (and his wife's) surprise, he was given a big kiss."
THE SURPRISE FLEETWOOD MAC COVER BAND
"In 2011... It was the surprise cover act that really has stood out in our minds. The Fleetwood Mac cover band opened their set with 'Go Your Own way'. Bananas, superheroes and pot plants wrapped arms around each other as they sang in unison."
DEEP SEA ARCADE GETTIN' NAKED (SORTA)
"Bands jumping up on our stages in full fancy dress is a common occurrence at Secret Garden. In years gone by we have seen The Griswolds dress as Kiss and Total Giovanni dressed at Greek Gods. However it was Deep Sea Arcade, our first band to ever dress up, who came on stage in naked suits that really stands out as one of our favourite Secret Garden memories. Caught up in the excitement, we encouraged everyone to join the band on the stage. About 300 patrons crammed on the stage, who all dance and sung along to a significant smaller audience of 250."
Secret Garden's limited release of one-day tickets are on sale from 8am AEDT this Friday, November 27. Secret Garden Festival returns to its (sort of) secret location on February 26 and 27, 2016.
Images: Tim Da Rin, Voena, Jack Toohey.