Secret Garden Party festival opts for no headliners

The many smaller stages are taking the lead this year at the Secret Garden Party near Huntingdon

The Secret Garden Party festival has announced it will forgo big music headliners this year, in favour of booking more up and coming acts.

The festival has previously welcomed 35,000 revellers to Abbots Ripton in Cambridgeshire, but this year is opting for a much smaller scale.

Getting back to its roots, festival organiser Freddie Fellowes said: "We believe in being a breeding ground for talent to grow. Why allocate a massive budget to one or two headliners when it could fuel another 50 outstanding acts?"

In previous years the festival headliners have included Public Enemy, Fat Freddy's Drop and Clean Bandit.

The festival features numerous small stages and events surrounding a big lake

While recognisable names like Crystal Fighters and Unkle appear to top this year's line up, it is the collectives and stage areas scattered throughout the site that are committing to showcasing grass roots artists.

Si Chai, the founder of the Chai Wallahs' stage said of their Drop a Headliner campaign: "There is so much more enjoyment to be had in the discovery of new music; this talent needs platforms and opportunities to be able to develop, so we must address the disparity.”

With several other festivals postponing their 2024 editions, Secret Garden Party, which started in 2002 with a few thousand attendees, hoped a more intimate capacity and over 350 acts would keep their offering exciting and different.

The festival returned after a five-year hiatus in 2021 and is due to take place 25-28 July this year.