Secret Garden Party: Thousands expected at 2023 festival

The Secret Garden Party has grown from hosting a few hundred festival-goers to tens of thousands

Tens of thousands of festival-goers are expected at music and arts event once dubbed "the worst kept secret".

Underworld, The Libertines and Fat Freddy's Drop are headlining the Secret Garden Party near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire from 20 to 23 July.

This summer's event has a science-fiction theme and will feature than 10 live music and DJ stages.

Organisers warned visitors hoping to travel by train to check timetables because of planned industrial action.

Other acts taking part include Fabio & Grooverider, De La Soul, Roisin Murphy, 2manydjs, Leftfield and musician Peaches.

The festival usually features the burning of a giant wooden sculpture on the lake

Crowds enjoy a paint fight at the main stage during a previous Secret Garden Party

The festival began in a not-so-secret location in Abbots Ripton in 2003 and rapidly grew from just a few hundred festival-goers.

It took a break between 2017 and 2021 before returning last year and has adopted a new, social enterprise model this time.

At least 65% of profit is to be donated to organisations that support the "rehabilitation of at-risk and disenfranchised individuals via the arts".

Founder Freddie Fellowes said: "We came back because Covid and lockdown opened our eyes to what a privilege it was to hold a gathering such as Secret Garden Party [SGP].

"Now as we stare down the barrel of a 'cost of living crisis', that privilege is something to be leveraged further.

"By establishing ourselves as a social enterprise, I can ensure that SGP is, and will always be, a force for good."