Hi Clare and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology. Firstly the burning question, with the bill for the festival to be announced after the festival has completely sold out, can you give us any teasers whatsoever with one of the headliners who are pencilled in for Secret Garden 2019?

I’m a vault baby. I won’t say a thing. Other than we are taking it to the next level.

As festival director, can you elaborate on some of the key behind the scenes actions that take place in order to bring it all into being considering the venue, infrastructure, logistics, sound and vision, are all integral parts to pulling off a seamless event but often aren’t the thing punters can fully appreciate the scale of?

My entire job is ensuring 6,000 Gardeners have the most incredible time on my family farm. Their experience of Secret Garden must be a carefree, wild, forest adventure. But in order to pull off that feeling of total freedom, our planning and logistics is painstakingly detailed and very extensive. And sometimes we make mistakes, but never twice. It always just keeps getting better.

In terms of pulling the festival together and securing artists to play and for that matter all the performers that showcase their art over the two festival, just how early do you start proceedings to make it all happen for February 2019?

We are permanently talking to musicians, performers, dancers, drag queens, artists … We are always developing ideas with them for the festival that may take years to come into fruition. There is no end or start dates, it’s just always happening.

In choosing the artists for the event, is there a formula that you work towards be it, some new and upcoming bands, a mix of established bands, a ratio of local and international, an even number of male or female outfits?

We are in a very lucky position where we always sell out before announcing a line up. This enables us to program a really bold and exciting line up. There is no formula, rather a criteria. Eclectic, unpretentious and all about discovery. It’s essential that each act brings the house down. And at least 50% female artists.

Is there a slight bias sometimes in choosing which artists to draw out and get onto the bill that you personally always wanted to see perform or even perform again because they were so good when you first caught them?

It’s all biased! We book the line-up for us and our friends. We aren’t trying to appeal to a market or anything like that. We are putting on a festival we would love to go to. So it’s a line up we are deeply passionate about. Thankfully all the Gardeners agree and trust us to deliver. I know this is boring but I really can’t say who I am desperate to book, because it’s going to happen and then I’m giving top secret info. ​

In what ways have you tried to make Secret Gardens 2019 different to Secret Gardens 2018 and conversely what elements remain the same that create the backbone of the festival and what it aims to achieve?

When we started Secret Garden we built the ethos of the event on; creating a festival for us and our mates, programming an event that was all about discovery (a line-up of artists who will be incredible on the day, not just look good on a line up poster), fancy dress is essential, encourage patrons to participate, rather than just spectate, and give profits away to charity. This is at the core of what Secret Garden is. For 11 years we have never lost focus of this. But in terms of 2019, it’s just going to be more. More of everything!! Ha we can’t help ourselves.

Hitting the milestone of 10 years of Secret Garden, what have been some of your most memorable occasions during the festivals history?

Hosting a very real and epic wedding on our main stage Building a house in the forest and hosting a two day house party. I walked in at one point and a guy had assumed the role of the host and was screaming on top of a kitchen table “my parents are going to freak when they come home!!” And then some guys dressed up in police costumes came in pretending to shut it down due to a noise complaint My Dad (who owns the farm we party on) dancing with the Drag Queens on stage, still wearing his farm clothes We have an applause area at the entry to the forest, where Gardeners clap patrons as the come into the festival. It’s so simple but beyond joyous. I don’t know where to begin with musical highlights. Also the fancy dress! The patrons! It’s honestly been 10 years of nonstop highlights. It’s paradise.