The Secret Garden Festival

“Cookies. Also, Ghostbusters.”

“Lights in trees, campfires, smores, stories, music. So cool.”

“Tom Rowley stories by the fire and dancing in the rain.”

“Robotnik [flinging bread at us]”

“Grooving to Jazzberries was a particular highlight.”

“Free tea rocks my world.”

“It was really OK!”

“The way they left some long grass for us to appreciate how short our grass is”

“Better than Oxegen. Had more cookies.”

“Michael says he doesn’t sign these things but I can attest that he had an equally lovely time too.”

It was our very first festival. We’re kinda proud of how it went.

There were Ghostbusters, because we called them. Robotnik went on a rampage armed with wheat. Swords killed it. Jazzberries were berry good and The Young Folk were folking amazing. Plus there was a lady with a ukulele. Can’t think of a funny way to say that. And that was just the Cookiestock stage.

Over on our Glastonbiscuit stage we had performance poetry from the inimitable Raven and our very own Sarah Maria Griffin. We had storytelling from the delightful Paul Timoney and Storymap’s Tom Rowley. There was comedy from the wonderfully weird James Moran and the punctual Gareth Stack. Come as Soon as You Hear entranced our entrenched audience with Playback: an interactive theatrical storytelling experience.

For our squirmier audience members we had a series of workshops ranging from learning to write Teen Fiction with Laura Jane Cassidy (M&C Alumni and like, badass bestselling writer) to balloon modelling with Mr Balloonatic (badass award winning balloon modeller). Nearby you might’ve been learning to swing with Dublindy (badass swing-dancers) or shaking your currency acquisition device with Three-O-Troupe (burlesque dancing badasses). If  dishonesty is more your thing, you might have found yourself at the Öh-Aisseaux’s Storytelling Playschool (notorious, professional badass) or if you just wanted to beat on somebody with a big rubber tube filled with air, you probably joined our Balloon Swordfighting workshop, spearheaded by M&C’s very own Cormac Murphy (Badass).

If you were there, you already know what your favourite part was, but for those of you who weren’t – here are a few of ours:

Nobody died, supergroup Roboghostberries played The Beatles entire back catalogue in chronological order by the campfire, tasty tasty punch, tasty tasty cookies, improvised game of the-floor-is-lava played out on the tree-stump-chairs near the main stage, Martinstown House, and of course all our lovely attendees. Milk and Cookies <3’s you.

“We're really glad you could all make it. We never knew we had so many friends
who believed in this concert idea. When we first had this idea of putting on
this shindig, we didn't know if anyone would come.
But look... You're all here, pitching in. I promised myself I wouldn't cry...”

SEE YOU NEXT TIME