Secret Garden Party "as we all know it" is ending this year

Cambridgeshire festival Secret Garden Party has announced the last edition will be held this summer.

15 years after started, the "Head Gardener" has posted a statement on the website detailing that SGP "as we all know it" will be coming to an end this year.

They wrote: "I know some of you will be questioning, why now? And more importantly, why tell us now? I hope you don’t find the timing Machiavellian, however there is never the perfect time to drop this bombshell, too early or too late and people are going to miss out and be disappointed.

"Hopefully we have struck the middle ground here. Secondly I’m sure you will have, by now, spotted that this is the punchline to this year’s theme as it is ultimately going to be a huge celebration of the people who make the garden party: you."

It seems the organisers may be planning another event in the future, though, rather than cutting their festival ties completely.

The statement continues: "This isn’t some principled self-immolation: this is opening it up for new forms in the future. So this summer will be the almighty send-off that The Garden Party deserves and whilst that is going to cause some tears to be shed, think of it more as ‘Dylan goes electric’ than our Altamont. So watch this space for the phoenix rising from the ashes..."

SGP, which became the first UK festival to test drugs on-site last year, takes place from July 20 to 23, with Crystal Fighters, Ray BLK, Metronomy and Tom Misch on the line-up.

Head here to read the full statement and grab tickets and listen to The Final Mix below.

Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter

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