Secret Garden Party 2023 announces line-up including return of Collosillyum

Secret Garden Party 2023, the legendary Cambridgeshire festival, has announced its full line-up for 2023.
Joining the previously announced headliners The Libertines, Fat Freddy’s Drop and Underworld are disco powerhouse Roisin Murphy, DJ collective 2MANYDJS, influential dance collective Leftfield, feminist musician Peaches and hip-hop heavyweights De La Soul.
Drum and bass duo Fabio and Grooverider will also join The Outlook Orchestra for a live orchestral celebration of drum and bass, following two successful nights at the Southbank Centre.
More than just the music
Secret Garden Party was birthed in 2004 to be a festival offering more than just music. Fancy dress is a huge element, as are art installations, which encourage festivalgoers to mingle and interact.
Having closed in 2017, the festival returned in 2022 – see this Secret Garden Party review for more on that – but without one of their most iconic stages, the Collosillyum.
That stage is returning this year though, renamed The Circus Maximus and run by inclusive event runners He.She.They. The area mimics the Roman Coliseum, and sees punters challenge each other to mud wrestles, silly dance-offs, tug-of-wars and other fun games during the daytime.
At night the stage becomes an epic spectacle, where viewers can climb higher up the tiers to get a better view of the performers, as they would have done in the Coliseum.
The theme for 2023 is A New Hope and organisers say: “Secret Garden Party is taking its cue from the greatest sci-fi minds, weirdos and heroes of the past to take a bold leap forward. It aims to teleport gardeners on an adventure through space, time, and other dimensions armed with not just one of the best crews assembled, but with some of the most glittering musical guests in the galaxy.”
The festival donates some of the proceeds of ticket sales to charity. Over £10,000 from the sale of last year’s tickets was donated to the Human Rights Network. The organisation documents human rights violations against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants throughout Europe.
Tickets are on sale now for Secret Garden Party 2023
Read more from City A.M. Culture