Joe GallopThe Secret Garden Party (cap. 30,000) teamed up with Celestial for a firework and drone display on Saturday night (22 July), which organisers are calling the largest multi-media airborne act to take place at a UK music festival.
On the penultimate night of the four-day event, the festival showcased an unprecedented combination of fireworks, lighting and lasers alongside hundreds of drones as part of its ‘Saturday Spectacle’, before electronic duo Underworld took to the main stage.
The drone display, titled Cosmic Wisdom, was produced by Celestial, which has worked on events such as Eurovision and London NYE 2023,
SGP organisers said the commissioning of Celestial supports the festival’s aim of a more sustainable experience by adding environmentally friendly drone technology to its traditional fireworks.
SGP founder Freddie Fellowes said, “It’s hard to put into words the excitement felt by myself and my team when working with Celestial to realise this vision. The creative journey we have been on to produce this multi media spectacle with ‘Cosmic Wisdom’ at its centre has been exhilarating and life affirming. This was collaboration at its purest and doing this is everything we have ever wanted Secret Garden Party to be able to do and hope to continue to do.”
Celestial founder and COO John Hopkins said, “For years we have dreamed of combining the timeless wisdom of Alan Watts with our ethereal light displays, which appear like the stars brought to life. We have finally created ‘Cosmic Wisdom’ a mesmerising and thought-provoking show which pairs animated sacred geometry with some of Alan Watts most profound messaging. We are so grateful to The Secret Garden Party for allowing us to design this unforgettable intersection of innovation and beauty.”
SGP was re-launched last year after a five-year hiatus and has been turned into a social enterprise, where 65% of its profits are going towards the rehabilitation of at-risk and disenfranchised individuals.
The first episode of the Access All Areas Backstage podcast series featured SGP founder Freddie Fellowes where he discusses his life and times at the helm of the event. It can be watched on YouTube or listened to via podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple and Amazon.