NightGarden Festival
Johnny James, Managing Editor
“You stumble down a garden path past city fringes and looming industrial structures. Are you lost? No! You’ve only just arrived”
Nestled in the green heart of an ex-garden centre in the hinterlands of Manchester, NightGarden is a DIY audiovisual festival, powered by collectivism and a spirit of inclusivity.
Dreamt up four years ago by co-producers Broaden and Kikimora, this grassroots festival has been gathering strength year on year, culminating in its most ambitious instalment yet, featuring everything from electro-disco to folk songwriting, synth-fuelled psychedelia to dance floor weirdness.
But where is it exactly? Well, that’s part of the charm. The secret location – a private residence in Trafford – will be revealed only when you book your tickets, but judging by the photographs from previous editions, it’s a stunning setting, with the stages hidden among a forested haven that’s at complete odds with industrial architecture surrounding the site.
Looking at the line-up, there’s a great selection of Manchester-based acts on show (Trees.R.Good, Lavender Rodriguez, Zolatec, leoleoleo) as well as familiar names from further afield (Stealing Sheep, Chewy She, Pocket Sun). Meanwhile, some renowned VJs (among them hellocatfood, ModulateSc and Cath e Ode) will be creating immersive visual landscapes to complement what you’re hearing.
Running alongside all this, there are several installations to explore, from optical illusions to site-specific soundscapes via miniature libraries. And if that’s not enough there are sound-based workshops, a forest-themed storytelling session, and even a sewing workshop. Basically, it’s unlikely that you’ll go away not feeling inspired in some way.
Inclusivity is something that’s really important to co-producers Broaden and Kikimora. While other festivals of this kind often market themselves to a predominantly younger audience, this festival doesn’t; it prides itself on being inclusive to all, and its loyal, multi-generational audience is testament to this. The tickets are also priced incredibly reasonably, which is refreshing given the massive rise of festival prices more widely. Hats off.
An affordable and inclusive audiovisual adventure in the depths of nature and yet a stone’s throw from the city centre? Count us in…
