The journey starts for me proper with the train to Largs.
I heave various old belongings in an overstuffed bag through the carriage amongst various other revellers, some more prepared than others.
The weather is nice and dry, which is a tender and changeable situation in the west coast of Scotland, so I’m grateful for it.
The train journey from the city to the town of Largs is a beautiful one, teasing the types of untamed, unmatched scenery one can expect from the festival.
I grew up in Largs, and so have been visiting the Kelburn Country Park and Estate for many years.
Recent years have watched the place transmogrify into an even more exuberant, intense, intelligent and awe-inspiring place than it was for me, even as a child.
Managing somehow to pander to both the adult and the child in the individuals who make the Kelburn Garden Party happen and the hundreds who attend the event each year; Kelburn Castle Country Park has certainly done something right, bringing together people from all over the United Kingdom and beyond to revel in collective creativity – enjoying the perfectly harmonious hybrid of natural and man-made wonders.
What is here at Kelburn for you?
Regardless of my understanding for you, your needs or your desires, I would argue, there is something.
There is so much to see and do and so many acts, installations and events that it is impossible for one to experience it all, it is as if a shared dream, one world experienced from a thousand different angles.
The train is pulling into Largs.
I’m staying with some individuals who have been here all week setting up; which is nice, because I don’t need to help with the tent.
There is a family campsite, a general purpose campsite and a crew campsite with little to separate them.
The general campsite is more like a shanty town than anything else, various vehicles and structures populate the field by the stables.
There are food trucks a plenty, all with surprisingly reasonable prices – there is a wide range of cuisines.
There is a tepee between the family campsite and the where the crew meet and eat entitled The Lullaby Collective, adults without their kids are not permitted.
This is a place for people with their kids to meet and hang out, it is filled with toys, games and comfortable sleeping areas.
I catch up with John, who organises the affair with his wife: “We’ve done it at quite a few festivals” he tells me, “my wife set it up, she has a couple of friends who are musicians and she is an artist… when you take kids to a festival there’s not always a lot for them, even when there’s a kids field there’s not always much for them to do” a lady interrupts us to inform John that she is holding a crew yoga session if he is interested.
The Lullaby Collective offers the kids routine, which John believes they need, even when there are no scheduled events it is open for free play.
“It’s also great for us because we get this great space… we’re not paid to do this, we just get free tickets and this lovely space… it’s good for our kids as much as well as everyone else’s kids”.
It’s a great idea as far as I’m concerned, there are a lot of kids running around as well as a lot of dogs, a lot of the dogs have tool bags wrapped around them and seem to be working alongside their humans, thankfully no children are being used in this regard as far as I can see.
Kids wander around the festival throughout, which I expect is fantastic for them, I wish I was taken along to something like this as a kid.
A lot of them stagger around and topple over as the adults do.
I expect this is on account of not yet knowing how to walk properly rather than forgetting.
The festival is so small but the space is all used so well, you don’t have far to walk without being distracted or transfixed by some visual or auditory spectacle.
The distance between the centre of the party and the beautiful town of Largs is probably not much further than the distance from the main stage to the furthest campsite at T in the Park.
Every conceivable direction – apart from maybe straight down – boasts exceptional scenery.
As I write, whilst set up is still underway, rolling clouds meander over Cumbrae across the river with the jagged silhouette of Arran looming far behind it; these clouds will come for us soon enough.
The mechanical arms of two of the largest on shore wind turbines in the UK gently cut the air in front of Hunterston power station, its cranes standing tall on the banks of the Clyde.
We try to get wristbands and are informed that they haven’t arrived yet – an hour before the event starts.
I get a temporary wristband that and am told to return in a day to get the proper one; I don’t.
Outside the Pavilion – where you get the non-existent permanent wristbands – I think I see a police van and am overtaken by the feeling that I’m doing something wrong even though I am not.
It turns out to be the Police Rave Unit, so set up to “have a laugh and freak people out” says one organiser.
The van effectively drives around looking like a police van and then bursts into electro music whilst pseudo-constables brandish truncheons and demand that you dance.
I take a walk into the arena to find some friends who are still setting things up.
Vehicles pass revellers closely carrying dirtied crew members, kit and construction materials like animals in the wild.
Like the lack of demarcation between the campsites, it mirrors the close knit and inclusive nature of the whole project.
I expect to have my wristband checked or have to talk my way past security, but it isn’t checked and there doesn’t appear to be any security at this stage – I don’t complain.
“We are so fucking close to being done” says Steven Peebles – an artist and musician who has been giving a week of each year towards making this festival happen for the last few years.
It is his birthday and he brandishes the knife that someone left behind with glee – he is accepting it as his own as a birthday present.
There is an impressive structure in one of the bar areas – of which there are three.
I ask Auntie Squeebs – an artist who is studying towards a Masters of Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art – about it, “I basically saw some piping in between two containers and was like “hey, that can be turned into something”… it evolved from one thing into another… everything I needed was there.”
“There’s a real can do attitude, it’s one of the only places I’ve ever been that says “if you have an idea, go for it”, it’s very accepting, if you have an idea then anything is achievable.”
“This is why I’m so excited, anything here is achievable”.
I agree with that sentiment, there doesn’t seem to be a lid on what can go on here, everywhere you look there is something truly impressive from an artistic perspective.
Projectors turn already incredible pieces of art-work into dynamic wonders, tight-rope walkers wobble whimsically over a burn leading to the Clyde as rock sculptures are raised in their dozens from the tip to the toe of the Never-Ending Glen.
We load out at the tent in preparation for the party.
This is not so much a music festival as a festival of lights and sound built around a respectful and intelligent synergy of natural and man-made environments.
You cannot walk a hundred yards without being embraced by a new audio-visual spectrum.
People of all ages, intentions and backgrounds buzz around harmoniously.
There are around eight or nine stages dispersed throughout the festival, one criticism is that there is no real consistent themes with any one in particular, but this keeps you on your feet and makes sure you explore the whole event.
I have something of a deep-seated hatred for reggae music, which certainly keeps me moving since a lot of the music on offer is of that variety – every now and then a disembodied klaxon or siren pervades my carefully arranged state of consciousness, but I know that I can simply swivel my head or walk a few feet and find myself in an entirely different place with less of a reggae focus.
The first stage you come to is the Pyramid Stage, at which only Scottish bands play.
The Square Stage is arguably the main stage, supporting such acts as Akala, Elephant Sessions and Pronto Mama.
There are hay-bales all around and a wide open area for the biggest stage at the festival, the audio pours out into the campsite and invites everyone in.
Next to that is the Saloon, a sandy, wooden play area with a stage and a bar, typically boasting dubstep and heavier electronic music.
Out the back of the Salloon is a tea place called Chai Caddy that offers a pot of tea and a toot of shisha for a tenner.
At the side, a hill where people sit and drink.
The hill backs down onto a pond – which is psychedelically lit and which I am surprised hasn’t claimed more lives over the years.
On the other side of the pond is the main bar, with some exquisite instillations in it and some very cheap drink for a festival (five stars for that), it backs onto the adventure course and Secret Forest.
The adventure course is exactly what it sounds like and is free to explore for kids and adults – although adults would be wise to avoid it.
This leads into the quieting and wonderful Secret Forest, which is a marvel at the worst of times.
Throughout the festival, an adventure for all ages inhabits the space – this year, you must find the seven cursed items taken from Pandora’s box when the Greek gods lost their luggage en route to visit their Celtic brethren.
Actors – or Greek and Celtic gods, it depends what you’re on – stand at various locations dispensing information and trading secrets, it’s a bit like a video-game except your outside and interacting with real, fleshy people.
It’s great, it makes you feel like a kid without being awkward or weird.
Up from the pond and these places is the Viewpoint Stage, where some renowned DJ’s like Lel Palfry and DJ NoFace and some excellent bands like the Hot 8 Brass Band and the Leiko Quintet excite the baying crowds.
I catch NoFace and tell him I’m excited for his set – he always kills it.
“I’ve got some fuckin’ killer tunes man!” he laughs as he says it, “mad unreleased shit”.
Based on the face he pulls as he says it I believe him, it turns out I am right to.
This is all in front of a beautiful vista incorporating the castle from whence the country park gets its name.
The structure is amazing in its own right, but a number of years ago a pile of Brazilian artists were invited to adorn it with their work, turning it into what is truly one of the many wonders of this country.
Lights accentuate its majesty as we dance before it, separated by age old trees and a beautiful stream.
On the other side of this stream is The Landing, which boasts more experimental music and art, there is a gigantic Korg drum machine thing that you can go up and mess about with if the booked artists aren’t doing anything for you.
There is also a virtual reality art experience which commissioned Nikita Wolf Murray, it is very immersive, truly impressive and was very worthwhile.
Around this area there is some incredible artwork.
Down from The Landing is the Blunda Bus, which offers comedy and family friendly breaks from the revelry.
Walk up from The Landing and you are entering the wild lands, kindly offered by Mother Nature.
There is the Tea-Cave, a chill-out space orchestrated by Josh and Molly, giving free tea to weary wanderers and a place to relax.
They run a company called Almighty Foods which produces delicious vegan goodies.
Josh gives me a small square of their new dark chocolate, it hangs around my mouth for about ten minutes and I can taste it for about twenty – very, very nice chocolate so it was.
Pillows and blankets lie amongst hay-bales only under a rocky overhang – you can sit in comfort with a warm cup of tea and watch the rain pour ahead of you only feet away, it is a beautiful place.
Up from this is The Monument Stage – hosting acoustic acts.
Further up the glen – if your legs are up for it – you will find The Beach Plateau at the top, where a number of differently inclined DJ’s spin their various beats.
From here, at a viewpoint, you can see the uppermost limits of the festival space which happens to be a waterfall – what a view this is.
Wandering through the incomparable forestry, you will see a number of subtle and interesting artistic installations from this year and from years past.
Like I said, there isn’t a hundred yards of walking to be done without a some delightful or insightful events catching your ears or eyes.
Everyone is heading somewhere and those somewheres aren’t too far apart.
The Never-Ending Glen stands in unmatched natural beauty, unmarred by the events going on around about it.
The space in which the festival occurs seems to imbue the people here with a sense of respect for both the natural environment and for one another.
There are people getting full of drugs including alcohol sure, but there seems to be no trouble.
Hell, even the midges are behaving themselves – if you stay still for too long they’ll get you, but that just encourages you to keep dancing and moving around the place; I worry that we will come across partially skeletal guests who have fallen asleep in bushes, but no such thing occurs.
It rains a lot, but the trees act as a natural canopy.
Everyone’s festival experience will be different; some people will have had better times, some people will have had worse.
It is impossible to see and do everything despite this being a small festival, this is on account of its density.
Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, and putting a foot wrong tends to lead you down a path you never knew was there.
As far as the festival is progressing, the organisation seemed somewhat looser this year, that being said, there was a more various roster of acts.
I felt safe and welcomed at all times, the only thing that separated security guards from revellers was their uniforms – they were not overbearing nor did they get in the way.
That being said, they likely didn’t have much to worry about, nobody seemed out to cause any stress.
I would like to share what was not only the single biggest highlight of my festival experience but one of the most unforgettable moments of my life – which often occur at festivals.
Some friends and I had been at the height of the glen, at The Beach Plateau on the Saturday for a DJ set which occurs every year, it is Prince/Bowie, and is exactly what it sounds like – a mix of Prince and Bowie tracks.
We enjoy some belters up there and then head past the viewpoint down to the waterfall.
I wander over the algae covered rocks down to the water, dipping my hands and feet in to feel the current.
It is raining lightly – but it is scarcely perceptible through the trees.
I look up the hundred or so feet to the viewpoint from which we just came in response to hearing the cheer of a hundred voices.
They are cheering from The Beach Plateau because the sun has broken into their view from the clouds and rain that precipitated it.
The clouds are blowing away – down towards me – quickly, leaving nothing but blue sky and sun as Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ plays them out.
Sunshine cascades through the glen and breaks over me and the rocks I stand amidst as a hundred voices join that of Prince.
The last of the gentle rain abates leaving only the light and gentle warmth of the sun.
Dozens watch from the viewpoint as I look back at them.
This truly magical moment awakens me to how special this festival is.
It is small but full, it is inclusive and open but seemingly without the drawbacks you might expect to arise from that.
I am not a mad festival-head that goes to forty festivals every fifteen minutes, but I am quite sure that there is something special here at Kelburn.
The fabulous unity of the natural and the synthetic, the powerfully attractive artistic and musical elements, the reasonable prices, the incredible events and the closeness of each of these elements to each other leaves no doubt in my mind that Kelburn is a wonderfully unique and exceptionally enjoyable festival, set amidst a jewel of a place.
In keeping with the dream like nature that I mentioned before, there are so many different aspects of different kinds that stand in distinction from one another but come together in unity as a whole.
There are so many styles and genres of visual and acoustic art that you could trip and fall into something new around every corner – whether you like what you find or not, your experience is likely to be unusual.
I could review some specific musical acts I happened to catch, but what would be the point?
All I will say is that the energy of the festival seemed to inhabit every act I saw, no-one phoned it in or played a bad set, none of the crowds failed to match the energy of the musicians and the overarching theme was one of collectivism and revelry in a beautiful environment surrounded by encouraging, friendly and positive individuals of all ages and inclinations.
I love the Kelburn Garden Party and would be surprised to hear that you felt any different if you were there.
We should feel privileged to have such an event occuring in our collective back garden – a landmark amidst a plethora of similarly worthwhile festivals.
There are a lot of people here who frequent numerous festivals.
We have all of these in Scotland, how great is that?
More Photos – Saturday – Sunday
Words: Paul Aitken
Photos: Allan Lewis / Brendan Waters
