OPINION
A new beginning for independents
Amid preparations for the launch of the Where It All Began festival at the Secret Garden Party site next summer, its production manager, Chai Wallahs’ Potter, outlines the ethos behind it.
Igrew up in the independent festival scene. More pertinently for this context, I grew up in Chai Wallahs. It has been my home for 20 years. It has held me, shaped me, taught me most of what I know professionally, given me lifelong friends, and provided me with an everchanging soundtrack that constantly inspires. It has helped me to achieve some of my greatest successes as a performer, but also saved my life, and my career when times were particularly hard. I’ m not the only person that’ s had this experience; it is home to many.
In the post-pandemic, cost-of-livingstrangled mess that is modern Britain, I’ m watching a chunk of our culture; and the identity of the communities I belong to, be stripped away. The incredible people that make this fairytale world a reality are still there, but we’ re running out of places to go.
Grassroots venues closing one by one. Independent festivals collapsing under financial pressure. The grind of corporatisation and creeping Government control reshaping a landscape that once felt wild, creative, and defiantly ours. It’ s heartbreaking, and infuriating, to see the creative ecosystem that shaped so many of us pushed to the brink.
Potter
But amongst that decline, there was a spark. Si Chai, founder of Chai Wallahs, asked‘ Rather than sitting around complaining about how hard it is, why don’ t we rebuild it?’
That spark grew into a vision. Not the nostalgia-drenched dream of‘ how things used to be’ but a grounded belief in what grassroots culture could be again if we came together with purpose.
Imagine a festival that honours the roots of the grassroots movement. A place where creativity isn’ t squeezed out by commercial pressure, where high production values are a given, and where musical diversity isn’ t a marketing line, it’ s the foundation. A place where audiences feel welcomed, valued, and connected.
That idea became Where It All Began. For me, this project is about more than putting on a festival; it’ s about protecting the culture that raised us. It’ s about creating a not-for-profit, community-owned space that supports artists, venues, promoters, and young creatives at a time when they need it most. And it’ s about doing it on a site that means something: the home of the Secret Garden Party, a festival that inspired a wave of creativity, and helped shape the independent scene across the UK.
From 18 – 21 June 2026, we’ ll come together on that land for the Summer Solstice. 3-5000 people; not a faceless crowd, but a community; will share an intimate, well-crafted, collaborative experience. Seven stages. Thoughtfully designed spaces. Incredible food, independent brews, cocktails that have been obsessively perfected over years. And at the centre of it all, our Chai Wallahs; a beating heart of sound and togetherness.
But the real magic sits behind the scenes. We’ re building a new model designed to give more than it takes. No shareholders. Fair pay for artists. Collaborative programming. Opportunities for struggling venues and promoters to generate income without taking on more risk. Affordable tickets made possible through genuine collaboration. Real pathways into the industry for the next generation of creatives.
To make it real, we’ ve started with a scalable crowdfunder. On November 7th, we asked people who believe in independent culture to join us.
Tickets from our crowd funder are an opportunity to become an‘ Original Founder’. This is a movement supported by Arts Council England, Music Venue Trust, AIF, Secret Garden Party, Save Our Scene, and a huge network of venues, organisations, and creatives who refuse to give up.
This is our chance to build something lasting. Something honest. Something that belongs to all of us. This is Where it all Began, and where it all begins … again.
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