One alternative for those keen to leave the smoke behind is The Secret Garden, a strange sounding little festival in the Cambridgeshire countryside. It bills itself as "3 days of musical festivities and whimsical japery set in a beautiful landscaped garden beside a river and a lake; with tree-houses, swings, hammocks and giant follies."

The musical line-up sounds interesting, but the real draw here is the list of events - reminicent of summer camp and sports days - taking place over the weekend. Highlights include snail racing, rubber duck shooting and the mad fashion bitch's dressing up stall - there's even going to be emotional police milling about to make sure that you're giving off enough love...

May sound a bit hokey, but definitely a welcome change to the usual lager fest.

The Secret Garden - Huntington, August 27-30

For those determined to stay in the smoke and get mashed, but determined to avoid the carnival, there's the TDK Cross Central festival in Kings Cross, with a line-up including Chicks on Speed, Richard X, LCD Soundsystem, and 2 Many DJs.

SOC