Even though this venue has disappeared now I still find it worthy of a review, in the hope that it will return for festival season next year!
I ventured into this lovely little area early on a Friday night before a Fringe show. I was very happy to avoid the $5 cover charge and I didn't have to line up either. The atmosphere inside was casual, happy and fun with just a touch of hipster ;)
To me there were three distinct areas here - the main/entrance area (with 2 large bars and one small one, food trucks, the large performance tent and the croquet field), the Japanese garden area (with its own bar and 'Japanese tapas' food) and the Jamaican/Hatian/'pirate' shanty town (offering Jamaican food, another bar and an eclectic decorating scheme). There was certainly no shortage of choices for bars and food - I had to do two laps of the whole place before I could decide on what I wanted to eat!
Apart from food and bars there were plenty of other things to hold your interest - street performers, a main stage with live music and DJs, croquet games, a fountain for the kids to play in, $5 shows in smaller tents and plenty of areas to just sit and chat. I especially liked the croquet area with a quieter bar and high referee chairs so short people like me could feel like the king of the world!!
If you had a show to go to the cycle taxis would take you down to the Garden in exchange for a fiver and some good conversation.
I loved the fact that you could spend no money, or all of it, and still have a fabulous time. My only sadness is that I didn't get to meet the donkeys I have read about in the other reviews!! Please come back next year Royal Croquet Club! read more