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There’s a very good reason why Playground Weekender won the ‘Best Atmosphere’ gong at the inaugural Festival Awards. The lakeside extravaganza is so laidback, so full to the brim with amazing entertainment and so utterly carefree about pretty much everything that it’s pretty easy to forget that you’re even at a music festival at all.

The famous line from The Castle “It’s the vibe” certainly applies here; in fact, it is precisely the vibe of Playground that keeps thousands of punters coming back each year.

Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? An average day down in Wiseman’s Ferry is a bit like that. There’s a proliferation of things to do, some music related, some completely opposite. You can’t make plans, because most people aren’t wearing a watch and there’s no mobile reception. Quite literally, Playground is about meeting like-minded people and ‘going with it’. And by god is that a change from the intense, one-day music festivals that have peppered Sydney’s summer landscape over the years.

Sonically, Playground’s organisers cater to practically everyone. Stages are loosely arranged by genre; there’s the Big Top for the ravers, mainstage for the alt-rockers, Filth for the indie-punks and Soco Carnivale for crazy world music beats.

It’s often the case that the headliners are not the most interesting performers. You’re liable to hear better DJs by the pool (where all the hipsters congregate) than at midnight in the dance tent, and some of the local bands on the Filth stage leave international visitors for dead. Because nobody’s really running to a timetable (or on time), it’s pretty easy to get lost in the music of a band you don’t even know the name of.

There are, however, some notable standouts. Texan Jesus freaks Polyphonic Spree bring the love with full force, and their energised set is pretty much the best of the four days. They’re closely followed by (and it sounds lame, but it’s true) Bjorn Again, the ABBA tribute band who manage to capture the true essence of the festival – daggy fun – and reap huge crowd benefits.

Jamie Lidell, bereft of band but full of wit, manages to engross a sweltering mass of fans simply by looping his voice and singing over it. Lupe Fiasco probably would have been better had he not come on stage two hours late (making it 1am) and turning his backpack rap into a punk-rock show. The Holidays put in a good set and new collabo outfit Space Invadas tear the house down on Friday, despite the fact that very few punters have any idea who they are.

In terms of organisation, Playground is at once totally on the ball and completely fucking shambolic. Acts run on cue or they get mixed up and appear on different days. Free water tanks remain suspiciously disconnected at peak times on the hottest days. But most of the punters here are cashed up kids who work five days a week, and they’re happy to shell out for the smorgasbord of international food and beverages on offer.

The best part about Playground? Nobody forces you to do anything. The security are decidedly hands off, the female cops dance around with the drunk girls and if you decide to spend all day wandering around meeting new people, ain’t nobody going to stop you.

Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into a corporate beast; right now, Playground Weekender is the best time you can have without trying to find a cab home at 1am.