Several festivals at London’s Brockwell Park are set to go ahead this summer, although Wide Awake will be taking the year off.
The South London park has played host to a number of major events in recent years, including Mighty Hoopla, Wide Awake and Field Day, but those appeared to be in jeopardy after a campaigner took legal action against Lambeth Council last summer, arguing that the festivals did not have the correct planning permission.
On Tuesday (February 24), however, Lambeth Council unanimously approved plans to hold Field Day, Cross The Tracks, City Splash and Mighty Hoopla in the final weeks of May this year.
The planning application was submitted by Summer Events Ltd, which oversees the Brockwell Live event series, and the approval will allow them to use over a quarter of the park for up to 32 days between May 9 and June 9.
Lambeth Council’s Planning Applications Committee said that they considered several factors before making their decision, including noise controls, environmental impacts on the park and the cultural and economic impacts of the events, citing a potential £10million boost to the local economy.
A spokesperson for Brockwell Live said: “Our team would like to thank the residents and stakeholders who engaged with us throughout the planning process, sharing both feedback and support.
“We’re pleased with the outcome, which recognises the cultural and social value of the Brockwell Live series, alongside the significant economic contribution it makes to Lambeth and Greater London, particularly at a time when night-time and creative economies across the country face increasing pressure.
“Our commitment to delivering the events responsibly and with care for the park and its neighbours continues beyond this decision,” they continued. “We will remain in active dialogue with the community and will share further updates in the coming months on the new schemes underway to support and enhance the park’s biodiversity. With events already selling out, we look forward to welcoming audiences back to Brockwell Park this May for what promises to be our strongest edition yet.”
The court case last summer was led by local resident Rebekah Shaman, a member of the Protect Brockwell Park group, who argued that the Brockwell Live events would exceed its allowed 28 days on the calendar, with “substantial” areas of the park being fenced off from the public.
“This has been going on for years, it isn’t a one-off situation and it has been a consistent deterioration of the park, to the point where the community had to speak up to protect the park for future generations,” she said at the time.
“We are hoping to come to an agreement where events can still continue, but on a much lower level and also much more connected to the community.”
While most of Brockwell Park’s regular events will now go ahead in 2026, Wide Awake will not. The festival has been a regular fixture since 2021, but earlier this month, a spokesperson confirmed that it was “just taking a break for 2026”.
Last year’s Wide Awake line-up included sets from Kneecap, CMAT, English Teacher, Daniel Avery and Nadine Shah, while previous iterations of the festival have seen artists perform, including Primal Scream, Self Esteem, and Amyl and the Sniffers.
This year’s Mighty Hoopla will run on May 30 and 31, with Lily Allen, Scissor Sisters and Jessie J leading the line-up. Find tickets here.
Field Day, meanwhile, will take place on May 23 and will feature performances from Floating Points, Honey Dijon and Joy Orbison, among others. Find tickets here.
