Campaigners say this summer’s music festival series in the UK’s Brockwell Park “has to be cancelled” after winning a legal ruling over the use of the site.

The South London park hosts large annual gatherings including Mighty Hoopla, Wide Awake, Field Day, Cross the Tracks and City Splash, which are all scheduled to take place between 23 May and 8 June this year.

The events are organised by Brockwell Live – an umbrella group encompassing festivals run by a number of promoters including Superstruct and Broadwick Live – but the 2025 series has been put in jeopardy after a judge yesterday (16 May) ruled in favour of local resident Rebekah Shaman of campaign group Protect Brockwell Park.

Shaman took legal action seeking to halt the events, claiming a temporary change of use of the land was only permitted for 28 days per year. Mr Justice Mould found that parts of the park would be used as event space for as many as 37 days and described Lambeth Council’s decision to grant the certificate as “irrational”.

A draft letter to the council from Goodenough Solicitors, which is representing Shaman and Protect Brockwell Park, says the Brockwell Live series must now be cancelled and the site immediately made available to the public and cleared of fencing and infrastructure.

“As there is no planning permission for the Brockwell Live event, the event has to be cancelled”

“The effect of the judgment is that the Brockwell Live event does not have planning permission,” reads the letter seen by IQ. “There would be insufficient time for a planning application to be made and determined for at least three weeks, given the statutory consultation process. It follows that not only do the Brockwell Live events not have planning permission, but permission cannot be obtained until after they are concluded.

“The organisers of Brockwell Live are in breach of their contract of hire with the council, and will continue to be in breach when the events are due to take place. As there is no planning permission for the Brockwell Live event, the event has to be cancelled.”

IQ has approached Brockwell Live and Superstruct for comment, while a Lambeth Council spokesperson says: “We are currently assessing the impact of this judgement and determining next steps.”

Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association has lamented the legal action as “emblematic of a much deeper crisis facing our cultural and events landscape”.

“If these festivals are unable to proceed, it would mark a devastating blow to London’s identity as a global hub for live music, culture, and community celebration — and would signal a dark new era for the UK’s events and festival sector,” he says. “This isn’t about protecting parks — it’s about stifling culture, and the consequences are far-reaching.

“These events are not just concerts — they are vital social experiences that form part of the cultural fabric of people’s lives. Brockwell Live represents a careful balance between cultural celebration and park stewardship. The idea that the park cannot be both protected and shared is short-sighted. These events are professionally run, heavily regulated, and provide essential funding for the maintenance of the park itself.”

“Ultimately, we remain committed to protecting the park and ensuring that any future events deliver genuine benefits for local people”

In a message to its supporters this morning (17 May), Protect Brockwell Park shared its “regret that legal action became necessary”, but accuses the promoters and Lambeth Council of creating “a binary situation with no room for compromise”, as well as “built in risks and delay by submitting inappropriately late applications”.

“We have been trying to engage with Lambeth and Brockwell Live since last October,” it continues. “Their use of last minute tactics in previous years has let huge events damage and close off our park without proper scrutiny. We have repeatedly urged the council to secure a full planning permission for all the events, together with proper impact assessments.

“Ultimately, we remain committed to protecting the park and ensuring that any future events deliver genuine benefits for local people. We are not anti-events and hope Lambeth Council will engage with us constructively next year to make that happen.”

The campaign made headlines last month after Oscar-winning actor Sir Mark Rylance, a high-profile local resident, spoke out in support, claiming the festivals turned the park “into a prison camp”. He applauded yesterday’s ruling as “wonderful news”.

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‏The potential for conflict between city-based festivals and their residential neighbours has been highlighted by legal action seeking to halt large-scale events in one of London’s busiest parks.

Neighbours of Brockwell Park in South East London, site of a range of large festivals including Mighty Hoopla, Wide Awake, Field Day, Cross the Tracks and City Splash, have crowdfunded more than £30,000 (€35,000) to launch a High Court review of the current licensing process.

The campaign group Protect Brockwell Park cites “ecological damage, loss of public access, flood risks, biodiversity loss and air and noise pollution” as its key complaints. It wants full planning applications to be required for each event, a process that could have a significant knock-on effect not just for gatherings in Brockwell Park, but other events held across the UK.

This week, high-profile local resident and BAFTA-winning actor Sir Mark Rylance joined the fray, saying: “Brockwell Park is a place for people and nature. It is essential to many people’s mental health, to our joy, our healing grief.

“It was a gift to the local community and is held in trust for us by Lambeth. The imposition of high steel walls for Brockwell Live every summer destroys the park for weeks and harms the grass, trees and plant life for months if not for ever. It turns it into a prison camp.”

Campaign founder Jen Hawkins tells IQ the initial legal hearing will take place in “early May” and claims the outcome could impact this year’s planned events.

“Our attempts to engage meaningfully with the council or organisers have been met with only surface-level responses,” she says. “To ensure events suit both the park and community, genuine public consultation is needed – something currently lacking.”

“We understand the importance of Brockwell Park to local residents and take our stewardship seriously”

Brockwell Live, the umbrella group which encompasses festivals run by a number of promoters including Superstruct and Broadwick Live, says it takes its stewardship of the park seriously.

“Brockwell Live delivers a series of free and ticketed events in Brockwell Park with more than half of attendees coming from across Greater London,” reads a statement to IQ. “Celebrating the city’s diverse music and culture, events include the capital’s largest Caribbean and African music festival, a nationally significant queer pop festival and a critically acclaimed celebration of jazz, funk and soul.

“We understand the importance of Brockwell Park to local residents and take our stewardship seriously. We welcome scrutiny and maintain open channels for dialogue with residents, councillors, and community groups at all times.”

Organisers point out that the festivals have donated over £150,000 to local organisations to date through their community fund, and have paid £317,000 to help maintain the park over the past five years. A dedicated community manager and resident hotline is available for engagement with local residents.

Since 2023, the festival organisers have also co-produced the Lambeth Country Show, a free event run by the local authority for 50 years, saving the council over £700,000 last year.

With fan desire for easily-accessible day festivals continuing to grow, it is increasingly bringing promoters and local authorities into potential conflict with local communities. Event organisers are turning to a range of strategies to ensure local residents are onboard with events.

Earlier this year, electronic music event specialists AMAAD announced the launch of BM Park Live, a series of large-scale electronic music events at Boston Manor Park in West London. It has also prioritised community engagement, offering a ballot for local residents, contributions to a park and community fund and a programme that offers local young people their first step into the event production industry.

“We shouldn’t overlook the positive power of city festivals”

Anton Lockwood, director of live at DHP Family, which runs Splendour in Nottingham, points out that city festivals offer an opportunity for people to see a range of “established international artists right on their doorsteps” and provide an easy path into first-time festival-going.

“Urban events are a key part of the live music landscape as this type of event offers a festival experience, without having to pitch a tent in a muddy field – so opens festivals up to people who might not go otherwise – and as such are really important and growing,” he says.

“They also drive tourism into their host cities and, as there’s no camping, will lead to hotel stays and restaurant visits so can contribute hugely to a city’s economy. We urge cities to consider this when assessing the impact of things like traffic and noise.”

Large events run successfully in urban settings across the world, with Yourope General Secretary Holger Jan Schmidt pointing out that the organisation – made up of more than 100 European festivals – has had “inner city festivals as members since our foundation”.

Fruzsina Szép of Goodlive, which runs city festivals Superbloom in Munich and Lollapalooza in Berlin, tells IQ she is fortunate that in both locations, residents are used to frequent large-scale events in the cities’ respective Olympic parks.

Like other organisers of city-based festivals, Superbloom and Lollapalooza Berlin run extensive community engagement and consultation processes and have mechanisms in place for residents to contact event organisers throughout the shows. One very small group of especially impacted residents in Berlin are offered the choice of free tickets to the festival or hotel rooms elsewhere in Berlin for two nights.

“We shouldn’t overlook the positive power of city festivals, which at their best can become one with the city and represent it on the world stage,” she says.

While pointing out that there are differences not just between countries in the acceptance of urban festivals, but between specific cities and communities within them, Schmidt adds that good communication is the key.
“For me, it’s obviously the same as with your personal neighbours. If you want a good relationship, take care of it,” he says.

“You should proactively approach the residents, seek exchange, extend invitations, if necessary in joint dialogue with the authorities. For sure, this will never solve everyone’s concerns and sensitivities, but a good relationship with the majority of the neighbourhood is the basis for dealing with the rest.”

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