Campaigners have told City News they have ‘deep concerns’ about the decision by Lambeth council to allow four one-day music festivals in Brockwell Park.

The proposals for the Brockwell Live events received 404 objections prior to the unanimous decision compared to 129 messages of support.

Despite the uncertainty of the events going ahead, tickets have been on sale since last year.

The south London park will now host Mighty Hoopla, Field Day, Cross the Tracks and City Splash between 23 to 31 May.

The stage at Mighty Hoopla, Brockwell Live

Previous events have met backlash from local residents, who say that they cause irreparable damage to the wildlife and facilities of the park.

Last year, campaign group Protect Brockwell Park brought legal action against the organisers, which resulted in an agreement for formal planning permission for future events to go ahead.

Professor of Botany at University of London, Jeffery Duckett, conducted a review of trees and shrubs in the park and concluded the ground had not recovered from the events in 2025. He also stated that trees were damaged, or in poor health.

Stage view at Cross the Tracks, Brockwell Live

The organisers, Summer Events Ltd, say the event only takes up about a quarter of the park, with each of the festival series hosting just under 30,000 attendees.

In terms of accessibility, all gates remain in use for members of the public throughout the duration of the event.

They also say that revenue from previous years has seen £285,000 of investment benefit the park.

Fencing will be up for 27 days, which is inclusive of the building and de-rigging of the stages. An additional five contingency days have been approved, in the instance of wet weather halting progress.

Lambeth Council has also set out a sound policy, which suggests stages should be set out to minimise disruption to residents; concerts must finish within social hours, and sound levels must be continually monitored.

Attendees at the park

Jen Chambers, a spokesperson for Protect Brockwell Park told City News: “We are disappointed, but not surprised by this decision.”

“The approval was based on the premise that the impacts of these events are temporary and reversible. That is simply not borne out by the evidence.”

“It is deeply concerning that no clear assessment was made of whether repeated commercial events are consistent with [the council’s] duty to protect this public land for the long term.”

Lambeth Council says: “The committee considered a wide range of factors including noise control and environmental impact.”

“Evidence shows that festivals generate significant local spend and reports note that Brockwell Live is estimated to contribute more than £10 million to the local economy.”

“The programming also reflects Lambeth’s diversity, with Mighty Hoopla proving popular amongst the LGBTQ+ community, and City Splash celebrating African and Caribbean culture, which is loved by our Black communities and beyond.”

 

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