Ahh, the London day festival. It seems as though a new one pops up in a green space every year – and for good reason, too. Not only do day festivals offer the same musical diversity as their camping counterparts at a fraction of the price, but there’s also no chance that you’ll be taking a laborious coach voyage to an outer M25 village you’ve never heard of to get there.
Everything you could need is within reach: so you can kiss goodbye to camping gear-induced back pain, rope-burnt hands from the constant pick-up-put-down of your tinny-stuffed bags for life, and sleepness nights spent in a soggy sleeping bag.
Although festival season may indeed feel a light year away, now provides the perfect chance to browse London’s vibrant menu of options: whether you’re into left-field jazz, Afrobeats, queer techno or the so-bad-they’re-good pop relics of the 90s and early 00s. It’s a phrase repeated too often, but there is genuinely something for everyone when it comes to London’s 8-hour day fests. Here’s a little more about the best ones.
LIDO
Dubbing itself a “fan-first festival”, LIDO is a new addition to the capital’s day festival circuit, with its inaugural edition taking place on Victoria Park’s famous Lido Field across two weekends in June. Musical proceedings are curated by the festival’s headliners, so its first-ever lineup is a smorgasbord of some of today’s finest electronic acts: Jamie xx takes over on June 7, enlisting the help of Venezuelan visionary Arca and The XX bandmate Romy, while June 14 headliner Charli XCX has curated a day for the party girls, including appearances from BRAT collaborators The Dare, A.G. Cook and The Japanese House. Its slick branding and alt-adjacent lineup mean LIDO’s crowd will likely be a who’s who of east London, but don’t let that put you off – the festival also promises community-centred activities and has several sustainability pledges in place to offset the private members club creative vibe of it all.
All Points East
Behind BST Hyde Park, All Points East is perhaps the most well-known of London’s day festival series – past iterations have seen everyone from Stormy to Mitski and The Chemical Brothers pull in crowds in their thousands. This August, Victoria Park is swapping its duck-feeding families and food markets for the Grammy-nominated R&B of Raye and Doechii and euphoric dance stylings of Barry Can’t Swim and Confidence Man. Plus, fans of 2000s indie rock will be hailing on its fields on August 24 to catch a very special reunion performance by The Maccabees.
Mighty Hoopla
Giving London Pride a run for its money on the camp scale is Mighty Hoopla, which brings with it an army of glittered-up LGBTQIA+ pop fans and their galpals to Brockwell Park every late May bank holiday weekend. When we say pop, you may be thinking of the Sabrina Carpenter kind that’s dominated the charts recently – and while today’s clan of pop stars are definitely celebrated (if you can count JoJo Siwa in that category), at its core Hoopla is all about embracing the flamboyant guilty pleasures and one-hit-wonders of yesteryear. A female American star usually headlines (this year’s edition has recruited Ciara and Kesha), and is supported by an array of cheesy pop acts: think Pixie Lott, Jamelia and Vengaboys. Plus, there’s a heap of drag acts death-dropping, splitting and flipping all over the place to keep you entertained.
Gala
From the sparkly brashness of Hoopla to the quiet cool of Gala, this homegrown Peckham Rye favourite celebrates its tenth year over the Late May Bank Holiday, recently announcing that it’ll hold a 10-date world tour to mark the occasion. Favouriting independent artists and uplifting dance sets – spanning eccentric disco, jungle, house and jazz – the line-up of its original south London three-dayer remains tightly under wraps. But with such a big birthday to celebrate it’ll sure be a spectacle of stellar dance music yet again – just look at last year’s edition: stage takeovers were led by adored local hi-fi bar Jumbi, London’s hottest queer party Adonis and NTS Radio, a fierce supporter of underground DJs.
City Splash
Last year’s City Splash – a day dedicated to reggae, Amapiano and dancehall and the rich culture they’re born from – was quite literally a splash, with heavy rain turning Brockwell Park more into a swamp than a festival site. But the feelgood vibes of City Splash couldn’t be dampened and said vibes are set to continue this year thanks to the first wave of acts that have been announced as performers, which include Jamaican dancehall queen Spice and reggae star Tarrus Riley. Another standout of City Splash is the food on offer, which blends African, Caribbean and South American cuisine and is provided by Black Eats LDN.
Body Movements
2024 was a big year for Body Movements: what was previously a multi-venue Hackney Wick party evolved into the UK’s first festival devoted to queer club culture. A selection of international (LSDXOXO, BASHKKA) and homegrown (Hannah Holland, Mark-Ashley Dupé) talent helped last year’s get-together – which took place in Southwark Park – bridge hyperpop, garage, Eurodance and a helping good old fashion techno. Just as elaborate as the music were the immersive stages – one resembled a scaffolding tower while another earned the name ‘Gloryhole’. Body Movements returns in all its sexy, political statement-soaked glory for round two on August 24.
Wide Awake
Another weekend, another festival to ruin the grass in Brockwell Park. But when the team that programmes events at institutions like MOTH Club and The Shacklewell Arms throw a music festival, you know it’s going to be worth it. Wide Awake – which lands on May 23 – prides itself on offering attendees an eclectic day of just about any genre: avant-pop, dance, post-punk, jazz, you name it, Wide Awake has it. For its fifth time around, politically-minded Belfast hip-hop luminaries Kneecap share the stage with the dark-humoured country pop of CMAT and BDSM-influenced club sounds of Sweden’s COBRAH.
Waterworks
Unlike Victoria and Brockwell Parks, Gunnersbury Park hasn’t welcomed many a festival since Lovebox died there during the pandemic (RIP), however Waterworks is the gleaming exception. Boasting top-grade sound systems, futuristic stages nestled in the park’s greenery (including one curated by dance music experts Resident Advisor) and the palpable adrenaline of a crowd who knows that festival season is coming to an end, Waterworks is a must. Since it falls in September, we’re still (eagerly) waiting for more details about this year’s edition.
Maiden Voyage
Another date in the capital’s jampacked dance festival calendar is Maiden Voyage, which hopped across the Thames from Waltham Abbey to Burgess Park in 2024. Although not marketed as such, the festival (which is entering its sixth year) has an unmistakable queer energy, likely thanks to legendary LGBTQIA+ parties Pxssy Palace and UNFOLD hosting stages there. To put it into perspective, the day – which takes place on August 9 this year – feels like the lovechild of Body Movements and Waterworks.
Cross The Tracks
If you’re after a festival of jazz, funk and soul without the stampede of Oakley sunglass-wearing techno-lovers that define many of the other festivals in the capital, Cross The Tracks might just be the one for you. Set for May 25, past iterations have brought together legends (Chaka Khan, Roy Ayres, Kelis) and emerging talent (Joy Crookes, Greentea Peng) to provide attendees with a laidback, alternative to its dance-heavy Brockwell Park counterparts. Muswell Hill’s Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka headlines this year, with the soulful sounds of Nala Sinephro, Jordan Rakei and Giles Peterson also set to soundtrack the day.
