South London’s Brockwell Park has become the centre of a heated debate in recent weeks. Last Friday (May 16), a High Court judge ruled in favour of the Protect Brockwell Park campaign group, which took issue with the number of ticketed festivals in the beloved public space. However, event organisers Brockwell Live have reiterated that their events will “go ahead as planned” this year.
Brockwell Live hosts tens of thousands of people across six yearly paid events in Herne Hill’s Brockwell Park: Field Day, Mighty Hoopla, City Splash, Cross The Tracks, Brockwell Bounce and Wide Awake. Separately, Lambeth Council has also hosted the free Lambeth Country Show event in the park since 1974, which attracts around 120,000 visitors yearly.
The local Protect Brockwell Park group disagrees with the number of festivals held in the public space, which total a collective 37 days a year, arguing that the ticketed events withhold access to the park from the local community and cause lasting damage to its ecology. Their website cites that “approximately 60 per cent of Lambeth households reside in flats without access to private outdoor space”.
In response to the group’s petitions, a High Court judge branded the Lambeth Council’s decision to grant private use of the public park for so many days of the year “irrational”. However, a final decision has not yet been reached on the future of the festivals, with Brockwell Live maintaining that “Friday’s High Court ruling dealt with a particular point of law and whether an administrative process had been carried out correctly”.
At its core, the battle over Brockwell Park raises key questions about who gets to enjoy London’s public spaces. The park has long hosted events that engage local businesses and celebrate South London’s African and Caribbean communities, with music protest group Rock Against Racism holding its free, flagship event in Brockwell Park in 1979. However, subsequent decades have seen the park increasingly become the site of ticketed, single-day festivals, which many argue are priced out of the local community’s reach. This shift arrives in the context of skyrocketing house prices in South London, with its historically diverse and working-class communities feeling increasingly alienated from their local area.
The Brockwell Park debate also can’t be separated from the broader shifts reshaping South London. Over the past decade, areas like Brixton, Peckham and Herne Hill have seen an influx of new developments, expensive coffee shops and bars, while long-time residents and local institutions are squeezed out by rising rents and redevelopment. Gentrification has rebranded these neighbourhoods as ‘vibrant’ and ‘up-and-coming’, but for many, that’s come at the cost of cultural displacement and lost access to the very spaces that made them desirable in the first place. Parks like Brockwell remain one of the few shared, non-commercial spaces left, so when they’re cordoned off for nearly 40 days a year, it’s not just about festival noise or turf damage, but about what’s left behind for the communities who still call South London home.
Still, with the city’s nightlife industries currently experiencing a significant downturn, should we really be restricting the number of live music events on offer?
Below, four South Londoners share their views on the recent move to restrict the number of festivals held in Brockwell Park.
Rubes is a content creator and Dazed social host born in Camberwell and now based in Peckham.
“There’s interesting arguments on both sides. I’ve grown up in South East London and have been going to Lambeth Country Show every single year my entire life. Brockwell Park has always been this hub of black music and Black celebration, it hosted the Rock Against Racism concerts back in the 70s. But, where I don’t support these festivals is that a lot of them are owned by companies with investments in Israel.
“While it’s amazing that money from these festivals goes towards Lambeth Country Show, they’re still creating a socio-economic divide in public spaces. You’ve got these massive blocks of flat right by Brockwell Park, which people would normally use, but that space is blocked off for weeks of the year. While everyone else is out there partying, they can’t go in because the tickets are too expensive. When I was growing up, Lambeth Country Show had no fences, you could just walk in. My family would bring a picnic because we couldn’t afford to go and buy loads of food, now, you’re not allowed to bring in food or drink. It’s not the [equitable] third space it was before.
“I do believe that the movement for this council ruling is fundamentally anti-Black music, anti-Black life. It’s pro-gentrification. I think the ruling has opened up a really big conversation around day festivals and the monopolisation of public spaces by the private sectors.”
Sarah is a 25-year-old DJ who grew up in Brixton.
“South London, in particular, has long been a hub for emerging creatives, producing many successful artists over the years. Festivals offer the perfect space to nurture that community spirit. Music brings people together, and festivals are a powerful celebration of culture and diversity. With the decline of youth centres in South London, these events have become something exciting for young people to look forward to.
Music brings people together, and festivals are a powerful celebration of culture and diversity
“While I understand concerns about environmental impact, there are ways to manage this better through sensible regulations and proper support. Cancelling them is not going to put money back into youth and the community anyway.”
Renelle 893 is an MC from Croydon
“I’m always going to side with the person putting on the festivals. Obviously, there are rules. If the rules say you can only use the park for big public events 24 days of the year, and you’re using it for 34 days in a year, then, yes, it’s techie. If you’re an official festival, you’ve got to do it properly.
“But, regardless, at the end of the day festivals are what makes London one of the greatest cities in the world. People travel from all over just to come to these events and they bring a lot of money to the local community, they employ a lot of people. A lot of the locals that live around [Brockwell Park] are always bare gassed when it comes to these festivals, they’re always out there sharing the local cheap ticket link with the people. So, not only does it bring a lot to the community, but it helps London as a whole.”
Malcolm is a musician from Herne Hill
“I’ve lived here my whole life, Brockwell is my local park. I hear everything from my house, which isn’t deemed close enough for free tickets or any sort of benefit, and it ruins the park for the rest of the summer.
“I think the council is being greedy with how many festivals it has allowed to happen and I don’t see any of it going back into the local area in any way. Lambeth Country Show is the only time smaller local businesses get much support – [the rest of these festivals] are actively supporting the gentrification of Herne Hill.”
*Some names have been changed