Oscar-winning actor backs campaign to stop huge London music festivals

Mighty Hoopla’s future could be on the line (Picture: Lorne Thomson/Redferns) Sir Mark Rylance has said Mighty Hoopla turns London’s Brockwell Park into a ‘prison camp’ as he backs £31,000 campaign to cancel the festival.

The beloved South London festival’s future could be uncertain after environmental campaigners threatened to take legal action against Lambeth Council over live events.

They have raised concerns about the impact these festivals have on the green space, which has been open for public use since 1892.

The Brixton park, also home to Brockwell Lido and a famous view of the city, hosts annual music festivals annually across two consecutive weekends.

This includes London favourite Mighty Hoopla, which has boasted pop headliners over the years such as Sugababes, Kelis, and Steps.

The LGBTQ+ friendly festival is due to take place on the first weekend of June 2025, with headliners confirmed as Ciara, Jade, Kesha, and Loreen.

The council could be facing legal action from a group who aim to protect Brockwell Park (Picture: James Klug/Getty Images) Wolf Hall actor Sir Mark told The Times: ‘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.

‘I fully support this campaign to legally challenge our Lambeth governors and make a new arrangement for our park. Enough is enough. Stop the walls.’

Brockwell Live – who organise the summer series of festivals in the London park – runs hosts a Bank Holiday Weekender, which sees festivals Wide Awake, Field Day, Cross The Tracks, and City Splash take place on the first May weekend, and Mighty Hoopla the following weekend.

The Lambeth Country Show – produced by Brockwell Live in partnership with Lambeth Council – takes place on the third weekend in the series.

At the end of May, Lambeth Council and Brockwell Live will host a number of major festivals in the South London park (Picture: Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)

Brockwell Live also organises the Lambeth Country Fair every year (Picture: Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images) However, a Crowdjustice page has been set up with the aim of limiting the live events as ecological concerns mount.

On April 9 the campaigners sent Lambeth Council a pre-action letter challenging its decision to grant the area a certificate which allows commercial events to take place in the park without planning permission.

The local residents who have formed the group, called Protect Brockwell Park, intend to begin a legal challenge against the council over its live events policy.

They say the events are responsible for ‘damaging our trees, disturbing wildlife, compacting the soil, and fencing off huge areas of the park for weeks at a time’.

Continuing, the Crowdjustice page – having now raised over £31,000 at the time of writing to ‘cover legal costs’ – said: ‘We have repeatedly raised our concerns with Lambeth Council, but our voices have fallen on deaf ears.

Last year the festival was almost cancelled due to heavy rainfall and mud (Picture: orne Thomson/Redferns) ‘Lambeth has ignored petitions that have garnered thousands of signatures, local residents’ distress, and the adverse ecological impact on the park over the years.’

They aim to stop live events without ‘full public consultations’, introduce evidence-based impact assessments of these events, and they also demand an evaluation of the long-term impact these events have on the park, as well as the introduction of Glastonbury-style fallow years to give the ground a rest.

‘Permanent damage’ to the grasslands has already occurred, they say, from HGVs carrying heavy equipment, as well as a footfall of 180,000 people in a week’s window, and the running of ‘polluting’ generators.

‘Still embedded with rubbish and suffering from flooding as water can’t drain freely through compacted ground,’ the group says, adding: ‘Trees are dying as heavy equipment has piled up in root protection zones.

‘Since 2021, 32 protected species have disappeared, with noise and light pollution disrupting key habitats and impacting protected bats,’ the group continued.

The group claimed profit is being prioritised over the health of the park, and those in the local community who use it.

‘If we do not stop these events, the Park won’t recover, and nor will our community,’ they said.

In response, a Lambeth Council spokesperson told Metro: ‘The council has received a pre-action protocol letter in relation to a judicial review claim for Brockwell Park, and are currently considering this.’

On the specific concerns about the events, spokesperson said: ‘Brockwell Park is hugely valued by the council and our communities. 

Previous headliners include The Sugababes in 2022 (Picture: Lorne Thomson/Redferns)

The festival is a favourite among the LGBTQ+ community (Picture: Lorne Thomson/Redferns) ‘The council invests £500,000 a year in maintaining Brockwell Park which has won numerous awards including a Green Flag given by Keep Britain Tidy in line with the international standard for high quality parks and green spaces, as well as several London in Bloom awards.

‘Events in Brockwell Park run for a short period before summer and generate significant cultural opportunities and entertainment for younger people across the borough. Events also support businesses in the area, the majority of which are small businesses who experience increases in footfall during the events programme. 

‘This boosts our local economy and provides jobs and income for residents, especially at a time when high streets and small traders have struggled, and when pubs are closing in record numbers.’

The council went on to explain how the festivals are positive for younger people and help fund the free Lambeth Country Show, adding that they ‘work hard’ to engage local people.

‘Running the Lambeth Country Show in partnership with Brockwell Live saved the council £700,000 last year from the cost of putting on, as well as securing more than £150,000 for park investment and local community projects,’ the council said.

‘Further the events run by Brockwell Live in the lead up to the Country Show are really valued within our LGBTQ+ community – which is the biggest in London – really getting behind the Mighty Hoopla for example. When heavy rain last year put the Mighty Hoopla in question, we were heavily lobbied to make sure it went ahead.

‘Similarly, City Splash celebrating Caribbean and African music and culture is much loved by our Black communities and beyond.’

Adding that they are ‘working hard’ to minimise disruption the events have on locals, Lambeth Council said they have a 24-hour help line and staff in the streets for the events to cater for any concerns from local people.

‘We have also moved the date of events in Brockwell Park to earlier in the year, so the entire park is available throughout the school summer holidays,’ they added.

‘Any impacts from the events on the park are fixed with our event partner. We are committed to addressing all potential issues promptly and effectively, whilst ensuring Lambeth’s residents continue to have access to a diverse and meaningful range of events.’

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