As you know, we love a London festival. 2026 looks set to be a bumper year in the city, with events drawing huge acts such as Tyler, the Creator, Lewis Capaldi and Lily Allen. There have been some casualties – Wide Awake has been scrapped following a local backlash against festivals in Brockwell Park – but all in all, it seems our summer shindigs are in rude health.
Case in point: east London’s Victoria Park is once again set to host the eclectic All Points East and more indie-inclined LIDO (the former has been a fixture since 2018, while the latter launched last year). All Points East currently runs across six days split over two weekends (August 21-23 and August 28-30), with LIDO covering three days from June 12-14. All Points East boasts headliners Lorde and Twenty One Pilots, among others, while LIDO has bagged Maribou State, Bombay Bicycle Club and CMAT. There’s bound to be something there to tickle your fancy?
In any case, these festivals, both of which are run by entertainment behemoth AEG, descend on Vicky Park for a grand total of nine ticketed days combined. Each festival takes up about a third of the park. It’s no mean feat to hold such mega-fests, and AEG currently has the right to take over the park for 28 days per year. Now, the company has requested permission to extend its takeover to 75 days – more than double its current lot.
The proposal hasn’t yet been formally submitted, though a community consultation meeting was held on February 19. Tower Hamlets Council has already stressed that the extension has been requested to ‘safely install and remove major infrastructure’, with no talk of increasing event days. These changes could last through to 2032, as AEG has also requested to hold festivals in Vicky Park for another six years.
Not everyone is the area is happy about the 75-day proposal, with locals complaining it’s unnecessary.
One local, who claimed to have been unaware of the public consultation, anonymously told Hackney Citizen: ‘The park was set up as the people’s park. It’s a green space for local people – this effectively gets rid of about a third of it for the summer. It is the backyard of local people and for the local children – they’re losing their park for basically the summer.
‘We don’t have any problem with the festival. I mean, I go [to it]. The festival itself isn’t the problem. We’re asking for this extension and the number of days not to be granted.”
Speaking to the paper, a Tower Hamlets spokesperson emphasised the festivals’ economic benefits to the area and plans to minimise ‘disruption’. They added: ‘The site will be de-rigged between the two festivals, as it has been in previous years. The 75‑day period being applied for includes contingency days.
‘This gives AEG essential flexibility for large‑scale builds, particularly if there are delays caused by poor weather or other operational issues. The proposed duration reflects the complexity of the events and the need to safely install and remove major infrastructure.’
Whatever happens, a maximum of 50,000 punters per day are set to attend All Points East, while LIDO has a smaller daily capacity of 35,000.
See you down the front.
Looking further afield? Here are the best music festivals in the UK to book for 2026
Plus: The 20 best major music tours and concerts coming to the UK in 2026, from Lily Allen to Bad Bunny
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.
