Wide Awake Festival Will Not Take Place in 2026

South London’s beloved Wide Awake Festival will not return in 2026, with the organisers announcing that the festival is “taking a break” amid ongoing uncertainty about large-scale festivals in Brockwell Park.

Since launched in 2021, Wide Awake has become a stand out feature in London summer calendar with a cult following for championing emerging and left-field artists in the indie, post-punk, electronic and experimental music fields. In addition, last year’s line up featured Kneecap, CMAT, English Teacher, Daniel Avery and Nadine Shah while previous editions hosted artists including Primal Scream, Self Esteem and Amyl and the Sniffers.

A spokesperson, however, reiterated to MyLondon that Wide Awake is not set to happen in 2026, emphasizing that the festival was not over but taking a break, with plans to bring the event back again.

Legal ruling impacts Brockwell Park festivals

This decision follows a chaotic summer of events in Brockwell Park, home to several festivals collectively known as Brockwell Live, which include Field Day, Mighty Hoopla, Cross The Tracks, and City Splash.

The High Court decided in favor of Protect Brockwell Park, a community group, when a local resident took legal action against Lambeth Council concerning planning permissions in 2025.

The High Court ruling in 2025 favored the local campaign group Protect Brockwell Park after a resident took Lambeth Council to court for planning permission, arguing that the park was being used for events more than 28 days per year allowed under permitted development, parts of the park were fenced off for long periods of time and the grounds suffered damage.

Campaigner Rebekah Shaman said the legal action was taken to protect the park’s ecology and community value and added that the group was “not anti-festival”, but wanted events to be operated at a reduced impact, and better community engagement.

What’s still happening in 2026?

While Wide Awake is halted, Brockwell Park’s 2026 summer season will still proceed but in a limited form. The series will open with Field Day on May 23 and close with Mighty Hoopla across May 30–31. Other events, including Cross The Tracks and City Splash, are currently set to go ahead too.

With organisers reassessing how festivals can work within the new planning restrictions, for London’s independent festival scene there is a significant moment as Wide Awake’s absence is felt though fans remain hopeful that the event is able to return once a sustainable way forward is found.