The politics of London’s festivals

Last weekend marked the start of the Brockwell Live series of festivals, marking the unofficial start of summer for many Londoners (myself included). However, thanks to some local residents, the journey to get to this point wasn’t quite as smooth as usual.

Campaigners, backed by Oscar-winning actor and local resident Mark Rylance, launched a campaign – Protect Brockwell Park. The group lament the damage inflicted on the parts of the Herne Hill park used for the festivals and object to the closure of large sections to the general public for the duration of the events. The campaigners insist that they are not against the holding of the events in principle, but it seems unlikely that the events would be able to take place without there being some sort of impact on the park.

The campaigners launched a successful legal challenge, with the High Court finding that Lambeth Council had not secured the correct planning permission. After a couple of days of uncertainty, the council defiantly confirmed that the festivals were all to go ahead. Organisers hurriedly lodged a new planning application to be determined by, you guessed it, Lambeth Council. Undaunted, campaigners say that they are prepared to legally challenge this latest move – perhaps indicating that their motivations are less about the Council’s failure to follow the correct procedure and more about stopping the events from taking place.

It isn’t a surprise that Lambeth Council wants these events to go ahead.  The financial struggles of London’s local authorities are well-documented and they are not exactly in a position to turn down (at least) hundreds of thousands of pounds from organisers for use of their parks and commons for what is, realistically, a few weeks a year. It is of course not just Brockwell Park that hosts these events. Over the course of the summer, other London parks – such as Victoria Park (Tower Hamlets), Finsbury Park (Haringey) and Crystal Palace Park (Bromley) – will also host day festivals.

It is not only the local authorities who benefit, but also the borough’s economy and London’s too – just ask the local pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels. That’s not even counting the thousands of jobs that are created by each event. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) warned that cancelling Brockwell Live would ‘directly impact thousands of people… many of whom rely on the summer season to sustain their livelihoods’. If only we weren’t in a situation where we desperately needed to generate economic growth…

Away from the economic arguments, there is something a bit simpler at the heart of the debate – fun. London is (rightfully) widely celebrated for its arts, culture and entertainment offering, but recent years has seen growing concern at the weakening of the capital’s offer. The decline of the nighttime economy is the topic of much debate, with bars, pubs and clubs across the capital continuing to close. With young Londoners battling the sky-high cost of living, it is the other benefits of living in a vibrant, dynamic and hedonistic capital that make this just about tolerable. Londoners are lucky to have these festivals take place in their own city (and sometimes even in their own local park).

Seeing your favourite artists perform before hopping on the 355 and getting home in 20 minutes – that’s what makes London great.