Could Victoria Park be closed for 75 days a year? Festival organisers have applied for permission
More live music, more fencing, more debate
For a few weeks every summer, Victoria Park stops feeling like Victoria Park. The dog walkers, runners and picnic blankets make way for stages, sound systems and security fencing as tens of thousands descend on East London for the All Points East festival season.
It's become part of the rhythm of the city, but now the company behind the festival wants formal permission to keep doing it for years to come — and close sections of the park for the festival for longer stretches each year, too.
AEG Presents, which has run All Points East in Victoria Park since 2018 and launched LIDO festival last year, has applied for planning permission that would allow it to use parts of the park for up to 75 days a year over the next six years.
Before visions of a permanently fenced-off park start circulating, the reality is a little more complicated.
According to the planning documents, pointed out by The Standard, AEG expects to occupy sections of Victoria Park for around 66 days annually. The 75-day figure includes additional wiggle room for things like bad weather delaying build or breakdown schedules. Crucially, the company insists this isn't an attempt to expand the festivals themselves.
Organisers say the application is largely a result of a legal headache that has rippled across the UK's festival industry over the last year.
Following a High Court challenge involving festivals in Brockwell Park, it was ruled that the 28-day rule covering temporary events also includes the days spent building and dismantling festival sites. Previously, many councils and organisers had worked on the assumption that only the days open to the public counted.
In other words, festivals that have operated in much the same way for years are suddenly having to seek planning permission.
AEG argues that's exactly what's happening here. Its application states there will be no increase in capacity, no major expansion and no significant change to how either festival operates. This year's plans remain broadly familiar, with All Points East returning across two August weekends, LIDO taking place over the Bank Holiday period and a community-focused programme filling the gap in between.
While organisers might see this as a paperwork exercise, some locals clearly don't.
A Facebook group called Protect Victoria Park has already begun encouraging residents to formally object to the plans before the 8th of July deadline. The group's argument is simple: Victoria Park is one of London's most attractive and heavily used green spaces, and spending large chunks of summer behind event infrastructure is too high a price to pay.
The reaction has been predictably split.
Some commenters have backed the campaign, arguing that public parks should remain public for as much of the year as possible. Others have taken a more pragmatic view, pointing out that festivals bring jobs, tourism, major artists and culture to the area. One commenter perhaps summed up the middle ground best, writing: "Both can coexist with the right management."
Few people would argue that Victoria Park hasn't become one of London's premier festival destinations. Equally, few people would argue against the fact that it's one of the capital's best parks. The challenge is finding the balance between the two.
For now, Tower Hamlets Council has the final say. With tickets already on sale and festival season edging ever closer, both organisers and campaigners will be watching closely.
While everyone loves a festival and a good time, they also quite like having somewhere to walk the dog.
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