Tickets for Brockwell Live 2026 have gone on sale this week without planning permission, as tensions flare once again over the staging of major events in the park.
With summer festivals now in full swing at Brockwell Park, organisers are looking ahead to next year, releasing tickets for Mighty Hoopla, Cross the Tracks, City Splash and Field Day 2026.
According to the festival’s websites, Mighty Hoopla is scheduled for Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31, 2026, with tickets going live this Thursday at 10am.
Meanwhile, early bird tickets for Field Day—one of the flagship events of the Brockwell Live series —are already on sale, as well as Cross the Tracks and City Splash.
But the festivals are still “subject to planning permission”— organisers say — a topic of ongoing contention, to which this announcement could fan the flames for some residents.
It comes as campaigners from Protect Brockwell Park have launched a second legal challenge against Lambeth Council, accusing the local authority of showing a “brazen disregard for the rule of law” after it pressed ahead with the series of festivals despite losing a High Court battle over permitted development rights.
When asked about tickets going on sale without planning permission, campaigners told The Standard: “It’s up to Brockwell Live how they choose to deal with the risk created by any future (unknown) planning process at this stage.”
They claim the announcement —featuring the small print “subject to planning permission”—proves that “our efforts are making an impact.”
However, their legal fight is far from over, with a court date against Lambeth Council looming on the horizon.
“Protect Brockwell Park’s position remains that these events should go through a full planning process in line with the recent judgment,” they added.
A spokesperson for Brockwell Live confirmed that early ticket sales are “standard practice” in the live events industry and that approval will be sought in the usual way.
"We’re excited to see such strong demand for next year’s festivals, following two successful weekends in Brockwell Park, enjoyed by tens of thousands of music fans,” they said.
“It’s standard practice across the industry for outdoor events to go on sale subject to the necessary planning and licensing approvals. These will be sought in the usual way, in advance of the 2026 events.
“We remain committed to working closely with Lambeth Council and local stakeholders to ensure all processes are followed and that the events continue to bring cultural and economic benefits to the area.”
MIGHTY HOOPLA 2026! ON SALE THURS 5TH JUNE 10AM! pic.twitter.com/eqCFjXUA2q
— Mighty Hoopla (@mightyhoopla) June 3, 2025
Campaigners won a bombshell High Court legal battle against Lambeth Council last month, after they argued the council had not obtained the proper planning permissions for the back-to-back run of events which take place behind a boundary fence.
They believe events like Brockwell Live — which attracts more than 285,000 attendees over nine days — have an “adverse ecological impact” on the park, including damage to grassland, harm to trees, and disruption to root protection zones caused by heavy equipment.
Lambeth Council approved the events under permitted development rights, on the condition that a large section of Brockwell Park would be closed to the public for no more than 28 days.
However, campaigners argued this was inaccurate, claiming that when including the time needed to build and dismantle the festival infrastructure, public access was restricted for closer to 37 days.
The High Court ultimately sided with the campaigners, ruling that Lambeth Council had acted unlawfully and irrationally by using permitted development rights to bypass the full planning process.
Despite this, the summer festivals have gone ahead, after Summer Events Limited — which organises Brockwell Live — “applied to Lambeth Council for a new certificate of lawfulness, for 24 days.”
Lambeth Council insisted the new certificate had been submitted “in a different context and format” and that members of the public were given the opportunity to comment on the application before it was approved.
"This certificate confirms that the use of part of the park for the summer events is lawful. The events in Brockwell Park are proceeding,” the council concluded.
Campaigners from Protect Brockwell Park have launched a second crowdfunder to defend the High Court judgment, which has raised over £8,000 so far.
They claim that the second certificate allowing the commercial events to continue is “unlawful”, as they now seek to close what they see as a legal loophole the council is trying to create.
Lambeth Council has been approached by The Standard for comment.
Meanwhile, a new study from More in Common revealed the majority of Londoners are overwhelmingly in support of festivals in parks.
Sixty-seven percent of Londoners said paid music festivals benefit the local community by bringing jobs, income and entertainment to the area, with only 14% of people saying they do ‘more harm than good’.
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A spokesperson for Protect Brockwell Park group said: “We’ve launched a second legal challenge against the Council’s latest decision to grant a certificate of lawfulness.
“In our view, this repeats the same fundamental legal error as before, ignoring a clear court ruling - and shows a brazen disregard for the rule of law.
“If left unchallenged, it sets a dangerous precedent: councils across the country could keep using the same tactic, year after year, to sidestep proper planning controls.
“This campaign is not about stopping events in Brockwell Park. We recognise and value the community and cultural benefits that events can bring.
“What we are standing up for is something more basic, and more democratic: that events follow the proper planning process.
“This isn’t a “technicality”. Planning rules require impact assessments, public consultation, and the disclosure of vital information like ground and traffic management plans, all of which Lambeth and the organisers seek to avoid for these huge private events by using permitted development instead.
“There is some reassurance: the recent advert for festivals in 2026 include the phrase “subject to planning” in small print. This shows our efforts are making an impact.
“We’ve also heard from many campaigners across the country facing similar issues.
“This isn’t just about Brockwell Park - it’s about defending public spaces and democratic oversight in parks nationwide.”
