Brockwell Park: Mighty Hoopla festival in doubt after events turns venue into mudbath

A major London music festival scheduled for this weekend has been thrown into doubt after a string of events turned the venue into a mudbath.

Nelly Furtado and Jessie Ware are among the stars slated to appear at Mighty Hoopla in Brockwell Park on Saturday and Sunday.

However Lambeth Council said a “final decision” was yet to be made on whether the pop festival, set to attract 30,000 people over the two days, can go ahead due to the muddy conditions.

Officials have already been forced to cancel another event - the family-friendly Brockwell Bounce - in the park.

Brockwell Park had hosted four events over the Bank Holiday - Project 6, Wide Awake, Cross The Tracks and City Splash - with local residents saying they left the ground “churned up”.

The council said there was an agreement that any repairs needed to the park after an event would be paid for by the organiser.

In a statement, officials said work was ongoing to make sure that Mighty Hoopla could still go ahead, but the event was subject to a final sign-off.

“The council has approved extra measures for the event space at Brockwell Park to ensure visitor safety, and to protect muddy areas from damage ahead of the weekend,” a spokesperson said.

“Specialist matting with a thin layer of woodchip on top is being used to achieve this. The technique has been used at a number of other large events, including Radio 1’s Big Weekender in Luton.

“This work is subject to ongoing reviews and risk assessment, and a final decision on whether the Mighty Hoopla will go ahead is still to be made.”

Mighty Hoopla’s organisers said in a message to ticketholders that it had “a solid plan that protects not only the park but everyone attending, performing and working” amid the muddy conditions.

“As a precaution, for your safety and enjoyment, please be sensible with your footwear this year,” they said.

The Lambeth Country Show is also scheduled to be held in the park on June 8 and June 9.

Council officials added that a new event would be rescheduled to take the place of Brockwell Bounce later in the year.

The Friends of Brockwell Park charity has raised concern about private festivals damaging the park, saying it was “not the best Brockwell Park can be but the worst”.

In an online message to the council, chair Peter Bradley said: “If you want Brockwell Park to be the best it can be, stop holding major events during the nesting season that threaten wildlife, that ruin the grass with vehicles and visitor footfall, and inflict noise on local people for miles around.”

A council spokesperson said: “There is an agreement that any repairs needed to the park will be paid for by the event’s organiser, not Lambeth Council.

“They are already working with the council to prepare for any required work which will start straight after Lambeth Country Show.”