During our FESTSPACE research into the festivals and events staged in Finsbury Park, one event was consistently mentioned by a range of stakeholders as one that made a positive contribution to the park. La Clave Fest – a day long celebration of UK Latin American music and culture – was staged in Finsbury Park for […]
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London’s parks and squares are often fenced off for licensed festivals and events, and there is often related resistance as this trend contributes to the privatisation of public space. During the pandemic Londoners have noticed that access to public spaces has also been restricted because of the threat of unlicensed festivity. At the height of […]
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Following the removal of coronavirus restrictions, music festivals have returned to London’s parks. Several events were strategically shifted to late August or September to increase the chances they could go ahead and now Londoners are basking in late summer sunshine whilst enjoying a belated festival season. Some of London’s biggest festivals including All Points East, […]
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The Festspace research team have published a new paper in the International Journal of Events and Festival Management which helps to provide a conceptual basis for their work on festivals, events and public spaces. Andrew Smith and Goran Vodicka from the London based team took the lead on this paper, which was inspired by their […]
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After a long winter with no organised events, the easing of England’s lockdown restrictions on April 12th meant the return of some events to public spaces. It was perhaps telling that, as soon as it was allowed, fun fairs were installed in both of the London #festspace case study spaces: Finsbury Park and Blackheath. A […]
Read MoreJune, July and August 2020 will be long remembered as the summer that was starved of festivals. However, the winter months are perhaps those when the absence of organised gatherings is being felt most acutely. This season usually features a range of festivals which help people through the darkness and low temperatures of the northern […]
Read MoreGiven the UK Government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis you might expect an article about the COVID-19 circus to be another piece hammering the test and trace system or the confusing messaging. But this is a piece about an actual circus installed on Blackheath to coincide with the October half term holiday. It is the […]
Read MoreMany different types of events are staged in England’s public spaces, but few can match the history or the mystery of the fair. These events date back to the 13th century and although there have been notable shifts in their main purpose – e.g. from trading to pleasure in the 18th Century – this heady […]
Read MoreDuring the summer of 2020, event organisers have been forced to think of ways of staging events that don’t contravene measures to restrict the spread of COVID-19. One of the most obvious options is to stage drive-in events: by confining attendees to private vehicles, contact between them can be restricted. These events conjure up images […]
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In 2019, The Royal Parks ran a competition for artists and photographers based on the question: ‘What does Hyde Park mean to you?’. Several of the winning entries depicted music festivals – which was apt as they were displayed on the fence surrounding the British Summer Time Festival. This prominent installation highlighted that London’s parks […]
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