GALA 2025

[malumbu]

10 hours ago, fishboy said:

 

And hopefully everyone can see this for what it really is - an attempt to win over the local community and set a precedent for four festival days, so that they have a stronger argument when they put in an application for six days again next year. 

We can all be cynical but I hope you or others will pop over to the free festival and share your views.  I'd go but I am away.  It looks great.  (Note I don't know why some had to post their disgust on the events page - I expect many locals will go to the free event and some to the Gala itself).

 

[KalamityKel]

Last night was a different kind of event entirely though...

 

[malumbu]

Yep Monday is family festival but I think it would be churlish to avoid this on principle and if you are free at least check it out.  I was simply responding to a comment that there were not free festivals.  I've no strong feelings about Gala, and whilst I could hear it, it stopped around 11 and I've experienced worse.  Volunteering at Glastonbury and at Shambala and that bloody drum and base going on till 4 in the morning.  I'm aware Gala affects others far more but conflating this with LTNs and with Lambeth council was strange.

[first mate]

It is a fact that the festival has been expanded once, both in size and timescale. Attending the free day will be spun as support for not only this but even further expansion and embolden Southwark to launch more events and we could end up like Brockwell.

 

[Rockets]

But that's the point isn't it Mal, if you go to Glastonbury you are with a hundred thousand other people in the wilds of the country and you cannot complain about noise disruption - you can be selective about where you camp of course. 

The Glasto organisers and local council go out of their way to keep the locals onside - friends of mine used to live in a village some miles from Worthy Farm and would be offered free tickets.

But there are a lot of people in Dulwich and Herne Hill and Brixton who have huge amounts of disruption thrust upon them because this is, after all, a densely populated urban area and not deepest Somerset. 

Councils want to monetise our public spaces as much as they can but this is often in conflict with the needs and wants of their constituents who live nearby. What is happening in Brockwell is a warning as Southwark will want to try and monetise Peckham Rye to the same extent if they can.

[alice]

Look, I can see you feel very strongly about it, but there’s a whole load of people for whom it does not bother one bit. 

[malumbu]

Glasto?  Who calls it Glasto?  You certainly aren't an old hippy.  It's been coined by radio DJs and toffs - Glyndo anyone?  Henlo?? Hollando???  Yes this is an irrelevant post.

[JohnL]

A lot of shouting outside on Rye Lane now and pointless me topping up weekend supplies at Tesco as it will have been cleaned out.

 

I hate this weekend

Maybe someone could design streets so they don't transmit sounds - I hear every conversation on street level from the 4th floor never mind the shouts and screams,

And why do taxis beep there horns at the festival goers.

 

[Rockets]

1 hour ago, malumbu said:

Glasto?  Who calls it Glasto?  You certainly aren't an old hippy.  It's been coined by radio DJs and toffs - Glyndo anyone?  Henlo?? Hollando???  Yes this is an irrelevant post.

I can assure you I am neither a DJ or toff but have always referred to it as Glasto...do you have an issue with that? In fact I was doing Glasto long before the toffs started going but haven't done it in a while because the last one I went to felt all a bit Coachella (which is by far the worst "festival" I have ever had the pleasure of attending).

The point remains that festivals have no place in densely populated urban areas and I do worry that the monetisation of our public spaces means we can expect more and more in future and our councils ignoring the input of local residents and they go chasing the filthy lucre!