Brockwell Park · Herne Hill · London SE24 · May · Jazz, funk & soul
Cross the Tracks: the grown-up one
Of the festivals that use Brockwell Park, Cross the Tracks is the calmest by a distance. Jazz, funk and soul, an audience that skews considerably older, blankets on the grass and a good many people who have brought their children. It is a day out rather than a night out.
Than anything else in the Brockwell Park series. Same park, same curfew, and an entirely different crowd. It is the London day festival we would suggest to a group who want live music without being on their feet in a crush for ten hours.
What sets it apart
Same site as Mighty Hoopla a few weeks later, and almost nothing else in common.
Noticeably
Which changes the whole feel of the day, and the state of the park at the end of it.
Genuinely
Much of the audience settles on the grass rather than standing at a barrier.
A fair number
Children are a normal sight, which is not true of every festival on this list.
Earlier in the season
So it can be cool by evening. Bring a layer.
Kent to Brockwell Park
South London, and among the shortest festival journeys we run.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Festival day journey |
|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 7 miles | 30–55 min |
| Bexleyheath & Welling | 10 miles | 35–60 min |
| Sidcup & Bexley | 10 miles | 35–60 min |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 16 miles | 45–75 min |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 22 miles | 50–80 min |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 22 miles | 55–85 min |
| Rochester & Chatham | 31 miles | 65–95 min |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 32 miles | 65–100 min |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 55 miles | 90–125 min |
What a calmer festival needs
Different kit from a standing-all-day event, and it takes up different space.
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| A blanket or two | Much of the audience sits. Check the festival's own rules on what is permitted |
| Layers for the evening | May in London cools quickly once the sun drops |
| Sensible shoes | Still a park, still grass, still ten hours |
| Less than you think | This is not a camping festival. Travel light and the day is easier |
| Check the bag policy | Most London festivals limit bag size. Read it before you pack |
A day at Cross the Tracks
The right one for a mixed-age group
If you have a party spanning three decades, or anyone who would rather sit than stand at a barrier for ten hours, this is the London day festival to pick. The music is excellent, the crowd is unhurried and there is enough space to actually settle somewhere rather than being carried between stages. We take a noticeably different mix of passengers here than to the other Brockwell events.
Give us the festival name, not just the park
Brockwell Park hosts several events across the early summer and they are not interchangeable. Cross the Tracks in May, Mighty Hoopla in June, and Field Day has used the site too. Same gates, same curfew, and completely different requirements. Naming the festival takes a second and avoids the wrong assumptions.
May evenings get cold
This is earlier in the season than most of the London festivals, and a park after sunset in May is considerably cooler than the afternoon suggested. A layer that lives in the vehicle costs nothing and gets used most years. Blankets serve the same purpose and a good part of the crowd brings them anyway.
The exit is the same for every park festival
Curfew around ten or half past, and then twenty or thirty thousand people leaving through a handful of gates into Herne Hill's residential streets at once. We hold back from the gates where traffic is moving, ten to fifteen minutes' walk, and it remains considerably quicker than anything closer.
Cross the Tracks questions
A calmer day in Brockwell Park.
How is Cross the Tracks different from Mighty Hoopla?
Same park, entirely different event. Cross the Tracks is jazz, funk and soul in May with a noticeably older crowd who sit on blankets. Mighty Hoopla is a pop dress-up festival in June.
Is it suitable for a mixed-age group?
It is the London day festival we would suggest for one. The crowd is unhurried, there is space to settle, and children are a normal sight.
Can we bring a blanket?
Much of the audience does, and sitting on the grass is a large part of the day. Check the festival's own rules on what is permitted before you pack.
Where is it held?
Brockwell Park in Herne Hill, SE24, around thirty minutes from Bromley and among the shortest festival journeys we run.
What should we bring?
Layers for the evening, sensible shoes and not much else. May in London cools quickly after sunset and this is not a camping festival.
What time does it finish?
Around ten or half past, under the park's licensing conditions, with the crowd leaving within about twenty minutes.
Where do you collect?
Back from the park gates on a road that is moving, usually ten to fifteen minutes' walk through Herne Hill.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking and unaffected by the traffic leaving afterwards.
London day festivals
Brockwell Park and the rest.