London · Electronic & alternative · Day festival · Check your venue
Field Day: check which park
Field Day has been held at several different London sites over the years, and it has not always stayed put for long. That makes it the one festival on our list where the venue on your ticket matters more than the name of the event, and where we ask before we quote.
The site, on your ticket, before you book anything. A festival that has moved between east, south and north London means a journey that could be forty minutes or an hour and a half from the same pick-up address.
Why we ask for the site first
This is unusual among festivals and it is the practical heart of booking one.
More than once
Field Day has used several London sites. Do not assume this year matches last year.
Considerably
East, south and north London are not equivalent from Kent. It affects time and fare.
Entirely
Different parks, different closures, different sensible collection points.
Not the festival name
Tell us what it says and everything else follows.
Kent to a London park
Indicative times, and they vary substantially by which site the festival is using.
| Pick-up area | South London site | North or east London site |
|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 30–55 min | 50–85 min |
| Bexleyheath & Welling | 35–60 min | 50–85 min |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 40–70 min | 50–85 min |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 45–75 min | 65–100 min |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 50–80 min | 60–95 min |
| Rochester & Chatham | 60–90 min | 70–105 min |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 60–95 min | 75–110 min |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 85–125 min | 100–140 min |
How a London day festival runs
Common to Field Day and the other one-day events we cover, whatever the site.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| Late morning to midday | Gates open. Very few people arrive at opening |
| Early afternoon | The site fills properly |
| Through the afternoon | Multiple stages, and the crowd moves between them |
| Around 22:00 to 22:30 | Curfew. London parks have strict licensing hours |
| Then everyone leaves at once | Which is the whole transport problem |
| We collect from an agreed point | Back from the park gates, on a road that moves |
Planning a Field Day
Send us the venue, then the date
We cannot quote a London day festival properly without knowing which park it is in, and with Field Day in particular that is not something we can safely assume. Your ticket or the festival's own site will say. Once we have it, everything else, the timing, the fare and the collection point, follows straightforwardly.
Park curfews are strict and they are kept
London parks operate under licensing conditions with hard finish times, usually around ten or half past. That is genuinely useful for planning, because unlike a fight night or a Test match you know when it ends. It also means the entire crowd leaves within about twenty minutes, which is why the collection point needs to be agreed rather than improvised.
The exit is a concert exit, not a festival exit
There is no camping and no gradual drift home. Twenty or thirty thousand people leave a park through a handful of gates onto residential streets, all at once, at half past ten at night. We hold back from the gates where traffic is moving, which is usually a ten to fifteen minute walk and considerably faster than anything closer would be.
It is a long day on your feet
Ten hours or so, largely standing, outdoors, in whatever the weather does. Sensible footwear matters more than people plan for, and a bag for anything muddy is worth having if the forecast is poor. Beyond that, a day festival is one of the easier things we run.
Field Day questions
Venues, curfews and getting out.
Where is Field Day held?
It has used several different London sites over the years and has moved more than once. Check the venue on your ticket rather than assuming it matches a previous year.
Why do you need the venue before quoting?
Because east, south and north London are not equivalent journeys from Kent. The site changes the travel time, the fare and the sensible collection point.
What time does it finish?
Usually around ten or half past. London parks operate under licensing conditions with hard curfews, which at least makes the finish predictable.
Where do you collect?
Back from the park gates on a road that is moving, usually a ten to fifteen minute walk. Everyone leaves within about twenty minutes of the curfew.
Is there camping?
No. These are one-day events in city parks, so everyone travels home the same night, which is exactly why the exit is concentrated.
How long is the day?
Around ten hours if you arrive early, largely standing and outdoors. Sensible footwear matters more than most people plan for.
Can you take a large group?
Yes, up to forty-nine seats in one vehicle and larger parties run as one booking across several.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking once we know the venue, and unaffected by the traffic leaving afterwards.
London day festivals
The one-day park events.