Boston Manor Park · Brentford · London TW8 · June · Techno
Junction 2: the far side of London
Junction 2 takes place in Boston Manor Park at Brentford, beside the elevated section of the M4 that gives the festival its name. Musically it is one of the best things London puts on. Geographically it is the furthest festival from Kent on this entire site.
West London, the far side of the city from us, and a good hour further than the Brockwell and Peckham sites. It is the one London festival where the journey genuinely needs planning rather than just booking.
Where it sits against the other London festivals
From north Kent, on a normal festival day.
SE22
25 to 50 minutes. The closest.
SE24
30 to 55 minutes.
SW4
35 to 65 minutes.
TW8
70 to 110 minutes, and worse on a Friday.
Kent to Brentford
Across or around London to the far west. There is no quick version of this journey.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Festival day journey |
|---|---|---|
| Bromley & Orpington | 24 miles | 70–105 min |
| Bexleyheath & Welling | 27 miles | 75–110 min |
| Sidcup & Bexley | 26 miles | 75–110 min |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 35 miles | 80–115 min |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 34 miles | 85–120 min |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 39 miles | 90–130 min |
| Rochester & Chatham | 48 miles | 100–140 min |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 48 miles | 100–145 min |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 72 miles | 125–170 min |
A park under a flyover
An unusual setting, and one that genuinely affects the day.
| Feature | Note |
|---|---|
| The elevated M4 | Runs alongside, and gives the festival its name and its look |
| Stages under the structure | Which is part of the appeal, and provides some cover |
| Parkland otherwise | Grass, and the usual consequences if it rains |
| Residential Brentford | Terraced streets around, with the usual controls |
| We collect back from the park | On a road that moves. Ten to fifteen minutes' walk |
Getting to Junction 2
Leave earlier than for any other London festival
This is the practical heart of it. Junction 2 is an hour further from Kent than the south London sites, and on a Friday afternoon the routes west are the worst in the city. A group leaving at the time that would work for Brockwell Park will arrive at Boston Manor considerably later than they intended. We plan the departure accordingly and the fixed fare absorbs whatever the traffic does.
The setting is genuinely the draw
Stages set under and beside an elevated motorway is not a gimmick, it is a striking thing to stand in, and the sound under the structure is part of why people who go once keep going back. Worth knowing before the journey, because on paper an extra hour each way to west London takes some justifying.
Some cover, if the weather turns
Unusually for a park festival, the elevated section provides genuine shelter for part of the site, which is more than can be said for Brockwell or Clapham Common. It does not make it an indoor event and it does mean a wet day here is more survivable than at the other London festivals.
The exit is the same problem, further from home
Curfew, everyone out at once, residential streets, and then the whole journey back across London at the end of it. We hold back from the park on a road that is moving and set the return knowing it is a longer run home than any other festival on this list. It is one of the stronger cases for a booked vehicle rather than a night on the tube.
Junction 2 questions
West London, and the journey there.
Where is Junction 2 held?
Boston Manor Park in Brentford, TW8, beside the elevated section of the M4 that gives the festival its name.
Is it far from Kent?
It is the furthest London festival on our site, around seventy minutes to nearly three hours depending on where you start, which is roughly an hour more than the south London sites.
Why does it take so long?
Because Brentford is on the far side of London from Kent, and the routes west are the busiest in the city, particularly on a Friday afternoon.
What time should we leave?
Earlier than you would for Brockwell Park or Peckham. We plan the departure for the real journey time and the fixed fare absorbs the traffic.
Is there any cover if it rains?
Some, unusually for a park festival. The elevated motorway shelters part of the site, which makes a wet day more survivable than at the other London festivals.
Where do you collect?
Back from the park on a road that is moving, ten to fifteen minutes' walk. Brentford is residential around the site with the usual controls.
Is it worth the extra journey?
People who go once tend to keep going back. Stages set under and beside the flyover are a genuinely striking thing to stand in.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking and unaffected by traffic on the way out or the way back.
London day festivals
From the closest to the furthest.