LIDO Festival rescheduled and some shows cancelled for 2026 to ‘protect park ground conditions’
A Maribou State show will now take place in August, with CMAT and Bombay Bicycle Club's gigs cancelled.
London’s LIDO Festival has rescheduled its 2026 edition from June to August to “protect park ground conditions” in its home of Victoria Park.
The festival, which launched last year and won The Festival Award at the Rolling Stone UK Awards, will now take place at the end of the summer, with a date headlined by Maribou State now set for August 31.
Shows from CMAT and Bombay Bicycle Club have been cancelled altogether. The festival said: “Any changes are in no way the fault of the artists or London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH), all of whom have been fully supportive.
“Protecting the condition of Victoria Park is of paramount importance to LIDO and to LBTH. Last summer’s drought led to well‑reported dust issues, but the extensive reseeding and improvement programme delivered by AEG has been highly successful, and the park is now in great condition for everyday community use, unhindered and fully open to local residents and visitors to LBTH.
“Following one of the wettest winters in recent history, our advisors recommended giving these newly improved areas a little more time before starting the festival programme. This ensures the progress made is protected and continues to benefit the community throughout the spring and early summer.”
LIDO continued: “This decision was made solely by the event organisers, and LBTH has permitted the change to ensure the outcome best supports park users and the wider community. There is no impact on LBTH, and all financial commitments and AEG’s support for community programmes in the borough remain fully protected. LBTH has also confirmed that this adjustment allows LIDO organisers to continue to deliver proposed capital investment for Victoria Park.”
In an investigation last year, Rolling Stone UK spoke to festival organisers and campaign groups around the use of public parks in London for live music events, and the impact of climate change on the future of events.
“The events have become too big and unsustainable for this sized park,” Protect Brockwell Park spokesperson Jen Hawkins told Rolling Stone UK. “I think that’s the ultimate problem. They’ve now got to a scale which just doesn’t work for both the local public and for nature.”