Live Review: Mighty Hoopla 2026 – 30th – 31st May 2026, Brockwell Park, London, UK

For one weekend every summer, Brockwell Park turns into something completely different.

The outside world carries on as normal just beyond the gates, but step inside Mighty Hoopla and you’re suddenly in a technicolour pop fantasy where glitter is basically the dress code, sequins are mandatory, and self-expression isn’t just welcomed, but it’s the entire point. Tens of thousands made the pilgrimage once again this year, turning South London into a full-blown celebration of pop music, queer joy and unapologetic fun.

What makes Hoopla stand out in a crowded festival calendar is simple: it knows exactly who it’s for. There are bigger festivals, louder festivals, and festivals with deeper pockets, but very few that understand their audience quite like this one. Every stage, every surprise guest, every singalong moment feels built for people who don’t treat pop as a guilty pleasure, but as the main event.

That sense of community runs through everything. One minute you’re watching a drag performer tear up a packed tent, the next you’re in the middle of a spontaneous dance party where everyone somehow knows every word to a song that should have been forgotten years ago. It’s chaotic in the best possible way, and it works because nobody here is trying to be cool, they’re just trying to have the best time possible.

One thing that really stands out is the atmosphere of the festival, which is unlike anything else. Everyone in attendance is friendly, supportive, accepting and genuinely encouraging of others to live their very best lives over the course of two sunshine-filled, pop-soaked days. The outfits are as spectacular as the performances, and that liberating feeling of being part of something bigger, a movement and a community all at once, is what makes Mighty Hoopla feel so special year after year.

Part of the magic is the variety. Whether you’re here for chart-topping pop royalty, nostalgic throwbacks, dancefloor legends or rising stars, Hoopla has it covered. This year’s line-up was a perfect example, with appearances from Liberty X, Louise, Perrie, Jessie J, Delta Goodrem and MEEK, alongside a welcome return from Australian girl group Bardot, who delivered a proper turn-of-the-millennium flashback with Poison and Never Let You Go.

And that’s before you even get to the wider festival experience. Across the site, spaces like Pleasure Palace, Queertopia and The Birdcage all offered their own little worlds to disappear into, meaning no two people ever really had the same weekend, even if everyone left with the same grin on their face.

Saturday wasted no time setting the tone. From the moment the gates opened, the park was alive with drag performances, pop throwbacks and impromptu dance parties breaking out in every direction.

One of the earliest standouts came from Agnes, who absolutely owned her afternoon slot. Dressed in a striking yellow look that shimmered under the sunshine, she wasted no time turning Brockwell Park into a giant outdoor club. Opening with 24 Hours and Here Comes the Night, she delivered a set packed with confidence, vocals and pure pop energy.

Tracks like Love and Appreciation landed beautifully with the crowd, while newer material such as Balenciaga Covered Eyes showed she’s still evolving without losing that euphoric edge that made her so special in the first place. But it was Release Me that truly blew the roof off, or would have, if there was one. The second those opening notes hit, the entire field erupted into a massive singalong. It was nostalgic, sure, but it also felt completely alive in the moment, one of those festival highlights you could hear across the park.

Over on the Hayu Stage, Appleton leaned fully into nostalgia, reminding everyone why they remain such beloved figures in British pop history. The set had already gone down well, but things went up another level when Heidi Range appeared for a surprise performance of Round Round. The reaction was instant, one of those proper Hoopla moments where the crowd loses it completely.

As the day rolled on, the energy never really dipped. Every corner of the site seemed to be hosting its own party, and by the time evening approached, it was clear Saturday had built towards something big.

That something was Lily Allen, Saturday’s headliner.

Taking to the stage as darkness fell, Allen arrived with a catalogue full of some of the most recognisable British pop songs of the last two decades. There were plenty of moments where things clicked perfectly, the crowd singing every word back, the nostalgia hitting exactly as it should, and reminders of just how sharp her songwriting still is.

That said, the set did occasionally feel a little mismatched with the energy of the day. After hours of non-stop euphoric pop and dancefloor chaos, some of the more reflective moments slowed things down a touch. The crowd stayed with her throughout, but you could feel a slight shift whenever the tempo dipped.

Still, when she leaned into the bigger hits, the atmosphere snapped straight back into life. Those were the moments that reminded everyone why she was closing the night, and why she remains such an important part of UK pop.

Even with that slight ebb and flow, Saturday ended on a high. And honestly, at Hoopla, the party doesn’t really stop when the headliner finishes anyway.

Some of the best moments of the day actually happened away from the main stages. The Bump, in particular, became something of a permanent residence, whether it was the disco brilliance of Horse Meat Disco or the gloriously chaotic energy of Trixie Mattel’s DJ set. It’s the kind of space where you plan to stay for five minutes and end up losing an hour without even noticing.

If Saturday was about momentum, Sunday was about going all in and making the most of the final day, the cooler weather and the remaining iconic pop acts.

Crowds arrived earlier, stayed later, and generally treated the final day like there was no tomorrow. The atmosphere felt bigger, louder and even more unhinged in the best way possible.

One of the most anticipated sets of the afternoon came from Jane McDonald, whose entrance alone was worth the hype. Arriving to Queen of the Night while being paraded in on a colourful nautical-themed float, she immediately turned the main stage into a full-on spectacle. From there, it was pure entertainment from start to finish. McDonald bounced between humour, pop culture references and crowd-pleasing covers with total ease. Her take on RAYE’s WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! got a huge reaction, while a medley of Cher classics, including Believe and If I Could Turn Back Time, basically turned the field into one massive karaoke session.

Later in the afternoon came one of the most emotional moments of the weekend as Five reunited in their original line-up for the first time in over two decades. The reaction said everything, pure noise from start to finish. And they absolutely delivered. Everybody Get Up, Slam Dunk (Da Funk), When the Lights Go Out and Keep On Movin’ all landed like they’d never left the charts. It wasn’t just nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, it genuinely felt like a celebration of a group that helped define late-90s British pop.

As the sun went down, attention turned to the final headline act, Scissor Sisters. And they didn’t disappoint.

From the opening moments, the park basically turned into one giant disco. The set was packed with hits, energy and exactly the kind of over-the-top pop spectacle that Hoopla does so well.

The guest appearances pushed it even further. Belinda Carlisle joined for Heaven Is a Place on Earth, Sir Ian McKellen returned with his spoken-word moment for Invisible Light, and Kelly Osbourne popped up for One Word, creating one of those only-at-Hoopla sequences that felt completely surreal in the best way.

By the time confetti filled the sky and the final notes rang out, Scissor Sisters had done exactly what a headline set should do, send everyone home completely spent, slightly glitter-covered, and already thinking about next year.

From Agnes lighting up Saturday afternoon, to Appleton’s surprise moment with Heidi Range, Jane McDonald’s full theatrical takeover, Five’s emotional reunion and Scissor Sisters closing things out in style, Mighty Hoopla 2026 was packed with standout moments.

But beyond the line-up, what really makes Hoopla special hasn’t changed. It’s still one of the few festivals that feels built entirely around joy, a place where pop music isn’t ironic, it’s celebrated properly, loudly and without apology.

In a festival world that can sometimes take itself too seriously, Mighty Hoopla is a reminder that sometimes the best weekends are the ones where you just let go completely.

And once again, the Mighty Hoopla team absolutely delivered.

Mighty Hoopla returns in 2027 and tickets are on sale now HERE. 

Brendon Veevers

::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.