Local residents groups and councillors have condemned a proposal to hold a K-pop festival in Southwark Park that could mean closing off part of the park for more than two weeks each year.
The Southwark Park Association 1869 said the proposed MIK K-pop (Korean pop music) festival on the weekend of July 30-31 would be the start of “a slippery slope” because the organisers are looking for “a permanent home” for an annual event, which would host up to 15,000 people.
Organisers Proud Events were previously given a licence for the festival by Southwark Council last year, before Covid-19 forced them to postpone. The council has been running a consultation for a festival this summer over the past month.
The festival would take place on the cricket pitch in the southern part of the park, bounded by the cafe and gallery to the north, and the athletics track to the south.
Martin Kovats, who runs the Southwark Park Cricket Club, said: “SPCC is concerned about the festival damaging the already poor condition of the outfield and could damage the artificial wicket. We may have to reschedule matches and coaching sessions.
“The Park and the Oval need investment and money raised by the festival should go into improving park facilities.”
The building would start on the morning of July 20 and the dismantling process would finish in the evening of August 5 – meaning disruption to the usual functioning of the park over more than two weeks in total.
Proud Events said they had “committed to look at” a building plan that would reduce disruption by setting up the perimeter of the festival space later than normal.
The organisers said they wanted to hold the event – which they said would be Europe’s first outdoor K-pop festival – in Southwark Park because of the area’s young, diverse population and good transport links.
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Liberal Democrat councillors Hamish McCallum and Eliza Mann, who represent the local north Bermondsey ward, said they were concerned about a public space being used for a private, paid-for event.
They said in a written statement: “Southwark Park is a public space and we have concerns about the park being used for private purposes. In particular, shutting off a significant portion of the park for 17 days in the summer for a two-day event seems excessive.
“This is of particular concern in an area where a significant number of households have no access to a private garden and use the park as a precious shared green space.
“Secondly, we have concerns about the impact of the event itself and the risk of disruption to local residents through noise, litter, increased footfall and possible anti-social behaviour.”
The festival would run from midday to 9.15pm on both days, and there would be no alcohol served on site. Organisers said they would try to minimise noise pollution. They added that they would set up a “Southwark Park community fund” to give money to local groups, although they did not provide any more details or respond to a request for further comment. Discounted tickets to the festival would apparently be available to local residents.
The plans come as the News reported that Southwark Council has taken away the funding it gives for the Bermondsey Carnival, a longstanding community event organised by and for local people.
Southwark Council did not comment.