Peckham's GALA Festival 10th Anniversary
Transforming from a modest South London gathering into an internationally recognised celebration of electronic music and grassroots culture.
GALA festival began in 2016 as a 3,000-capacity event in Brockwell Park, focusing on the soulful roots of house music and early club culture.
Organised by Giles Napier and Jonathan Edwards and inspired by the intimacy of European festivals, GALA was conceived as an alternative to the increasingly commercial UK festival circuit.
Nine years later, the event’s core ethos: community, independence, and underground sound has remained intact.
Since moving to Peckham Rye Park in 2018, GALA has expanded its programming to include techno, disco, jazz, and jungle, attracting artists such as MIKA, Honey Dijon, Motor City Drum Ensemble, and Palms Trax. Its reputation has grown steadily, positioning it as a staple of London’s summer festival calendar.
The organisers credit a community-first approach, strong ties with local authorities, and a willingness to reinvest in the surrounding area.
“Our priority has always been to build something meaningful, not just bigger,” said GALA co-founder Jonathan Edwards. “We want to support artists, involve young people, and keep the festival rooted in its surroundings.”
That philosophy has shaped the team’s wider ambitions. In 2023, they launched RALLY Festival in Southwark Park, a sister event focused on multidisciplinary performance spanning spoken word, live bands, and electronic acts.
Now, plans are under way for a GALA record label to spotlight emerging talent, fund studio time for local artists, and capture performances from the festival’s stages.
The expansion comes at a volatile time for the UK’s festival sector. In Brockwell Park, events like Field Day, Mighty Hoopla, and Wide Awake have faced significant licensing hurdles and resistance from local residents. Rising operational costs and shifting audience habits have added further pressure across the board.
Friends of Peckham Rye Park, a community group dedicated to protecting the park shared concerns ahead of the festival.
“The footprint of the festival has been enlarged, encroaching further south east of the site. Another new significant area of grass could be churned up and damaged. The Friends are advocating to ensure the park is left in better condition this year.”
The festival has tried to mitigate potential environmental damage. In their yearly Sustainability Report GALA shared: “In 2019 we invested in an ecologic impact assessment in the park to survey bat and nesting bird activity so that we could mitigate any adverse impacts.” Since 2024 the festival has commissioned environmental surveys both before and after each event.
As well as this, they are working with Southwark council and their Parks team to “implement environmental protection plans such as a tree protection plan” according to their 2024 Sustainability Report.
The council has also shared that: “After the event, the park will undergo a full clean-up and inspection to ensure it is fully restored.”
Councillor Portia Mwangangye, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Parks and Young People, said: “These are important issues, and we’ve worked closely with organisers to minimise disruption. A professional waste team is in place throughout the event, and a specialist noise consultant is monitoring sound levels to ensure they stay within agreed limits.”
“As with all major events in our parks, we do our best to involve the local community in the process. This included a 28 day public consultation reaching over 5,000 households and a wide range of local groups.”
Against this backdrop, GALA’s success is a rare bright spot. Its long-term approach blending careful curation with sustained community engagement has allowed it not only to weather the sector’s challenges, but to grow in both scale and stature.
Over 1,000 free or subsidised tickets were distributed to local residents this year via a bursary scheme. Food vendors from neighbourhood spots like Peckham’s Made of Dough and Brixton's Kricket remain fixtures, and a portion of ticket proceeds supports youth music programmes in Lambeth. The festival has also run mental health initiatives, school workshops, and pre-event park clean-ups.
This year’s biggest development, however, was GALA’s international debut. To mark its tenth anniversary, the festival embarked on a global tour, bringing its signature blend of club culture and community to new audiences.
In Tokyo, it partnered with Japan’s Rainbow Disco Club for a collaborative event featuring both local and international artists. In São Paulo, the team will join forces with Brazilian venue Ephigenia to host a night that pairs homegrown talent with GALA regulars.
GALA over the years
2016
First year
GALA Festival debuted as a one-day event in Brockwell Park, South London with approximately 3,000 attendees.
2017
Building momentum
A new stage called the Pleasuredome opened, where Horse Meat Disco first closed the festival (and has continued to every year since).
2018
Relocation
The festival moved to Peckham Rye Park to accommodate larger crowds, with approximately 10,000 attendees.
2019
Stage expansion
GALA introduced a fourth stage to include genres beyond house and disco like jazz and afrobeats.
2020
Pandemic induced hiatus
As with other events, GALA had to be put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
2021
Double the fun: Fifth anniversary
The festival grew to become a two-day event for the first time. The festival also collaborated with Peckham Platform Youth initiative to create an art installation exploring themes of community and mental health.
2022
Permanent residency at Peckham
Southwark Council granted GALA a permanent home at Peckham Rye Park. The festival reported they indirectly generated over £2M across the three day event.
2023
Launch of RALLY
GALA's sister festival RALLY was launched in Southwark Park with a focus on spoken word, live bands, and electronic performances.
2024
Continued community engagement
Since 2021, GALA raised £37,626 for a local charity: Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers
2025: 10th anniversary and global tour
GALA's world tour started in Newcastle and is continuing throughout the year. 30,000 attendees went to the festival in Peckham Rye Park on May bank holiday weekend.
Taken by Frankie Casillo, Copyright GALA festival.
GALA goers speaking about the festival, filmed by Elizabeth Little.
GALA goers speaking about the festival, filmed by Elizabeth Little.
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