LIDO Cancels Two Out of Three Days, Impacting London’s Festival Scene
Trending on Billboard
The LIDO festival in London has canceled two of its three scheduled days, marking a significant setback for the city’s music scene.
The announcement on Thursday, April 9, follows the recent cancellation of Wireless Festival, which was scrapped after Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was barred from entering the U.K. on April 7. The Home Office cited his past antisemitic and pro-Nazi remarks as reasons for the ban, stating that his presence was “not in the public good.” This decision came amid substantial criticism from politicians and sponsors who withdrew from the event.
Originally set for June 12-14 at Victoria Park, the LIDO festival announced through its social media channels that the days featuring headliners CMAT and Bombay Bicycle Club would be canceled. However, the day headlined by Maribou State has been rescheduled for August 31.
The festival cited the need to “protect park ground conditions” as the reason for the cancellation. Victoria Park also hosted LIDO and All Points East in 2025, the latter of which faced significant “dust issues” during last summer’s drought.
“Protecting the condition of Victoria Park is of paramount importance to LIDO and to London Borough of Tower Hamlets,” the festival stated, adding that an extensive reseeding and improvement program is underway.
Interestingly, this past winter was one of the wettest in recorded history in the U.K., prompting advisors to recommend allowing more time before commencing the festival program. The park remains open to local residents, and the festival emphasized that the cancellation is intended to safeguard the improvements made for community benefit throughout the spring and early summer.
CMAT was scheduled to perform on June 12 alongside Father John Misty and Sharon Van Etten, while Bombay Bicycle Club and Metronomy were set to take the stage on June 14. As neither performance can be rescheduled, both have been officially canceled, with full refunds offered to ticket holders.
Victoria Park will still host the All Points East festival in August, with notable headliners including Tyler, The Creator, Deftones, Lorde, and Twenty One Pilots.
The full statement from LIDO can be viewed below.
