It’s not something I knew much about before moving to the UK but I am lowkey fascinated by this event which is about the geographical scale of Burning Man with twice as many people (~200k), with similar DIY/anticommercial roots — it’s now consumerist to be sure, but the main sponsors are like Greenpeace and Oxfam — and a fascinating balance of major pop/indie acts during the day and drugged-out rave energy overnight. Meanwhile, nearly every DJ in Dalston evacuates the city to play on a side stage / secret bar somewhere and the BBC broadcasts from multiple arenas all weekend long like it’s the freakin’ songwriting/performance Olympics
