‘I went to the UK’s most underrated festival and was amazed by what I what I saw’

London’s Cross the Tracks Festival is not talked out enough.

The annual music event is held in the capital at Brockwell Park and highlights the very best jazz, funk, soul and hip hop artists of the moment, from fresh faced newcomers to timeless legends and everyone in between, and I the event deserves way more recognition.

On a sunny bank holiday Sunday I ventured down to check out this year’s event bursting with amazing talent, including Michael Kiwanuka, Ezra Collective, Jordan Rakei, Free Nationals and Cymande just to name a few.

If you can, I’d highly recommend getting there a little later in the day as we breezed straight through security without waiting a second.

I could see that wasn’t the case for the early birds, as evidenced by the security barriers that snaked round the neighbouring roads to manage the queues approaching the festival entrance.

Once inside, Cross the Tracks has everything you could possibly need for a day of fun in the sun – food, booze, rides and of course, good music.

First port of call was the bar and once suitably double parked, it time to for us to get to work.

We bopped from stage to stage as the hours passed, soaking up disco vibes at one before grooving the afternoon away at another.

Our standout favourite by far was the Red Bull stage, which pumped out tune after tune after tune all day long.

The unique Red Bull Selector initiative kept things fresh as festival goers were encouraged to make requests and contribute to the experience, playing on the usual “no requests rule” that we’ve definitely all cheekily tested more than once.

The stage was crafted from shipping containers that made the place feel like a fairground fun house, decorated with retro TVs, barrels and of course a Red Bull bar.

The brand sponsors Cross the Tracks and helps support emerging talent by placing them among a lineup of established artists, helping organically create a fanbase as attendees stumble across their sets.

After a solid few hours of dancing, we took a break and headed over to the waltzers (the best ride ever and it’s not up for debate) before taking a break on one of the many picnic benches scattered around the park.

As we munched on our mid-day snacks – I opted for chips, simple yet classic – we took a moment to point out how well-kept the festival site looked. From where we were sat there wasn’t a piece of litter in sight, which makes a change and is a true testament to the Cross the Tracks crowd.

We rounded off our day with a visit to the main stage and danced until our feet hurt, then danced a little more.

Everyone around us was smiling, hugging and clearly enjoying the music under the London sun with good vibes all round.

What a perfect way to kick off the summer – if Cross the Tracks sounds like your kind of thing, make sure to keep an eye out for 2026 tickets and check out more at their website, link here.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk