05/11/2025
Bank Holiday Monday 26 May, we ventured back again to Brockwell Park for the fourth, and final, day of the Brockwell Park festival marathon!
Today it was City Splash that brought us here for a smorgasbord of black music, with Soca, Dancehall, Reggae, Afrobeats, Amapiano, and many more genres on offer. Over 30,000 people were in attendance at City Splash, with many donning flags and colours of their nations, it felt like a beautiful painting of the cultural melting point of the Black British diaspora.
After walking in, it wasn’t just the swirl of colours and cultural representation that hit, there were a ton of stalls that offered a range of goods such as clothing, jewellery, handbags and art representing different sections of the Afro-Caribbean culture and then there were the smells…oooh the sweet, sweet smells of food that you just know to expect when you go to any Afro-Caribbean event – most notably the smoky jerk smell that just makes my mouth water!
With more than 60 food stalls, the majority of which were black-owned, more than enough was on offer to stave off hungry bellies, and yet again Morley’s were backstage in the artist area whetting the appetite for future more public festival collaborations – Bossman told me they’re working on it!
The weather was a bit stop and start, with intermittent rain between bouts of tropical heat but during those bouts of rain, the music brought the sunshine as joyous Reggae and Soca music filled the air and transported our minds to the Caribbean islands while our bodies danced in the rain.
The music brought us so much joy and fun, we swayed and sang along to reggae legend Tarrus Riley along with my mum and aunt who also attended, showing the variety in ages at the festival, before heading over to catch some of another legend on a different end of the spectrum, Ms Dynamite, who brought back memories of my nights out with fake I.D skanking out to bangers like ‘Envy’ and ‘ ‘Boo!’.
Alongside the artists we had DJs like Seani B and current man of the hour, DJ AG spinning tunes, but it was Queen of Dancehall, Spice who stole the show in a glittery blue one-piece. Spice belted out hits like ‘So Mi Like It’ and ‘Sheet’ before bringing out a bed and inviting members on stage for a sultry show that saw many keen volunteers.
Then we have the headliner – Popcaan. His much-anticipated set was a fun ride once it got started but he arrived nearly an hour late and ended up being cut short abruptly due to curfew, which left a sour taste and meant a somewhat sad end to a fun and vibrant event.
Looking across the day, City Splash proved to be more than just song and dance. There was a lot on offer, with passionate activism, education, and community spirit wrapped in music and food. We saw the Rastafari Reasoning Corner and panel sessions offering reflection, Rise Up showcasing emerging Caribbean artists and Black Eats LDN providing a raft of black-owned food and arts stalls, it really was a beautiful expression of culture and community which there is clearly high demand for given the fact that we saw the busiest crowds at any of the Brockwell Park festivals that weekend.
I also have to, again, mention the difficulties that the festivals at Brockwell Park faced from locals this year and I found it somewhat interesting that the festival that had the highest concentration of black attendees was the day that we saw people roaming around the outside of the festival with handheld devices measuring sound levels - a subtle but telling reminder of the scrutiny City Splash and other black-led events continue to face.
Overall, City Splash 2025 was an electrifying tapestry of sound, culture, and unity. From Afrobeats to Soca, food to fashion, and community to stagecraft, we were spoilt, and despite the debacle of Popcaan turning up late and having the lights turned off, it delivered a rich, sensory celebration of Black identity right in the heart of London.