Spring Bank Holiday absolutely delivered this year. Monday 25th May became the hottest Spring Bank Holiday on record in the UK, with temperatures hitting 34.8°C at Kew Gardens in London. An outrageous weekend of sunshine. Some people said it was too hot – I’m definitely not one of those people.

With so many festivals across the weekend, I decided not to put all my eggs in one basket. Instead: three festivals, three days, three very different vibes.

I used to hate day festivals. Too much effort, too much faff, too little time actually listening to music. The logistics alone – transport, meeting friends, getting home – felt harder than the festival itself. But I’ve finally embraced the one-day format. The golden rule? Aim to get there when doors open. Midday means 2pm in real life anyway. Someone’s late, someone wants food, someone disappears for a pint. It’s inevitable.

Getting there early also means catching emerging artists before the main-stage crowds arrive. Unfortunately, this year I missed plenty of those sets thanks to the usual combination of the above…

Friday: Boa Nova Festival

Friday kicked off locally for me with a Brazilian explosion at Boa Nova Festival in Leyton Jubilee Park – billed as London’s first Brazilian festival and curated by the Columbo Group, the team behind Jazz Cafe. The line-up focused entirely on Brazilian artists, giving the festival a clear identity from the outset.

I didn’t know many of the acts going in, but DJ Patife was a huge draw for me. I lived through that mid-90s Brazilian drum & bass era – even warming up for him on stage once – so catching him again felt full circle. The pioneer delivered a heavyweight set packed with classics, including his iconic remix of Fernanda Porto’s “Sambassim”, still one of the defining tracks of Brazilian DnB.

Elsewhere, award-winning Black trans artist Liniker pulled one of the weekend’s most diverse crowds with an effortlessly soulful performance that balanced intimacy with star power.

But the real energy came from the Baile Funk takeover. DJs Caio Prince, TH4YS, BRONKA transformed the park into full Rio favela chaos, backed by X-rated dancers and relentless bass-heavy rhythms. It felt sweaty, raw and genuinely different from the standard London festival template.

Boa Nova is still a festival finding its feet – understandable for a debut edition – but that was part of its charm. With artists like João Gomes and Mari Froes on the bill, and the festival forming part of a year-long cultural exchange organised by the British Council and Brazil’s Instituto Guimarães Rosa, hopefully it returns next year to bring even more Latin flavour to the capital.

Saturday: Field Day

Saturday was Field Day at Brockwell Park – a festival that’s been running for nearly 20 years and has seen plenty of evolution along the way. It originally leaned more towards indie and live bands, with past headliners including Mogwai, Florence + The Machine, Foals and Franz Ferdinand, alongside more diverse artists like Erykah Badu, Loyle Carner, Thundercat, Skepta, Jungle and Metronomy.

It’s always had a strong live identity, but around 2020 the focus shifted more heavily towards DJs and electronic music, with Eat Your Own Ears stepping away from the programming.

This was probably my 10th time at Field Day, and we arrived just in time for one of my favourites – Horse Meat Disco. The Vauxhall disco dons delivered their usual uplifting, all-inclusive party energy, with Jim Stanton on form and laying down the disco law. Unfortunately, The Green (tent) felt like it should have been renamed “The Greenhouse” given the heat, so we didn’t linger too long.

We drifted across the main stage as Swimming Paul was playing, where he dropped “Pump Up The Jam” by Salt-N-Pepa – a moment that made the decision to keep moving an easy one.

We were keen to catch DJ Zinc at the Bossman stage, but with a 100-capacity space and 30-minute+ queues in blazing sun, it didn’t feel worth burning energy waiting while the rest of the festival was in full swing. Red Bull’s Energy Zone, however, was absolutely popping all day – jump-up DnB at full volume for anyone who wanted it. This became a staple for us, consistently delivering the musical goods alongside a very welcome free can or two of ice-cold Citrus Zest.

The main focus for me was Interplanetary Criminal, now firmly in contention for heavyweight title in the UKG scene. A true party starter, he’s famously known for dropping “We Like to Party” by the Vengaboys in his sets. On the main stage he delivered a run of pure, high-energy UKG bangers, including his own “Contact”, which summed up the set perfectly – bass-driven, euphoric energy and a proper festival weapon that set Brockwell Park on fire, almost literally.

We then geared up for Andy C, headlining The Grove with the promise of a pure jungle set. He certainly delivered on energy and impact, but it leaned more towards a broader, mainstream DnB set than pure jungle for the heads – still enjoyable, but more crossover than cutting-edge selector session, with tracks like the La Roux “In For The Kill” DnB remix slipping into the mix.

The day got away from us and it was over before it had really even begun. Then again, it was straight into Cross The Tracks at the same location the following day – so conserving energy, rehydrating and pacing ourselves quickly became the objective.

Sunday: Cross The Tracks

It was now Sunday, 16:00, and we were poised on the main stage at Cross The Tracks Festival to watch Californian band WAR, who made their name in the 1970s. You’ll know their classics “Low Rider”, “Why Can’t We Be Friends” and “The World Is a Ghetto”. It was the perfect way to ease into the Sunday session.

We then strolled over to catch Tottenham native Reek0, who delivered his distinctive crossover style – a uniquely London take on MCing that threads through UKG, jungle and grime. One of those “in-the-know” artists, he brought a very specific London energy to the stage and, alongside the Brighter Days crew, helped shape the Caboose stage for the rest of the day.

Fabio and Grooverider with The Outlook Orchestra followed, bringing a full orchestral DnB rework to the weekend. A set spanning the eras, featuring live vocalists including Jenna G performing “In Love” by Chase & Status and Kele Le Roc singing “My Love”, gave heavyweight emotional depth to this unique orchestral performance.

Joy Crookes delivered a soulful blend of neo-soul, R&B, jazz and pop on the main stage. It was a real crowd moment with half the audience singing along to tracks like “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now”. Dressed in a Grace Jones-inspired look, she felt like the perfect warm-up for headliner Little Simz.

Simz is a true British icon and one of the most important artists of her generation, standing comfortably alongside names like Stormzy, Skepta and Kano. She delivered a masterclass, moving through tracks from “101 FM” to “Young”, with Obongjayar – who also played earlier in the day – joining her on stage for “Point and Kill” and “Lion”.

It was a triumphant end to another glorious Cross The Tracks festival, billed as London’s number one jazz, funk and soul celebration.

One thing was impossible to ignore across the Bank Holiday weekend: the sheer number of football shirts. Little Simz unzipped her top to reveal an Arsenal shirt, and Joy Crookes was also seen wearing hers backstage, with other artists also referencing the Gunners.

Friday was awash with Brazil shirts, Sunday brought out Spurs and West Ham colours in equal measure, due to their relegation battle, while the weekend as a whole was dominated by Arsenal fans fresh from their title win.

Football naturally divides opinion — there are those who love it, and those who simply don’t. Of course, football culture carries more complicated associations too, from sectarianism to hooliganism to politics such as “Operation Raise the Colours”. But what stood out over the weekend was something else entirely.

Football became an instant connector. Strangers acknowledged each other through shirts alone, trading friendly banter and conversation that might not have happened otherwise. What some see as divisive actually felt unifying – a form of identity and pride, without prejudice, that helped people connect across three very different festivals.

One thing is clear in my mind: music and football both have the power to connect people in a country that often feels divided. Festivals like these restore your faith in humanity – the coming together of strangers from all backgrounds to dance to one beat.

I already have next year’s dates firmly in the diary – I just wish every weekend could be a Bank Holiday like this.

Words by Woody Anderson

Boa Nova photography Ben McQuaide

Field Day photography Luke Dyson

Cross The Tracks photography Luke Dyson and Khali Ackford

Header image Garry Jones