Kicking off Pride Month, Mighty Hoopla, the biggest and best Queer Pop music festival in the UK, came to an end on a beautiful sunset. Hosted in sunny Brockwell Park, the event capped off an amazing 2024 season of musical acts, fun parties, funny performances in front of a packed audience.

Attracting over 60,000 people over two days to South London, the festival, which fosters a truly open atmosphere and celebrates diversity, keeps growing stronger and stronger with a superb lineup of pop icons, noughties nostalgia, and LGBTI+ excellence. VIPs in attendance of this amazingly fun festival saw the likes of Jonathan Bailey, Cara Delevingne, and Nicolas Coughlan. These were some of the talents seen dancing and enjoying themselves or enjoying a drink in the VIP lounge at Mighty Hoopla this year.

Speaking of the weekend, organisers Glyn Fussell and Jamie Tagg said: “HOOPLA – we did it! 2024 done and wasn’t it EVERYTHING? Thank you so much to the best community there is – the Hoopla crowd never fails to amaze us with the impeccable energy you guys bring – big fun, big kindness and a never-failing culture of inclusivity and acceptance that brings us all so brilliantly together as one. Thanks to all of our performers, our partners, plus of course everyone behind the scenes who worked so hard to prepare the site this week”.

Serving as a forum for LGBTQI+ empowerment, the festival aims to attract a diverse range of musical acts. The greatest festival is back, bigger and better each year. This year’s partners included Brew Dog, the art’otel in Hoxton and hoste multiple food trucks and amazing shops.

Sunday headliner Jessie Ware delivered an amazing performance with favourites such as “That! Feels Good,” “Spotlight,” and a grand finale with “Free Yourself!” where she celebrated diversity and LGBTI+ identities on stage. Bringing out the legendary Beth Ditto from Gossip, for a wild performance of hit song from the 2000s, “Standing in the Way of Control,” followed by a stomping rendition of the Cher classic, “Believe”, Ware brought so much fun to the Mighty public.

Fast-rising Ouija-pop star Bambie Thug, fresh from their Eurovision triumph, also took to the stage to play a spellbinding set which included anthems ‘Doomsday Blue’ and ‘Tsunami’. The self-proclaimed “inventor of gay-pop” Jojo Siwa performed the first ever UK festival performance of her iconic single ‘Karma’ and stunned everyone in attendance. The Main Stage also saw phenomenal sets from Cat Burns, The Veronicas, and Beth McCarthy. Another highlight of the festival was Alison Goldfrapp’s. Her set on the main stage was iconic (Number One, Ride a White Horse and Rocket!). With remarkable costumes and fabulous stage presence, Goldfrapp sang hit songs after hit songs making for one of the best acts of the weekend.

Nelly Furtado was at the top of the line-up on Saturday night for her unique performance in the UK. The Portuguese-Canadian superstar dazzled the audience with a stunning performance of favourites from her career, starting with the iconic 2000s hit “Say It Right” and moving on to beloved pop hits “Maneater,” “Give it to Me,” and “Promiscuous Girl.” She is definitely back and her glamorous outfits, impeccable voice and dancing songs brought Mighty Hoopla to new heights.

Alesha Dixon wowed the crowd with her surprise appearance on the Main Stage for an electrifying eight-minute set. Her high-energy medley included fan-favourites “The Boy Does Nothing” and Mis-Teeq classic “Scandalous” and “All I Want” before finishing with new single “Ransom”. The main stage also saw sensational sets from the first lady of Ruff Ryder Eve, R&B legends En Vogue and pop princess Rebecca Black. 

Staying true to Mighty Hoopla’s grassroots origins, the festivals uplift Queer artists and voices while also supporting numerous charities via their community fund and their primary charity partners, Not A Phase, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders), and Gig Buddies. Queertopia, a newly designed stage featuring the best and emerging stars in the gay space, was a proud addition to the 2024 edition.

With a solid line-up of UK and international stars, fun crowd, amazing sponsors and locations, Mighty Hoopla remains the best festival London has to offer with inclusivity, love and Queer acceptance at its centre.

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Images: Mighty Hoopla 2024, Luke Dyson.