Gunnersbury Park's 'Summer of Sound' in Jeopardy
Lenny Kravitz concert moved along with Waterworks Festival
Waterworks Festival (left) and Lenny Kravitz (right) won't be coming to west London this year
May 12, 2026
Two major music events planned to take place in Gunnersbury Park this year have been relocated.
The "Summer of Sound" at Gunnersbury Park is looking increasingly in jeopardy as rock legend Lenny Kravitz becomes the latest high-profile act to abandon the site. His show, scheduled for 15 August, has been officially relocated to Crystal Palace Bowl with ticket holders being offered full refunds if they were unable to attend at the new venue. This will be his only performance in the UK this year and was originally seen as a major coup for the park.
The move comes just days after the organizers of the Waterworks Festival, due to take place in Gunnersbury Park on Saturday 12 September & Sunday 13 September, announced that licensing issues had forced them to cancel the planned event in West London and instead hold a"36-hour marathon" event at The Cause in Docklands.
The organisers of the Lenny Kravitz concert have not issued a statement explicitly blaming delays in permissions being granted by the council.
The Waterworks team issued a statement saying, "It is with real sadness that we announce this year's festival cannot take place in Gunnersbury Park, as the park has not yet been provided with the necessary planning permission to operate on the relevant dates in 2026."
The statement went on to detail the impossible position promoters currently face:
"The event would be uninsurable due to the lack of confirmed planning permission. Ethically, we are not prepared to risk not being able to pay our staff, artists, and suppliers... Morally, we are not prepared to risk being unable to afford to refund ticket holders."
It is understood that planning permission has been delayed due to a licence review and the suspension of the application process during the election period.
The report that was issued as part of the Gunnersbury Park licence review process stated that the police had reported no significant crime or disorder associated with Waterworks and no spikes in thefts, assaults, or drug-related incidents during previous festivals it hosted in the park. The council’s environmental health team said that Waterworks had not breached noise limits and had generated fewer complaints than other large commercial concerts and it was noted that Waterworks had a good compliance record and had been responsive to feedback.
The Gunnersbury Estate CIC, which manages the park, applied last year for a 10-year blanket planning consent (P/2025/3274) to host up to 28 days of live music annually. However, this metwith fierce opposition from local residents groups such as Gunnersbury Heritage and the Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate Residents' Association. The CIC argued that large scale live music events are "vital" to fund the upkeep of the Grade II* listed park and museum.
The residents’ groups cited a 1926 covenant reserving the park for "recreation and community use" and have reported a "near-terminal breakdown in trust" due to noise, litter, and the park being closed for setup for over 100 days.
Now the only large scale music event currently shown on the Gunnersbury Park web site as taking place this year is the Soho House festival on 2 July.
It is not known how much the CIC stood to earn from the two cancelled events or if it will be required to write off the costs of preparing to host them, but it is believed that the overall impact will be severe.
The CIC has not responded to a request for comment.
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