GALA is putting on a show for its tenth birthday

Peckham Rye Park. Ear defenders. Trees inside glass boxes? You guessed it, it’s GALA Festival. And this year is a very special one because it’s their tenth birthday. In the same way that all ten year olds celebrate their birthday, GALA is putting on a three-day shindig packed with booze, bangers and bands of electro-heads. Another b-word that’s vital to the mix is ‘bass’, because that’s what the opening Friday night is all about. Saturday, on the other hand, will centre around club tunes, meanwhile Sunday — probably with a mind to all the sore heads and come-downs — will focus on the feel-good vibes (thank God).

Who might you see, you ask? Headliners include the coolest middle-aged person on the planet, Caribou, as well as British DJ Floating Points and Detroit-based Moodymann. They’ll even have Theo Parrish (who also happens to be from Detroit) playing a marathon eight-hour set. Phwoar — rather him than us. There’s also plenty of partners hosting various bits and bobs. Queer party Chapter Ten is putting on, well, a queer party in the Pleasure Dome (oo-er), the capital’s leading bass clubnight HVYWGHT has a designated rave slot and London’s answer to Berghain, The Cause, is taking their Berlin-inspired chaos over to the Patio stage.

To be honest, GALA turning ten is a pretty big deal for independent festivals. A decade ago, GALA was a humble two-stage show with a modest 3,000 person cap. Now, the festival is literally (and aptly) ten times the size, welcoming 30,000 people every year and making it London’s largest independent festival. Pretty impressive for a little electro soirée that started in Brockwell Park. Founder of the festival, Giles Napier, got a bit emo about it, too, expressing his “gratitude with everyone who’s passed through GALA’s gates since our beginnings in Brockwell. We’re still alive, we’re still independent and we owe you all a lot. Thank you.” So, if you want in on GALA’s birthday celebrations, grab a ticket here.