Of all 2025's major music festivals, Wide Awake was arguably the most imperilled. In the weeks leading up to the staging of London's most diverse, eclectic and consistently excellent alternative music all-dayer, Wide Awake was in danger of losing both its headline act (Kneecap) and indeed its home (Brockwell Park in South London), for legal reasons that you very likely have read about.
Happily, on May 23, the event went ahead as planned, drawing 20,000 music fans for a fabulous day out which not only featured artists from across the musical spectrum, but also main stage appearances from Jeremy Corbyn (MP for Islington North since 1983) and doctors from Médecins Sans Frontières, who spoke movingly about their humanitarian efforts in Gaza. It will later be revealed that Kneecap donated their whole fee for playing the festival to the organisation.
On a day characterised by brilliant music, passionate speeches, and a genuine sense of community, here are nine artists who helped define Wide Awake 2025.
