South Facing Festival 2025: Barrington Levy

South Facing - London’s freshest summer series

South Facing is a multi-day festival that takes place each summer in the historically significant Crystal Palace Bowl. The festival debuted in 2021, using the same location that had once hosted massive names, including Elton John, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys. The Pixies and Bob Marley. The affectionately nicknamed "rusty laptop" stage now boasts a blue plaque to commemorate the location of Marley's biggest and last ever London show in May 1981.

Aiming to be eco-friendly, South Facing was created with the ultimate goal to have zero environmental impact. Created by many of the same people who were behind Field Day, Cross The Tracks and Wide Awake, the plan was to work with local partners while setting high standards in sustainability for everything from audience experience and travel to recyclable and compostable products.

The festival's first year featured headliners like Dizzee Rascal, Supergrass, Sleaford Mods, Max Richter, and The English National Opera. Building on this success, the 2022 lineup grew even bigger with acts such as London Grammar, Richard Ashcroft, Becky Hill, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Jungle.

For 2023, Craig David and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds led the lineup, with additional performances by Rudimental, Raver Tots, First Aid Kit, CMAT, and James, supported by Happy Mondays. By 2024, the festival had solidified its status, drawing in audiences with artists like Grace Jones, Future Islands, Jess Glynne, Damian Marley, Popcaan, and The Roots with De La Soul, firmly reestablishing Crystal Palace Bowl as a cultural hub in South London.