King’s Cross Summer Sounds Festival

The King’s Cross Summer Sounds Festival returns from August 7 to 17, 2025, with an exciting 10th-anniversary celebration of London’s most inclusive free music, dance, and performance festival. The festival takes place in the vibrant Coal Drops Yard at King’s Cross, transforming the space into a lively hub of entertainment that highlights a diverse array of musical genres, dance, puppetry, and even sculpture, promoting a true community spirit.

The lineup is a curated mix of some of the most popular past acts and fresh new talent, featuring a rich blend of folk, jazz, classical, experimental music, indie rock, pop, and world music. Festival highlights include:

Paco Peña, the world-renowned flamenco guitarist and composer, who opened the very first festival in 2015, will kick off the celebrations with a special performance and a new production called Solera.
Sam Wilkinson, winner of The Voice Kids 2019, and Absolutely Anytime, an indie-rock, dance, and pop fusion band, will perform on August 8.
The UK’s leading brass band Brass Rascals, known for their unique blend of brass with drum and bass, garage, house, and dancehall, adds a modern twist to the festival’s soundscape.
A special folk music celebration on August 17 includes performances by the National Youth Folk Ensemble, Brimstone, Bhangra Ceilidh, and the Urban Folk Quartet.
Other notable performances include an evening of West End songs with star Daniel Boys, jazz-inspired family Sundays featuring artists like Dele Sosimi and Isobella Burnham, and a Bob Marley tribute by acclaimed saxophonist YolanDa Brown on August 15.

In addition to music, the festival offers plenty of other entertainment options to ensure a festival experience that appeals to all ages and interests:

Dance: Queer Tango London classes run throughout the festival, celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community with opportunities for engagement and learning. Dynamic dance performances complement the musical acts, exemplifying the festival’s vibrant diversity.
Community Engagement: There is a community choir developed specifically for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), adding an inclusive layer to the festival and culminating in special collaborative performances.
Family Sundays: Every Sunday afternoon, the festival hosts family-friendly events from 1 pm to 6 pm, featuring performances and activities designed to engage children and adults alike.
Accessibility: The festival prioritises inclusivity with hearing loops for those with hearing impairments and designated spaces for individuals with limited mobility, ensuring everyone can enjoy the festivities comfortably.
Art and Puppetry: This year, for the first time, sculpture and puppetry performances are included, broadening the artistic offerings beyond music and dance to create a fuller sensory experience.

The festival is the result of collaboration among several community and cultural organizations, including Voices Radio, Lafayette, Queer Britain, and the Aga Khan Centre, each curating unique parts of the program to showcase local talent and diversity.

The Kings Cross Summer Sounds Festival is a free event supported by the Kings Cross Central Limited Partnership, Arts Council England, and the Arts Trust EDI Fund, making it one of London’s most accessible cultural highlights of the summer.

The Kings Cross Summer Sounds Festival offers an 11-day celebration packed with diverse music genres, inclusive dance workshops, family activities, and artistic performances, all set within the lively Coal Drops Yard environment right here on the doorstep of St. Pancras London. Whether you’re a fan of flamenco, jazz, indie rock, folk, or experimental music, or looking for community-focused dance and family entertainment, this festival promises something for everyone, making it a must-visit event this August in London.