Organizers confirmed the event ended ahead of schedule, with a screen inside the venue telling crowds: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are closing the arena early today. Please exit the event safely.” A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman told the Daily Mail: “On Sunday, 17 August, Met Police officers assisted the organisers of an event in Crystal Palace Park. Cordons were put in place to ensure the safety of those leaving the area. No arrests were made.”
Witness described chaotic scenes after a group of people, many without tickets, forced their way through barriers. TikTok videos showed fans climbing fences while security staff attempted to hold them back. One clip captured railings being pushed aside as hundreds surged into the venue.
Among those caught in the crush was a mother attending her first festival, who said she was pinned down under the crowd for several minutes. “I got crushed, physically crushed, physically stamped on,” she said on social media. “It was not just me. I went with my sister and her two friends. My sister’s friend got crushed and trampled on to the point where she got her ribs stepped on. I felt people’s feet stepping and jumping, and running all over my body.”
She added, “I was screaming for help. People were clambering and dropping all over me. There were like hundreds of people rushing through at one time and I [was] getting crushed by every single person. Someone could have crushed my ribs. Anything could have happened to me and I was just thinking ‘who is going to look after my son? I have got to get back to my son.'”
On X, Felicia Odamtten wrote: “I’m so, so disappointed at what happened at The Originals Festival. Sure the people rushing were in the wrong, but there’s a science to crowd management and from what I saw that was not adhered to at all.” The user criticized the lack of security and barriers, noting a gate rush had already happened at the event last year.
Another attendee compared Sunday’s scenes to the 2022 Asake concert at Brixton Academy, where two people died after fans tried to push inside without tickets. “Has no one learnt from the Asake incident at Brixton?” wrote X user @lambrinimami.
A private medical firm, Emergency Medical & Fire Solutions (EMFS) Group, provided on-site paramedics. At least two people were treated for injuries, according to The Daily Mail. Rumors of a stabbing circulated online but police said they received no such reports.
The Originals Festival, which admitted only over-21s, opened its gates at 2 pm with last entry scheduled for 7 pm. Performances by headline acts were set to begin at 9 pm. South Facing Festival continues at the venue through August 24, with upcoming shows featuring Basement Jaxx and Nile Rodgers & Chic.
