Kaleidoscope: this is what the first London festival since Covid looked like

Saturday was a historic moment for festival lovers in London. After a year and a half of silence, live-streamed concerts and event cancellation after cancellation, Kaleidoscope made its mark as the first festival to take place in the capital since restrictions were lifted on July 19. 

The result was something really quite beautiful: Alexandra Palace filled with colour and the sounds of Groove Armada rippled their way through a crowd of more than 10,000 people dancing under lasers. The Staves, Ibibio Sound Machine and The Coral also took to the main stage, and Matt Jam Lamont and Norman Jay MBE played in the Cloud 10 area. And there was a plethora of bumbags, flower hairbands, glitter and tacky sunglasses. 

Wish you were there? We've rounded up some of the best pics from the event below. 

Crowds queued up to get into the grounds of Ally Pally:

The sky filled with lasers as night arrived at the main stage:

The festival overlooked the capital’s skyline: 

Crowds gathered to dance at the Cloud 10 stage:

Feeling nostalgic? Check out these vintage posters from Crystal Palace Bowl’s most iconic gigs.

Can’t get enough of festival season now it’s here? We’ve rounded up London’s top music festivals for the rest of this year.