16 things that’ll happen at this year’s Mighty Hoopla

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Festival season is well and truly here. And what would summer in the capital be without Mighty Hoopla? Bloody boring. Back for more fun on the first weekend of June, this epic event will see the biggest and best in pop descending on southwest London. In previous years, headliners have included Sugababes, TLC, Chaka Khan, All Saints, En Vogue, Steps and Cheryl. But for 2023? It’s going bigger and better than ever. We’re talking about R&B royalty Kelly Rowland, Olly Alexander’s electronic pop act Years & Years, plus Confidence Man, Kelis, Natasha Bedingfield, Jake Shears, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Eurovision winner Loreen. 

Armed with an arsenal of camp club bangers, iconic drag collectives and nostalgic pop royalty, this festival is unlike any other happening this year. Embrace the cheesiness of it all, roll around in the confetti-covered grass and lose your voice singing to some of the best pop anthems ever written. This is the unofficial start of Pride, after all! It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned veteran or a relative newcomer to the event, this is what you can expect from 2023’s edition of the Mighty Hoopla. 

1. You’ll be out-dressed by a drag queen. Sorry babe, there's no way you can compete with the queens of Polyglamorous, Sink the Pink and Mimi’s.

2. (Biodegradable) glitter will be in places there shouldn’t be glitter. For days after. 

3. There will be so many confetti cannons, you’ll be an expert in predicting when they’ll go off. The same goes for smoke machines and strobe lighting. We’re betting on the Pleasure Palace being close runners-up with the headliners for ‘most pyrotechnics used’.  

4. The Vengabus will come. Even if you have to wait through ‘Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!’, ‘We're Going to Ibiza’ and a bunch of deep cuts. Well, can you think of any more that’ll fill a set? 

5. You’ll try, and fail, to hit that high note of ‘When Love Takes Over’ by Kelly Rowland and David Guetta. But maybe you’ll be luckier with ‘Dilemma’ or ‘Motivation’.

6. 'Barbie Girl’ will never feel so relevant. Channel your inner Margot Robbie with an all-gingham pink ensemble or elevate your dance moves by doing them all on your toes. 

7. FLO will be amazing, and you’ll get to brag about seeing them before they got big. Because they’ll probably end up being Gen Z’s answer to Sugababes, hopefully with fewer line-up changes though.

8. You’ll realise everyone’s a superstar in Jameila’s eyes.

9. And that Natasha Bedingfield has more than one banger (remember ‘Pocketful of Sunshine’?).

10. It’ll be ridiculously hard to settle for one food stand (there are 50 to choose from, to be fair).

11. So you’ll probably go to two, maybe three. Particular highlights include Chick N’ Sours, En Root, Only Jerkin’ and The Duck Truck. 

12. Despite planning your exact movements to see all your favourite acts, you will accidentally spend far too long at the George Michael Disco or Pinkies Cocktail Lounge.

13. You’ll want to steal Roisin Murphy’s stage ‘fit. And she’ll probably give it to ya if you ask nicely. 

14. You will wake up the next morning and have a vague memory of skating at a roller disco. Because you did. 

15. And you’ll wonder how, for the love of god, Jake Shears has not aged a day. 

16. Then want to do it all again next year. (Good thing you’ve got a whole weekend this time really, isn’t it?)