An application has been made to put on a three-day K-Pop festival in North London next summer. The organisers are seeking permission from Brent Council to host the event for up to 15,000 attendees, with the proposed dates in June yet to be confirmed.
Magic Sound Ltd has applied to hold the MIK (Made In Korea) Festival event in Northwick Park, Brent. If approved, it will be the second time the festival has come to London after its first event in 2022, which took place in Southwark Park. The organisers were forced to cancel the 2023 festival at the same location, due to difficulty selling tickets and rising costs.
The application proposes tentative dates of June 7 and 8, 2025, however, it also states that the three-day festival would run from Friday to Sunday – which would mean June 6 to June 8. If given the go-ahead, a section of Northwick Park would be required to be fenced off for ten days prior to the event to set up, as well as a further five days following its conclusion to pack up.
Describing the event, the organisers said: “MIK 2025 is the second year of Magic Sound’s outdoor festival experience, showcasing international talent born out of the Korean Pop movement (K-Pop), now a globally recognised music genre.”
They added: “The London Borough of Brent, and specifically Northwick Park, have been chosen […] due to the borough’s diverse population and access to public transport, walking and cycling facilities. MIK 2025 will provide a youth-led boost to Brent’s local economy.”
According to the organisers, the festival entertainment will consist of a single stage where a number of Korean Pop (K-Pop) and Chinese Pop acts will perform. There will also be around 40 food stands, alongside two bars and stands selling merchandise.
As well as the live music, the licence would cover showcasing plays, films, recorded music, dance performances, and the sale of alcohol from 11am until 10.30pm on the days of the festival. The doors would open to attendees at 11am but stay open for an additional hour, until 11.30pm, after the performances stop.
As the outdoor stage will be amplified, residents have been warned that there may be additional disruption caused by sound checks, which could take place between 9am and 6pm Monday to Sunday. The event site will be fully enclosed by steel fencing to ensure access is controlled to ticket holders, with only a single public entrance.
A public consultation on the event is open until January 14, 2025, for residents to make any comments on the application. It will then come before Brent Council’s Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub-Committee at a later date when a decision on whether to approve the event will be made.
Grant Williams is a journalist and Local Democracy Reporter (LDR) for Reach PLC, reporting on local government, politics and community issues across London. As part of the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he has contributed to Harrow Online, covering council decisions, housing developments, transport, planning matters and stories affecting local communities across Harrow and Brent.
