Southwark Park is set for a seismic summer moment as RALLY - London’s fiercely independent, community-rooted music and arts festival - announces Blood Orange, the ever-evolving project of Devonté Hynes, as its 2026 headliner.
The London-born, New York-based polymath will not only top the bill on Saturday 29th August, but also play a key role in shaping the festival’s most ambitious edition to date by co-curating one of its main stages.
The news follows a powerhouse year for Hynes. After a six-year hiatus, Blood Orange returned with 'Essex Honey,' a lush and glowing record that has recently earned widespread acclaim for its warm synth-funk palette, diaristic lyricism, and unmistakable sense of homecoming.
His addition to RALLY marks a statement of intent. Now entering its fourth edition, the festival has rapidly evolved into a lodestar for alternative and experimental music in London, championing artists who push form rather than follow it. With co-curation from NTS Radio, GALA, and Bird On The Wire, past lineups have spotlighted the vanguard - from CASISDEAD and Nourished By Time to Floating Points, Erika de Casier, Moin, and Mount Kimbie.
For 2026, RALLY deepens its relationship with global tastemaker NTS, with more partners, a full music lineup, and an expanded visual arts programme to be revealed early next year. But landing Blood Orange early signals the festival’s growing scale and cultural intent: an artist celebrated not only for his shape-shifting fusion of neo-soul, R&B, synth-funk and experimental pop, but for his fierce independence and collaborative spirit.
In many ways, it feels like a full-circle moment. 'Essex Honey' traced Hynes’ journey back to the UK - geographically, musically, emotionally - and RALLY’s ethos mirrors his own commitment to community, creativity and artistic ownership. Bringing Blood Orange home to headline and help shape the 2026 festival doesn’t just elevate the bill; it crystallises what RALLY has become: London’s essential meeting point for boundary-pushing music and the people who believe in it.
