GALA has never been a festival that plays it safe, and with the full line-up now revealed for its 2026 edition, it’s clear the Peckham Rye Park mainstay is doubling down on what it does best: centring community, sound system culture and the people who actually make dancefloors matter. Returning across the Bank Holiday weekend from 22–24 May, the tenth edition is framed by the slogan "The Floor Is Ours" - less a marketing line than a mission statement.
Friday sets the tone with a confident sweep through the UK’s musical DNA. Peckham’s own Giggs headlines a night that moves fluidly between grime, garage and bass music, with Novelist and D Double E representing different generations of the same lineage. Elsewhere, Conducta and Todd Edwards tap into garage’s enduring pull, while Mala, Djrum and Objekt push things deeper into sub-heavy territory. Curated by Benji B and Judah, and backed by stage hosts including NTS and Rinse FM, the opening night feels like a love letter to pirate radio and the ecosystems that have long fed London’s underground.
Saturday shifts focus to club culture in its broadest sense. It’s a day built around momentum and release, with Saoirse debuting a new A/V show alongside high-energy sets from X CLUB., DJ Seinfeld and Logic1000. First-time appearances from Sonja Moonear, Sedef Adasï and Verraco add texture, while curated spaces from Peach and Freakenstein underline GALA’s commitment to queer-led and forward-thinking dance music communities.
Sunday winds things down without losing intensity. Seth Troxler, Lil Louis and Todd Terje anchor a closing bill rooted in house and disco history, while a rare b3b from Antal, HUNEE and Palms Trax promises one final moment of shared euphoria.
Ten years in, GALA isn’t just celebrating longevity, it’s reinforcing why it still matters.
