GALA 2024

[Soleila]

Did this event usually take place on a Friday, as well? I am on Rye Hill with very good noise cancelling headphones on and the noise is unbearable.

[jazzer]

24th - 26th

[John OShea]

Yes, the noise started about an hour ago. I’m near Rye Hill Park as well but my windows were rattling and my place literally shaking. I get a kind of double whammy as the noise bounces off the flats behind my place as well. Turned down a bit now but not looking forward to Sat or Sun. Getting sick of this now every year.

[first mate]

Just had a walk out and notice the huge amount of bumper to bumper traffic queues from Peckham to the event. Seems like lots of people are getting lifts in by car and not using public transport. 

[John OShea]

Yeah, more pollution.

[fishboy]

Please, please, please call the hotline - 02071129277 - with all your complaints, no matter how small you think they are. If these things aren't reported, they won't know they need fixing, and they'll be granted a licence again next year because there weren't any complaints this year! 

For noise, they have an independent nose monitoring guy who goes around the area where complaints are made, and if he finds it is too loud he is in contact with the sound desk and has the power to get them to turn it down! 

I'm more bothered by the environmental issues - yet again bins are piling up with bottles & cans despite promises from GALA that they had a new, better team who would be on top of it. I've called them three times over an hour and a half about a single bin, but no action. 

People urinating in the bushes - again there were promises of more portaloos and more security to stop it - nothing. There's some poorly signposted ones up by the rugby posts, but that's it. 

It seems that they'll say anything to secure a licence, then just forget about it once the event is on. 

This isn't the first year, they're not amateurs making beginner's mistakes. 

First pic when reported at 4pm, second pic at 5.20pm after two further calls. If I didn't know better I'd think they just didn't care. It's a good job no one will be using the park tomorrow, or the broken glass could cause an injury....

[John OShea]

  On 24/05/2024 at 16:29, fishboy said:

Please, please, please call the hotline - 02071129277 - with all your complaints, no matter how small you think they are. If these things aren't reported, they won't know they need fixing, and they'll be granted a licence again next year because there weren't any complaints this year! 

For noise, they have an independent nose monitoring guy who goes around the area where complaints are made, and if he finds it is too loud he is in contact with the sound desk and has the power to get them to turn it down! 

I'm more bothered by the environmental issues - yet again bins are piling up with bottles & cans despite promises from GALA that they had a new, better team who would be on top of it. I've called them three times over an hour and a half about a single bin, but no action. 

People urinating in the bushes - again there were promises of more portaloos and more security to stop it - nothing. There's some poorly signposted ones up by the rugby posts, but that's it. 

It seems that they'll say anything to secure a licence, then just forget about it once the event is on. 

This isn't the first year, they're not amateurs making beginner's mistakes. 

First pic when reported at 4pm, second pic at 5.20pm after two further calls. If I didn't know better I'd think they just didn't care. It's a good job no one will be using the park tomorrow, or the broken glass could cause an injury....

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At least people seem to be leaving their litter at the bins but looks like their collection procedures are pretty poor. My guess is that the only way this ghastly event will ever be cancelled is when mass lawlessness breaks out at it or when someone gets stabbed to death. There is bound to be some form of trouble at some stage. In the meantime, I’ll have to put up with the loudness of continuous African drums in my living room, like now!

[ArmandHelpen1]

Dulwich village and can’t sleep for the noise!!? How is this allowed!?

[Dulwich dweller]

  On 24/05/2024 at 17:40, John OShea said:

My guess is that the only way this ghastly event will ever be cancelled is when mass lawlessness breaks out at it or when someone gets stabbed to death.

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What do you think the chances are of mass lawlessness breaking out or a fatal stabbing happening? You say when which i don't follow because everything else aside i have not seen or heard/ read about any kind of rowdiness or trouble in the time that this event has taken place. I live opposite the Rye just along from Barry road and see the crowds come and go all quite peacefully to my surprise. There's nothing rowdy or aggressive about them, no signs of mass lawlessness breaking out or that they might get a bit stabby.

[first mate]

I have great sympathy for those who live closer to the park and who are sensitive to the noise. Relentless bass noise, that you cannot escape, can be extremely distressing. I imagine the impact on wildlife, with even more sensitive hearing, would be great but hard to measure...which is worrying.

However, I am just as concerned about the lopping of a healthy tree in order to accommodate a metal barrier. I cannot believe green-friendly Southwark would allow this.

Edited May 25, 2024 by first mate

[Cyclemonkey]

  On 25/05/2024 at 01:30, Dulwich dweller said:

What do you think the chances are of mass lawlessness breaking out or a fatal stabbing happening? You say when which i don't follow because everything else aside i have not seen or heard/ read about any kind of rowdiness or trouble in the time that this event has taken place. I live opposite the Rye just along from Barry road and see the crowds come and go all quite peacefully to my surprise. There's nothing rowdy or aggressive about them, no signs of mass lawlessness breaking out or that they might get a bit stabby.

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It is pure prejudice and hysteria, probably based on tne type of music at the festival.  It is a mainly young (but not exclusively) very mixed gender and sexuality crowd.  They are generally well behaved and just want to dance and have fun.   There are always risks with large events of any nature,   but I would say as music festivals go it is a  well behaved crowd and a pretty low risk event. 

[John OShea]

  On 25/05/2024 at 01:30, Dulwich dweller said:

What do you think the chances are of mass lawlessness breaking out or a fatal stabbing happening? You say when which i don't follow because everything else aside i have not seen or heard/ read about any kind of rowdiness or trouble in the time that this event has taken place. I live opposite the Rye just along from Barry road and see the crowds come and go all quite peacefully to my surprise. There's nothing rowdy or aggressive about them, no signs of mass lawlessness breaking out or that they might get a bit stabby.

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Are you for real? Give it time!

  On 25/05/2024 at 06:16, first mate said:

I have great sympathy for those who live closer to the park and who are sensitive to the noise. Relentless bass noise, that you cannot escape, can be extremely distressing. I imagine the impact on wildlife, with even more sensitive hearing, would be great but hard to measure...which is worrying.

However, I am just as concerned about the lopping of a healthy tree in order to accommodate a metal barrier. I cannot believe green-friendly Southwark would allow this.

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The event is a money spinner for the Council so believe it!

  On 25/05/2024 at 06:33, Cyclemonkey said:

It is pure prejudice and hysteria, probably based on tne type of music at the festival.  It is a mainly young (but not exclusively) very mixed gender and sexuality crowd.  They are generally well behaved and just want to dance and have fun.   There are always risks with large events of any nature,   but I would say as music festivals go it is a  well behaved crowd and a pretty low risk event. 

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Were you really born yesterday? You have to promote your agenda, don’t you?  If people object to the event, they must be racist, anti-gay perhaps or old.   I simply don’t want to hear this atrocious din or have my property shaking. Maybe you should think before you type.

[Cyclemonkey]

Mate you are the one who made unfounded and unevidenced statements about mass lawlessness and potential stabbings.  I was just pointing out the composition of the crowd makes that very unlikely.   I have been to a lot of music events and festivals in my time and have a feel for such things.  As I said no mass event (music, sport, political etc..) is without risk.

Anyway I have a nice sunny day to go out and enjoy.

[John OShea]

 

Edited May 25, 2024 by John OShea

[Cyclemonkey]

Thank you for your informed contribution.

Edited May 25, 2024 by Cyclemonkey

[John OShea]

  On 25/05/2024 at 07:44, John OShea said:

 

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Pathetic

[first mate]

  On 24/05/2024 at 16:29, fishboy said:

Please, please, please call the hotline - 02071129277 - with all your complaints, no matter how small you think they are. If these things aren't reported, they won't know they need fixing, and they'll be granted a licence again next year because there weren't any complaints this year! 

For noise, they have an independent nose monitoring guy who goes around the area where complaints are made, and if he finds it is too loud he is in contact with the sound desk and has the power to get them to turn it down! 

I'm more bothered by the environmental issues - yet again bins are piling up with bottles & cans despite promises from GALA that they had a new, better team who would be on top of it. I've called them three times over an hour and a half about a single bin, but no action. 

People urinating in the bushes - again there were promises of more portaloos and more security to stop it - nothing. There's some poorly signposted ones up by the rugby posts, but that's it. 

It seems that they'll say anything to secure a licence, then just forget about it once the event is on. 

This isn't the first year, they're not amateurs making beginner's mistakes. 

First pic when reported at 4pm, second pic at 5.20pm after two further calls. If I didn't know better I'd think they just didn't care. It's a good job no one will be using the park tomorrow, or the broken glass could cause an injury....

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Did this lot eventually get cleaned up?

[fishboy]

I can only hope that the bins were eventually emptied, the hotline said they hadn't got the keys for the bins from the council, which is a pathetic oversight for an organiser of an event like this. To be honest, I just got massively dispirited after two hours of seeing people with zero consideration or respect of the lovely park they were visiting, and the constant reporting of issues with very little resolution, so had to go home - where the windows vibrated until 10.30pm. And then had to put up with five guys having a laughing gas balloon party in the road, chucking the canisters in the park - obviously another side effect of the festival. 

For all those that say it's just people having fun, it's only three days a year, it's a lovely event - please understand that it negatively affects many people who live very close in a lot of different ways which aren't immediately obvious. Walk a mile in my shoes...

[Mystic Mog]

  On 24/05/2024 at 21:11, ArmandHelpen1 said:

Dulwich village and can’t sleep for the noise!!? How is this allowed!?

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That can't be right that the noise is travelling that far.  Do contact the complaints line.  So sorry for all you people putting up with this.  It wasn't too bad the rye end yesterday, but see what today brings.  It will soon be over and we can have our lovely peaceful park back.

[John OShea]

  On 25/05/2024 at 10:06, Mystic Mog said:

That can't be right that the noise is travelling that far.  Do contact the complaints line.  So sorry for all you people putting up with this.  It wasn't too bad the rye end yesterday, but see what today brings.  It will soon be over and we can have our lovely peaceful park back.

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Trouble is, the lovely peaceful park will be badly wounded.

[alice]

Close it down, close it down

this thread - The rest is noise

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Let's not get taken down this weird and unsubstantiated side path about "stabby people". This isn't the Big Biker Bash, and statistically these big events are much safer and more well-behaved than a normal Saturday night of 50,000 people going out to 5,000 pubs across London. 

No-one is or should be complaining about loads of people getting together and having fun, and as someone on the NIMBY end of the spectrum I didn't read @Cyclemonkey's comments as being a suggestion that I no other moaners were homophobic or anything like that. 

What people are - rightly - concerned about is a private company gathering loads of people together but not doing the bare minimum to minimise the impact on the environment and the community. Like putting out extra bins and emptying the ones that are already there FFS!!!

[John OShea]

  On 25/05/2024 at 11:18, Dogkennelhillbilly said:

Let's not get taken down this weird and unsubstantiated side path about "stabby people". This isn't the Big Biker Bash, and statistically these big events are much safer and more well-behaved than a normal Saturday night of 50,000 people going out to 5,000 pubs across London. 

No-one is or should be complaining about loads of people getting together and having fun, and as someone on the NIMBY end of the spectrum I didn't read @Cyclemonkey's comments as being a suggestion that I no other moaners were homophobic or anything like that. 

What people are - rightly - concerned about is a private company gathering loads of people together but not doing the bare minimum to minimise the impact on the environment and the community. Like putting out extra bins and emptying the ones that are already there FFS!!!

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Wtf are you on about? The 50000 you mention are not all in the same place! Funny, you refute the suggestion about being homophobic but didn't respond on the racist insult! 🤣 Also, it’s not mainly litter than local residents are concerned about but the frigging noise. For example, they weren’t supposed to start until 2pm today but there has been loud music coming from the park since at least 11.30 pm this morning.

Edited May 25, 2024 by John OShea

[Cyclemonkey]

Exactly @Dogkennelhillbilly.  My point was it is a festival with a very mixed crowd of women and men, a fairly good age range and a strong LGBTQ contingent.  Those kinds of crowds are usually a low risk for violence.  Violence and bad behaviour at events tends to be driven by large groups of young straight men sadly.

As for litter, noise and environmental impacts, they are entirely legitimate concerns but it is not my place to comment as I do not live right on the park any more (long since priced out 😂)

But tell you what - I'd swap you three days of dance music for the constant 6 days a week drilling and construction noise we have being enduring from a building site next door since January.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

  On 25/05/2024 at 11:44, John OShea said:

 Funny, you refute the suggestion about being homophobic but didn't respond on the racist insult! 🤣 

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Yeah - I also didn't read cyclemonkey's comment as suggesting Gala critics like me and you were racist either. Or anti-Semitic. Or bigoted against left-handers or any other prejudice. There was no insult in their post. You've imagined that entirely.