Festive Parks as Inclusive Spaces: Celebrating Latin American London in Finsbury Park

Abstract

Festivals are often regarded as a way of making cities and urban public spaces more inclusive, particularly for migrant communities. This proposition is examined here by analysing a festival that celebrates the growing number of Latin Americans who live in London. The research assesses how the Latino Life in the Park festival contributes to social and cultural inclusion and focuses on how this festival affects the inclusiveness of the park in which it is staged. Large-scale, fenced music festivals tend to be regarded as installations that make London's parks less inclusive. However, this article highlights the value of staging a free, and fence free, festival in a park setting. This created a sociable, festive park in which marginalised communities were made visible. By examining how the festival was organised, the ways people behaved and who attended, the article outlines how music festivals affect the dynamics and inclusivity of public spaces.