The basics
One of the jewels in the crown of London's raft of day festivals, Cross the Tracks has a line-up filled with contemporary neo-soul, jazz and funk, with a bit of disco, house and hip-hop, too.
The festival
If there's any part of the UK that's become synonymous with jazz and soul it's London, as young artists from Brixton, Peckham, Hackney, Islington and more have picked up pianos, drum kits, saxophones and more, and in doing so created an absolutely thriving scene for the genres' modern incarnations and ushering in a contemporary London jazz and soul scene that's the envy of anywhere in the world.
With that in mind, when Cross the Tracks announced its arrival a few years back, it immediately cemented itself in the festival calendar – along with London's Field Day and Gilles Peterson's We Out Here – as arguably the best festival for fans of all the above. This year's line-up is a cracker – NxWorries (the collaborative project of drummer, rapper and singer Anderson .Paak and producer Knxwledge) headline, while a little further down the list are sets from neo-soul singer Masego, jazz keyboardist and rapper Alfa Mist, quintet Alfa Mist and even R&B singer Kelis (presumably bringing all the boys to the, er, park). Other highlights include jazz-fusion duo DoMi & JD Beck, Children of Zeus and more.
As you'd imagine, it's not all about main-stage acts, and some of the tents set up in the park for the day play host to some excellent DJs spinning disco, house and more, from Peterson himself to the legendary Nightmares on Wax and Roy Ayers. And in modern festival tradition, there's plenty of cultural stuff to keep you occupied between sets, from wellness tents to arts markets, talks and workshops and more. Plus, as you'd expect from a London day festival, there's loads of great street-food traders, too.
Our tip
Beer geek? You'll be well catered for at the festival's craft beer village, which features stalls from some of London and the UK's best brewers.
Watch
Lineup
Full lineup here.
Getting there
How do I get there?
Nearest stations are Brixton on the Victoria line or Herne Hill on National Rail
Tickets
Pricing
£69.50
When can I get them?
Tickets on sale now
Where can I get them?
Kaboodle