A dance music festival will take over the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College for the first two weekends in August, with over 60,000 people expected over six days.

Labyrinth on the Thames is promising “the world’s most pioneering and culturally relevant contemporary dance music acts”, with the first headliner, Grammy-winning DJ Black Coffee, confirmed on Tuesday.

Residents are being promised priority tickets for the festival, while the promoter, Labyrinth, is  pledging to use local suppliers and to work with local young people.  Discounts will be offered to anyone within half a mile of the venue.

Audio-visuals will be provided by High Scream, which has worked on the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony and the Coachella festival in Califormia. 

Michael Dicks and Nick Castleman, the co-founders of Labyrinth, said: “We’re beyond excited to be announcing Labyrinth on the Thames. Finding new, exciting spaces to bring artists and fans together, is what drives us, day in, day out. It’s been a multi-year process to bring this project to life and it’s a dream come true for us.”

Kate Miners, of the Old Royal Naval College, said: “We are proud to host Labyrinth on the Thames, an event that not only celebrates music and art but also offers a unique opportunity to experience the prestige of Greenwich’s rich heritage in a contemporary and dynamic way.

The Old Royal Naval College has held concerts for some years, but this is the first dance music event. Exact dates are yet to be confirmed, but Black Coffee will appear on August 1.

In 2023 the concerts were rebranded as Greenwich Summer Sessions, and  included shows from Kaiser Chiefs, Tom Jones, Black-Eyed Peas and Nile Rogers.

But ran into trouble after Trinity Laban, the music college based on the campus, complained about noise from soundchecks disturbing its students. An attempt by Trinity Laban to have the events’ licence cancelled was voted down by Greenwich councillors, but the event did not return last year.

The timing of Labyrinth on the Thames means it will not clash with term time at the college.

Tickets are available from January 30 on the Labyrinth website, along with more details about residents’ discounts and community involvement.

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