Another glorious summer’s day greets BST Hyde Park as London swelters under the opening spell of the country’s latest heatwave. By mid-afternoon, thousands are already spread across the park, drifting between the Great Oak, Rainbow and Birdcage stages as a thoughtfully curated line-up unfolds. Emerging singer-songwriters, Americana, indie folk and expansive rock all feed naturally into a headline performance from Mumford & Sons that feels less like a festival booking and more like a celebration of everything the trio have built over nearly two decades.
Mumford & Sons @ BST Hyde Park 2026
Opening the Great Oak Stage, Nottingham group Divorce immediately justify their place on the bill. Their blend of alternative country, indie rock and rich vocal harmonies eases the crowd into the afternoon without ever feeling understated. Felix Mackenzie-Barrow takes the lead on the opening Hangman before Tiger Cohen-Towell steps forward, joking, “Keep hydrated,” as she surveys the steadily growing audience beneath the blazing sunshine. Alternating vocals between the pair become the band’s greatest strength, particularly during Bone Museum and the brooding Karen, hinting at a group rapidly outgrowing the smaller stages they’ve become accustomed to.
The Rainbow Stage begins more intimately as Cassandra Coleman, taking a brief detour from touring with Angus & Julia Stone, showcases her beautifully understated songwriting. Her soaring vocal and delicate guitar work stop more than a few passing festivalgoers in their tracks, quietly setting the tone for a day rooted in musicianship rather than spectacle.
American indie-folk outfit Caamp continue that theme on the Great Oak Stage. Taylor Meier and Evan Westfall’s effortless interplay, built around acoustic guitars and banjo, feels perfectly suited to Hyde Park’s leafy surroundings. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the sun here,” Meier laughs. “I’m happy to get these pale arms burned for you.”
Songs such as Come With Me Now and Peach Fuzz drift effortlessly across the field, while a closing nod to The Lumineers reinforces the Americana thread running throughout the afternoon.
Back on the Rainbow Stage, Stella Lefty quickly wins over an audience many are discovering her for the first time. After forgetting the words to one of her own songs, she simply laughs it off. “This is my first ever show… in London.”
The honesty is disarming rather than awkward, and by the time recent single Good At Leaving rolls around, the crowd are already swaying along. It proves an ideal introduction to an artist whose appearance later in the evening feels entirely deserved rather than simply a guest spot.
Returning to the Great Oak, Holly Humberstone provides another emotional shift. Material from recent album Cruel World demonstrates her continued growth as both songwriter and performer, balancing intimate storytelling with increasingly confident pop arrangements. “It’s such an honour to be here,” she tells Hyde Park before introducing both the album’s title track and the dreamy new Blue Dream. By the time she closes with Scarlett, the audience has grown substantially, many singing every word back.
One of the day’s biggest discoveries comes courtesy of Cork quintet Cliffords. Frontwoman Iona Lynch commands the Rainbow Stage from the moment she walks on, greeting the crowd with a cheerful, “Hyde Park, what’s the craic?… Are you all getting lovely little sunburns?”
Her warm personality is matched by a huge sound, shimmering guitars underpinning Expressions and the gorgeous Hope/Feel. Between songs she recounts accidentally chatting backstage to members of The War On Drugs without realising who they were before introducing Shattered Glass as “for the gays today,” drawing one of the afternoon’s biggest cheers. Their widescreen indie rock feels tailor-made for much bigger stages.
As evening approaches, The War On Drugs provide the perfect bridge between the day’s folk influences and the night’s arena-sized headliners. Adam Granduciel greets Hyde Park warmly before easing into Who’s That and the shimmering Red Eyes. “Pleasure to be here with our friends Mumford & Sons,” he smiles, later reflecting on the band’s journey from early London club shows in venues like Camden’s Dublin Castle to one of the capital’s most prestigious stages, now for the second time.
Expansive tracks including Pain and Under The Pressure slowly gather momentum rather than demanding immediate attention, allowing Granduciel’s unmistakable guitar work to fill Hyde Park as daylight begins to fade. Their widescreen sound feels cinematic in the open air, leaving the audience perfectly primed for what follows.
As darkness finally begins to settle, the booming introduction of The Wild rings across Hyde Park like a prizefighter’s entrance announcement. It signals the start of a new era for Mumford & Sons, but one rooted firmly in the band’s past.
Marcus Mumford walks on, acoustic guitar slung across his shoulder, kick drum beneath his foot, as Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane join him alongside an expanded touring ensemble featuring brass players, guitarist Ryan Richter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Menefee. Together they immediately fill the Great Oak Stage with a confidence only experience can bring. “Good evening my friends,” Marcus smiles. “After all this time, in our hometown… we didn’t come to fuck around.” He hardly needs to say it.
Opening with Begin Again before crashing into I Will Wait, Mumford & Sons instantly turn Hyde Park into one enormous choir. Marcus barely sings the chorus of the latter, happily allowing 70,000 people to take over instead. “It feels good to be back,” he admits afterwards, reflecting on the band’s previous BST Hyde Park headline appearance a decade earlier.
The years away have only strengthened the trio. The expanded line-up adds richness without ever diluting the chemistry between Marcus, Lovett and Dwane, while the additional brass gives recent material surprising weight. Dwane’s commanding upright bass remains one of the band’s defining visual and musical features, anchoring everything around him.
Lovett reveals just how significant tonight really is. “When they asked us to come back… we built our whole year’s tour around the 4th July in Hyde Park.” It is difficult to imagine a more heartfelt endorsement of the event. That generosity extends beyond the band themselves. Having assembled much of today’s line-up, Mumford & Sons begin inviting guests onstage.
First comes Stella Lefty, returning only hours after making her London debut. Her vocal blends beautifully with Marcus during Badlands, transforming what could have been a simple cameo into a genuine passing of the torch between generations of songwriters. I ask the members of Cliffords, who are watching the show next to me why they aren’t up on the Great Oak!
The biggest roar of the evening so far arrives moments later. “Luckily,” Marcus grins, “we have another mate in town.” Hozier strolls onstage. Their performance of Rubber Band Man recreates the warmth of the studio recording before Marcus pauses to explain why the Irish musician means so much to the band. “He’s shown phenomenal kindness… he’s the kindest man I know in music.”
Hozier looks genuinely touched. “It’s an honour to be here.” The pair remain together for a breathtaking Awake My Soul, Hyde Park carrying much of the vocal before the song blooms into one of the night’s biggest emotional moments. From there the set flows effortlessly between old and new. Fresh material from Rushmere sits comfortably alongside career-defining favourites, while Marcus heads into the audience during Ditmas, stunning fans as her gets up close and personal. The opening chords of Little Lion Man trigger another huge singalong before thousands of phone lights illuminate Hyde Park during Believe.
Hozier with Mumford & Sons @ BST Hyde Park 2026
Then Marcus pauses. “I don’t know if we’ve explained what this show really means to us.” His words feel carefully chosen. “These songs started in this city… this is our home. There’s nothing like being home.” The sincerity lands immediately. Delta becomes one of the evening’s quiet highlights before The Wolf dramatically shifts the gears once more, the frontman urging the audience forward with a simple, “Let’s go!”
If the main set celebrates the band’s journey, the encore becomes an outright party. Rushmere already feels destined to become a permanent fixture before Marcus hints at another surprise. “We have another little cheeky surprise for you.” Moments later the Queen of Country Pop herself Shania Twain walks onstage. “You don’t understand,” Marcus laughs. “This is a very big deal for me.”
Shania Twain with Mumford & Sons @ BST Hyde Park 2026
Having just finished performing across London at Wembley Stadium alongside Harry Styles, Twain joins the band for Here before cheekily asking, “What are we gonna do now? Something… sassy?” The answer is obvious. Her megahit Man! I Feel Like A Woman! transforms Hyde Park into one enormous country-pop celebration, Marcus looking every bit as thrilled as the audience sharing the stage with one of his musical heroes.
One final speech precedes the inevitable finale. “We fucking love you… If you keep showing up, we’ll keep going.” It is all the invitation Hyde Park needs. And as The Cave builds towards its euphoric conclusion, fireworks explode above the Great Oak Stage, bathing the London skyline in colour while tens of thousands of voices carry the chorus long after the final note has faded.
Festival headline shows often rely on spectacle alone. Mumford & Sons certainly deliver that, but what lingers long after the fireworks disappear is something far more meaningful. This is a band celebrating where they came from, sharing their biggest stage with old friends and new discoveries alike, and reminding a hometown audience why these songs have endured for so long. Ten years after first headlining BST Hyde Park, they return not as a nostalgia act revisiting former glories, but as artists confidently embracing their next chapter—and inviting everyone along for the journey.
Live review and photography of BST Hyde Park including Cliffords, Stella Lefty, Divorce, Holly Humberstone, The War On Drugs and headliner Mumford & Sons @ Hyde Park, London, by Kalpesh Patel on 4th July April. Additional photos of Mumford & Sons with Hozier & Shania Twain by Bethan Miller-Carey / bethanmillerco.
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