American Express presents BST Hyde Park started back in 2013. Our mission was to bring a 10 day event like no other. Across two weekends, we put on six incredible concert days featuring legendary headliners & support from today's rising stars, plus great food and drink and hospitality packages. Sitting between our two weekends is our four day free midweek programme called Open House, featuring fantastic free activities and entertainment.
As we enter our seventh event series in London’s timeless Hyde Park, here’s a look back at the amazing artists who have joined us for six unforgettable summers...
2013 marked the start of BST Hyde Park and saw the Rolling Stones play two iconic sold out shows, plus magical summer nights with Lionel Richie, Bon Jovi and more.
In 2014, Black Sabbath set the park on fire with sets from Soundgarden and Motorhead. Arcade Fire, McBusted, Neil Young, Tom Jones and the Libertines rounded off the year with a total of six epic days in the park.
Taylor Swift brought her Grammy-Award winning album, ‘1989’, plus her many other hits to Hyde Park in 2015, bringing delight to thousands of Swifties, young and old. The Who celebrated their legendary 50 year career, whilst The Strokes and Blur brought their rousing indie anthems. Finally to celebrate Pride in London, Kylie Minogue entertained us with disco classics from her glittering career.
2016 welcomed back a musical icon. Nearly 30 years after her last UK performance, Carole King came to Hyde Park to perform her universally loved album, Tapestry, in full to a sea of fans of all ages, confirming her position as one of the greatest artists of our time. Rounding up the summer bill was Massive Attack, Patti Smith, Florence and the Machine, Kendrick Lamar, Mumford and Sons, Take That (in their first ever festival headline slot) and Stevie Wonder who performed his seminal triple album, Songs in the Key of Life, in full. It was truly a huge event series for music and one of the biggest musical moments of the year.
With media describing it as our “best year yet”, 2017 saw a vibrant and eclectic lineup, with audiences spanning from the beliebers for Justin Bieber, to punk rockers for Green Day. The Killers brought the party to Hyde Park for one of our fastest selling shows ever and we also saw incredible headline sets from Kings of Leon, Phil Collins and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. However, it was the mid-week ‘Open House’ that made this year stand out, with the MLB (Major League Baseball) taking a step into the UK for the first time ever, and the worlds biggest high intensity interval training class hosted on the Great Oak Stage by body coach Joe Wicks.
The Cure performed a career-spanning set to a multi-generational audience to mark their 40th Anniversary and saw their loyal fans leave the gates of Hyde Park on the highest of highs. 2018 brought sold out shows, a world cup spectacular and some blistering summer sun that lit up the sets of the other headliners Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, Michael Buble, Bruno Mars and Paul Simon’s final UK performance.
There was only one way to kick off the seventh series of BST Hyde Park, and that was with the queen Celine Dion. She delivered an emotional and passionate performance on the Great Oak Stage and received rave reviews from all. On its’ second day, the festival brought Stevie Wonder’s Song Party and Lionel Richie to Hyde Park, followed on Sunday by Barbra Streisand’s spectacular performance, a fitting way to close a truly special sold out first weekend.
Florence + The Machine and The National delivered a stunning co-headliner show on the second Saturday night and Robbie Williams’s thrilling performance was the perfect way to close another iconic edition of BST Hyde Park.