A man has died and at least six other people were injured after a sign fell onto the crowd at Big Church Festival in the UK, prompting organisers to cancel the event.
The Christian music festival was shut down on Friday evening following the incident, in which the man, aged 41, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was pronounced dead. Sussex Police confirmed that his next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Festival cancelled after tragic incident
In a post on Instagram shortly after 5.30pm, organisers told attendees that Friday's show had been cancelled and all day visitors "must leave the site now". Later, they announced that the rest of the festival, which had been scheduled to run until Sunday, had been called off.
"We are devastated by the serious incident that took place at Big Church Festival 2026 today, in which a sign fell, injuring at least seven people, one of whom tragically lost their life," a Big Church Festival spokesperson said in a statement on social media.
"First and foremost, all of our thoughts are with those who have been affected, their families and friends, and everyone who witnessed what happened. Following today's incident, we have made the decision to bring Big Church Festival 2026 to a close."
Police urge witnesses to come forward
Officers remained at the scene on Friday night as police continued to urge people to avoid the area. The incident has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive and local authority, Sussex Police confirmed.
Detective Chief Superintendent Richard McDonagh said: "This is a tragic incident and our thoughts go out to the man's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.
"At least six other people were also injured during this incident and have been taken to hospital for treatment."
"I recognise the immense distress this will have caused people at the festival, and we are working with a number of partners as we seek to establish exactly what happened.
"We know there were thousands of people at the festival and we're urging anyone with any information, or any relevant video footage, to please come forward."
Anyone with information that could help police is asked to report it online or call 101 and quote Operation Igloo.
