A 41-year-old man from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was killed and six other people were injured when a large wooden sign collapsed at the Big Church Festival (BCF) near Steyning on Friday afternoon. Police were called to the scene off Washington Road, where the man was pronounced dead.
Witness describes collapse
Fred Abbott, who was sitting about 20 metres away with his family, told the Daily Mail there was a "strong gust of wind" followed by a "massive crack and bang". After realising what had happened, the father of four ran over to help those trapped underneath, which he said had left him "shaken".
Abbott told the outlet: "We were by Tom's Stage in the Field of Fun, about 20 metres away from where this massive wooden sign was. We heard this massive crack and bang, and me and my friend ran over."
"There were around 30 to 50 people, including me and my friend, picking up this sign. It read: 'Everything's Unmissable'. There were five people on the floor and not moving. I had to walk away because there was a man on the floor and he was bleeding from his head and from his mouth."
Festival cancelled after incident
Theo Saville, who was at the festival, also told the BBC that a "large wooden sign" collapsed near the entrance to a tented area.
Organisers of the BCF, billed as the UK's biggest Christian Festival, said they were "devastated by the serious incident" and have cancelled the rest of the event, which was due to run until Sunday, after the death on the opening day.
A spokesperson for the festival said: "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."
"We are working with the emergency services, police and the Health and Safety Executive as they establish the circumstances surrounding today's incident. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who responded, and to our teams and community for the care they have shown one another."
