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Wireless festival is blasted by fans as ‘dangerous’ after thousands are forced to queue for ‘three hours’ and miss Drake’s final 40-minute performance

BBG News

The three-day stint of Drake at the Wireless Festival in London concluded in utter pandemonium on Sunday, with thousands of attendees criticizing the event as hazardous. This was due to them being compelled to wait for extended periods in massive clusters of individuals while queuing.

When the American rapper stepped onto the stage ahead of schedule, approximately 5,000 festival attendees in London’s Finsbury Park found themselves feeling let down, as they couldn’t make it to the concert on time.

In TikTok videos, attendees at the festival were found standing close together, urgently asking security personnel for entry as they possessed tickets for that particular day.

As a die-hard fan, I can tell you firsthand that it wasn’t just the regular ticketholders who were facing long queues, but even VIP guests found themselves stuck in lengthy lines due to security checks. Apparently, these special guests had to endure waits of up to three hours before realizing they weren’t going to make it inside and deciding to cut their losses and leave.

At 5:30 PM, one visitor approached the VIP gate of the festival, only to find a colossal lineup ahead. Determined, they took their place in the queue, hoping it would move swiftly. However, the wait proved lengthy, stretching beyond two hours, and even then, we hadn’t managed to enter the festival yet.

When I inquired about the situation with the security personnel and if Drake would indeed appear on stage, they responded that they couldn’t provide a specific time, but assured us we’d have to wait at least another thirty minutes.

As tempers flared and folks disregarded security, everyone sensed an unsafe atmosphere. Consequently, we opted to depart, forfeiting the chance to explore the festival within.

It was really disheartening to have been brought together for the festival, only to be mistreated afterwards. Not a single staff member seemed eager to step forward and address our concerns to improve the situation.

A different spectator posted on X, saying: ‘The person responsible for crowd control at Wireless Festival this year should probably be let go.’

‘I’ve never seen a VIP queue where people are being held outside for 30+minutes for no reason.’ 

A different spectator commented: ‘It appears that a brawl erupted during Drake’s Wireless Festival, and the authorities are temporarily blocking access in and out of the event.’

Others turned to TikTok to express their experiences, with one person recording the long line and commenting: ‘The VIP section at Wireless is in utter disarray. People are scuffling, and it’s so crowded you can hardly maneuver.’

The individual expressed their displeasure about ‘Wireless Sunday’ by stating the factors that made it ‘awful’, mentioning issues such as the VIP section running dry on beverages, disturbances caused by fights, and a brief performance from Drake.

Sadly, both those unable to attend the festival and the fans eagerly waiting for Drake’s performance felt let down, as his headlining set was reduced by a full 50 minutes.

The musician took the stage 10 minutes ahead of schedule, letting the audience know he’d keep going until someone turned off his microphone – a reference to the 9:30 PM curfew.

In his performance, Drake had just three featured artists – Popcaan, Rema, and Vybz Kartel – whereas he had 12 guests and a 90-minute runtime during the Saturday show.

Previously, on Sunday afternoon, it was announced that there would be two performances by Drake – one scheduled for 6:25 PM and another for 8:55 PM according to the official lineup.

During the late part of the day, an unexpected absence occurred in the schedule, allowing for the scheduled appearances of Vybz Kartel and Burna Boy to take place as planned at their respective designated times.

Instead of his usual cheerful demeanor, he seemed disturbed during this particular performance, which was a noticeable change compared to his performances over the weekend that had a more positive vibe.

To kick off his performance, Drake played a previously unheard duet featuring UK rapper Central Cee. Although Central Cee didn’t join Drake on stage for a live performance, he lip-synced the lyrics from his seat up front. The screens displayed his mouth movements so the audience could follow along.

Throughout the performance, the Toronto-based rapper and vocalist seemed remorseful, vowing to perform some of his most popular songs to earn the audience’s approval.

As I darted across the stage in London, I couldn’t help but declare to the sea of fans, “I will cherish you forever!” The medley of tunes that followed was a whirlwind of Controlla, Find Your Love, and One Dance, all remixed and sped up. It was like my heart was racing with excitement!

An unexpected performance by the Nigerian rap artist Rema ignited excitement among the audience, as his songs “Calm Down” and “Fever” stood out as particularly noteworthy moments.

However, following a short appearance by Jamaican dancehall sensation Vybz Kartel, who electrified the audience with his performance earlier, just two additional solo numbers from Drake remained on the schedule.

Three nights consecutively, he ascended onto a crane, waving to the crowd of 50,000 people, while Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” played loudly over the speakers, marking the end of his performance.

Spectators voiced their displeasure towards the BBC, as they left the venue dissatisfied, with numerous individuals lamenting that they waited longer in line to enter the venue compared to the time they actually saw Drake perform on stage.

As fans tried to depart, they became aware of chaotic situations at an accessible exit. Many could be heard urgently imploring security personnel to allow them to leave immediately, as they had been informed that they would be confined in a limited area for about ten minutes or until other security personnel gave the go-ahead.

TopMob have contacted Wireless Festival and Drake’s representatives for comment.

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2025-07-14 17:34

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