The 2026 All Points East event began amid dusty conditions over the weekend, featuring two substantial days that highlighted the formidable female artists dominating the contemporary music scene.
New Zealander Lorde headlined a particularly impressive Saturday lineup, with the singer having personally selected the day’s performers – an assessment that proved accurate as the rapid succession of Rose Gray, Sienna Spiro, Audrey Hobert and Pink Pantheress saw concertgoers rushing between stages to catch every act.
When they did, the resulting dust cloud transformed the bandana-wearing crowds into something resembling migrating wildebeest.
Tems delivered an impressive performance during the opening weekend of All Points East 2026. (Image: APE)
On Friday, domestic artists Jorja Smith and Nigerian singer Tems commanded attention at Victoria Park, while Saturday saw the east London park filled with clusters of young women sporting brief shorts and sequined mini dresses, alongside a notable LGBTQ presence and famous faces including Millie Bobby Brown, Paul Mescal and Louis Partridge.
Ultimately, the empowering all-female ensemble for Zara Larsson’s feel-good melodic dancing set proved more fitting for the day than Stranger Things actor DJO’s male-dominated guitar rock performance on the West stage.
Nevertheless, the appeal of All Points East lies in its inclusivity – DJO, also known as Joe Keery, performed tracks from his well-received 2025 album The Crux.
His slot conflicted with Pink Pantheress’s energetic, sweat-filled dance session complete with muscular performers in motion, making the choice obvious yet not overly difficult.
She surprised the audience by bringing out British singer-songwriter and producer MNEK during Shadows.
Earlier, Larsson captured the essence of the summer afternoon by entertaining fans holding inflatable dolphins, accompanied by dancers in vibrant costumes.
The Swedish artist opened and closed her performance with her hit Midnight Sun, featured Pink Pantheress for their inaugural live duet on Stateside, and thrilled the crowd by inviting a fan to join her dancing to Lush Life.
A flawless rendition of Symphony, her collaboration with Clean Bandit, served as a reminder of her considerable accomplishments at just 28 years old.
Finally, all but one stage went dark for Lorde, the tracksuit-clad double Grammy and BRIT Award winner, who commenced her set with a snippet of her breakthrough single Royals.
As evening descended, the polished production featuring laser displays and dancers built to an exhilarating conclusion with a setlist encompassing Man Of The Year, Girl So Confusing, the dancefloor favourite Green Lights and the stripped-back track David, which she explained was about trying to find her power.
She reminisced about a previous visit to Victoria Park two years prior with someone she harboured a big crush on, encouraging the audience to bring their crush to Victoria Park, noting there was magic there.
Fan favourites Supercut and Team were also performed by the artist, who appeared at the inaugural All Points East in 2018 when she was only 21.
She concluded her performance with Ribs, a track she described as her oldest, most precious song, sending revellers home covered in dust but content.
The festival resumed on Sunday August 23 with Deftones topping the bill at Outbreak Fest.
The following weekend, Tyler, The Creator will perform a two-day headline residency at Victoria Park on Friday, August 28 and Saturday, August 29, with Twenty One Pilots taking the stage on Sunday, August 30.