As One in the Park takes over Walpole Park in Ealing every summer for a day of music, DJs, drag and plenty of partying. We went along to see what all the fuss was about and discovered what we think is one of the most underrated gay events in London.
We love it when a gay event takes us by surprise, and As One in the Park did exactly that.
Every summer, Walpole Park in Ealing transforms into one big gay playground, with multiple stages, DJs, drag queens, live performers and thousands of people partying from afternoon until evening. It has all the ingredients of a major London gay festival, yet somehow still feels a little under the radar.
Perhaps that's because Ealing (in West London) isn't the first place that springs to mind when you think of London's gay scene. But that's also part of what we loved about it.
Instead of squeezing into Soho or Vauxhall, you get an enormous leafy park in West London filled with our community, music and a seriously good atmosphere.
We went along expecting a fun day out. We left wondering why more people aren't talking about it.
Here's what As One in the Park is really like, what to expect when you go, and why we reckon it's one of London's most underrated gay festivals.
What is As One in the Park?
“Why have we never done this before?” Seby shouted at me as we were dancing in the middle of Walpole Park.
Every July, Walpole Park in Ealing becomes one enormous gay festival for the day, bringing together DJs, drag queens, live performers and some of the biggest names from London's gay nightlife. As One in the Park started in 2024 with the idea of bringing different parts of our community together, which is exactly what we loved about it.
There are several stages scattered around the park, and we quickly gave up trying to follow any sort of sensible schedule. We'd head towards one DJ, hear something we liked coming from another stage, and immediately change direction. At one point I turned around to say something to Seby, and he'd disappeared completely.
Thankfully, Walpole Park is compact enough that losing your husband isn't a major crisis. There are bars and food stalls dotted around, plenty of grass when you need a break, and everything is close enough that you can wander between stages without spending half the festival walking.
What is As One in the Park actually like?
We'd arrived at As One in the Park in the afternoon thinking we'd have a wander around, see a few DJs and then head home. Several hours later, neither of us was showing any sign of leaving.
That's probably the best compliment we can give As One. We completely lost track of time. We'd start dancing at one stage, spot someone we knew in the crowd, follow them somewhere else, and suddenly discover another party/stage happening around the corner.
What surprised us most was the atmosphere. Despite the size of the event, it felt incredibly friendly and very London. We were constantly bumping into friends and familiar faces from nights out over the years. At times it felt less like attending a festival and more like somebody had organised an enormous gay reunion in our local park.
And we loved being able to dip in and out of everything. When Seby wanted to dance, we danced. When I wanted food, we ate. When our feet needed a break, we collapsed on the grass and people-watched for a while before inevitably hearing another song that pulled us back up again.
By the time we finally left, we'd gone from “we'll stay for a few hours” to already discussing coming back the following summer. For us, that's when we knew As One in the Park had earned its place in our London Gay Calendar.
When and where is the next As One in the Park?
As One in the Park usually takes place on a Saturday in July at Walpole Park in Ealing, West London. The next date hasn't been announced yet, but we'll update this guide as soon as it is.
The festival generally runs from midday until 10 pm, although some ticket types require you to enter earlier. It's worth checking the small print when booking because we've seen cheaper early-entry tickets offered in previous years.
Tickets are normally sold online through the official As One in the Park website, with different options ranging from standard entry to VIP. We recommend booking in advance rather than leaving it until the day, particularly once the headline acts have been announced.
Walpole Park is on Mattock Lane in Ealing (W5 5EQ). The easiest way to get there is via Ealing Broadway, around an eight-minute walk from the festival. It's served by the Central, District and Elizabeth lines as well as National Rail, so getting there from central London is super easy.
Who performs at As One in the Park?
This was one of the biggest surprises for us. For a festival that still feels relatively under the radar, As One manages to pull in some seriously big names.
When we went, the headline act was Brazilian superstar Pabllo Vittar, who basically brought her own party with her! She took over an entire stage with Club Vittar, and this was easily one of the moments Seby and I were most excited about. Seeing one of the world's biggest gay artists performing in a park in Ealing felt pretty surreal!
And she wasn't alone. Todd Terry, Fat Tony and Gok Wan were all on the DJ line-up, while the drag and cabaret stage included Miss Vanjie, Tayce, Kitty Scott-Claus and Tiara Skye. We spent most of the day bouncing between them, and loving every second.
That's one of the things we really like about As One: it isn't built around a single type of music. House, pop, techno, drag and cabaret all sit alongside each other, with London party brands including Beyond, WE Party and Beefmince also getting involved.
The line-up changes every year, so we wouldn't go purely for one particular headliner. For us, half the fun was wandering between the stages and discovering whoever happened to be performing next.
Our top tips for As One in the Park
After spending the day dancing our way around Walpole Park, these are the things Seby and I would recommend knowing before you go:
- Don't arrive too late: We know how tempting it is to treat a gay festival like a night out and rock up fashionably late, but As One starts at midday and finishes at 10 pm. Some cheaper tickets also require entry before a specific time, so check yours carefully.
- Bring physical ID: As One is strictly 18+, you'll need a photo ID to get through the entrance. Don't rely on having a photo of your passport on your phone.
- Travel light: There isn't a cloakroom, and trust us, you don't want to spend ten hours dancing around Walpole Park carrying half your wardrobe. Bring the essentials and nothing more.
- Keep a close eye on your belongings: Unfortunately, my sister had her iPhone stolen from her bag towards the end of the night when the crowds were at their busiest. We'd recommend keeping your phone and wallet somewhere secure rather than in an open pocket or easily accessible bag.
- Dress for the weather: This is London in July, which could mean glorious sunshine, torrential rain, or both within 20 minutes. Most of the festival is on grass, so we'd definitely check the forecast before deciding what to wear.
- Don't bring your own food or drinks: You can't take either into the festival, but there are plenty of bars and food stalls inside. We'd recommend eating well before you arrive…it's a long day!
- Don't obsess over the timetable: Pick the performers you absolutely don't want to miss, but leave gaps to wander. Some of our favorite moments happened when Seby and I abandoned whatever we'd planned and followed the music coming from another stage.
- Stay until the end: This is when the atmosphere really ramps up. By the evening we'd completely forgotten that we were standing in our local park in Ealing – which is probably the biggest compliment we can give it!
So… is As One in the Park worth it?
Hell yeah!
We went into As One expecting a fun day out. We came away wondering why this festival isn't already much bigger on London's gay calendar. The music was brilliant, the crowd was friendly, and there was something quite special about seeing so many different corners of London's gay community brought together in one park.
For Seby and me, that's what really makes As One work. It doesn't feel like you're attending some enormous, anonymous music festival. We spent the day bumping into old friends, discovering different stages and constantly changing our minds about where we wanted to dance next.
And perhaps we're slightly biased. This is right on our doorstep, close to where we live in Acton (West London). But there's something wonderfully surreal about seeing thousands of gays descend on leafy Ealing for the day. Soho and Vauxhall may get most of the attention, but West London can clearly throw a gay party too!
So, is As One in the Park London's most underrated gay festival? Abso-frickin-lutely! And we'll absolutely be back.
Why should you trust our opinion?
London is home for us, and we've been part of its gay scene for more years than we care to admit. We've also travelled the world attending some of the biggest Pride celebrations and gay festivals, so when we say As One in the Park impressed us, we've got plenty to compare it with.
- We were actually there: Everything in this guide is based on our own first-hand experience at As One in the Park, from arriving in the afternoon to dancing right through until the end.
- We've been writing about gay travel since 2013: Nomadic Boys has grown from our little travel diary into one of the world's most-read gay travel blogs.
- London is our home: We've spent years exploring London's gay clubs, from Soho and Vauxhall to Pride and festivals across the city.
- We've experienced Pride around the world: From Madrid Pride, Amsterdam Canal Pride, and even Pride in London, we've attended some of the world's biggest gay events and know what makes a great one stand out.
- We literally wrote the book on gay travel: Our book, “Out in the World: The Gay Guide to Travelling with Pride”, was published in 2024 and subsequently updated, refreshed, and republished in softback in June 2026.
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