BST Hyde Park: Pitbull
Hyde Park, London - 10/07/2026
Photo Credit: Ellie Koepke
BST Hyde Park has played host to some of London's biggest and most memorable nights over the years, but last night was something else entirely. Not only did Pitbull headline the highest attended show in the festival's history, drawing a record-breaking crowd of 69,999 to the Great Oak Stage, but the afternoon also saw 22,141 Bald-E's unite across Hyde Park to claim the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing bald caps. The idea originated with podcast host Jack Remmington, whose viral TikTok sparked a movement that eventually made its way to BBC Radio 1's Greg James, who got Pitbull himself on board earlier this year. Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford was on hand to make it official, presenting Mr Worldwide with his framed certificate in what was one of the most brilliantly surreal pre-show moments Hyde Park has ever seen. This was never going to be an ordinary night.
Before Mr Worldwide took the Great Oak Stage there was a lineup of names that have both defined music over the last decade and look set to define it for the next, kicking things off with the brilliant Mae Hill. From the very first song Mae's vocals were something else, guiding the crowd through a genre-blending set that wove pop with a tinge of country-rock in a way that felt entirely her own. Her engagement with the crowd was immediately impressive, pulling in a growing audience with every song and holding them completely for the duration. A bald cap making its way onto her head mid-set only added to the fun, cementing her as someone who knows exactly how to read a room. Stellar singles like 'The Devil I Know' and brilliant new track 'Colours' went down perfectly in the afternoon sun, before the set was given one final special moment when Issac Frank appeared on stage for a duet on 'Love Rehab (Dun Dun)' that had the crowd completely won over. The pair's chemistry was immediately, rounding off a set that cemented Mae Hill as one of the most exciting names around.
It was then time to head to the Great Oak Stage for what may genuinely be one of the most brilliantly chaotic sets I have ever seen. Lil Jon delivered a set that kept you permanently on your toes, the kind of performance where you never had the faintest idea what was coming next but it absolutely did not matter. His own era-defining anthems like 'Shots' and 'Turn Down for What' were woven amongst singalong covers of some of the early 2000s' biggest songs including 'Lose Yourself' and 'Hollaback Girl', before a full Hyde Park 'Sweet Caroline' karaoke session broke out that had tens of thousands bellowing into the afternoon air, waving along to his every command.
Photo Credit: Ellie Koepke
With the crowd suitably fired up, the world record moment arrived. The Bald-E's united across Hyde Park for the official count, guided by Jack Remmington and Greg James as Will Munford prepared to make it official. The sense of collective joy across the park in that moment was genuinely unlike anything else I have experienced at a gig with the minute count being soundtracked to spontatneous crowd singalongs of 'Hotel Room Service'. Whilst the adjudication began behind the scenes, Tinie Tempah took to the stage alongside longtime collaborator DJ Charlesy to keep the party moving. His set was a masterclass in exactly why he remains one of the UK's most beloved artists, blending the celebratory nostalgia of 'Written in the Stars' and 'Pass Out' with newer music that slotted seamlessly into the set and kept the energy at the same level throughout. The duo had Hyde Park completely in their hands, and just when the set felt like it could not get any bigger, Katy B appeared on stage to join them for 'Turn the Music Louder (Rumble)'. It is moments like this that BST Hyde Park always somehow manages to deliver.
Over on the Rainbow Stage, Tia Kofi delivered one of the day's most joyful and utterly unique sets, blending her own music with bald-cap backed dance breaks and cover songs that drew the stage's biggest crowds of the day. It was short, sweet and full of exactly the kind of irresistible feel-good energy that made last night feel like the most fun place on earth. The set ended just in time for Tia and the rest of the crowd to make their way back to the Great Oak Stage for what was coming next.
Kesha's set was not simply another chapter in the day's party, although it absolutely was that too. It was also something genuinely poignant, a moment of real empowerment in the journey of a free woman fully reclaiming her career on her own terms. That theme ran throughout the set, with Kesha repeatedly expressing her gratitude for the support that had carried her here and the love pouring back from everyone in attendance. Tracks like 'TikTok', 'Sleazy' and 'We R Who We R' landed as the massive singalongs they deserve to be, but it was the emotional undercurrent running through the whole hour that made her set one of the most memorable moments of the entire BST season.
Photo Credit: Ellie Koepke
As Kesha's set drew to a close, Hyde Park braced itself. There was only one act left to take the Great Oak Stage, and the moment Pitbull arrived the largest crowd in BST history made sure he felt every single one of them. A full live band opened proceedings with a rockier edge that immediately signalled this was going to be something different before Pitbull himself emerged and the park reached a level I genuinely do not think I have ever seen in twelve times attending the festival. 'Don't Stop the Party' was the perfect opening, sending Hyde Park into a wave of limbs and voices that only grew from that point on. Pitbull paused briefly after that first song, visibly taken aback by the scale of what was in front of him, and took a moment to let it sink in and express his genuine appreciation for the crowd. This was a theme that returned throughout the night as he reflected on his culture, his family's journey and what it meant to be standing in front of 70,000 people making history. Watching a global superstar of his stature carry himself with that level of humility and gratitude was truly wholesome, and the message of love and unity he delivered between songs landed every bit as powerfully as the music itself.
What followed was ninety minutes of wall to wall hits that made it physically impossible to stand still. From 'Hotel Room Service' and 'International Love' through to 'Feel This Moment' and 'Time of Our Lives', the crowd from front to back never stopped moving for a single second. The live band brought an energy and chemistry that elevated every moment, even donning their own bald caps in a touch that summed up the spirit of the whole night perfectly. The day's lineup crossovers continued in the most spectacular fashion too, with Lil Jon and Kesha both returning to the stage to perform their iconic duets with Pitbull, sending Hyde Park into a completely different stratosphere each time.
A thunderous closing duo of 'Fireball' and 'Give Me Everything' brought the night to an end in the most anthemic fashion imaginable, 70,000 Bald-E's roaring together in one final moment of collective brilliance beneath a sky lit up by fireworks. It was the perfect end to what was undoubtedly one of the most joyful days in BST Hyde Park's history. Lewis Capaldi closes the festival this weekend across Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 July, joined by Conan Gray, Jacob Alon and Absolutely across both nights, with The Vaccines, Nieve Ella and more also appearing on Saturday. Quite how the weekend tops last night is anyone's guess, but BST Hyde Park has a habit of doing exactly that.