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Updated Jan 2008

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London Council Festivals

1986.

"Farewell to the GLC"

Jubilee Gardens , London,

3-31-86 #

Eddy Grant,Buddy Curtiss and the Grasshoppers, Will Gaines, Slim Gaillard,Smiley Culture, Lenny Henry,Billy Bragg ,Frank Chickens

# Some sources state the concert date is 3-29-86- can anyone confirm ?

    Depending on your political stance , this final GLC concert was either the culmination of years of extravagant wasting of public money in one final over the top junket, or the swan song of an enlightened council who believed that part of their brief was to being culture to their constituents . It was certainly an end of an era, the end of five years of labour rule under "' red " Ken Livingstone and the end of 100 years of a unified London Council.

    Its not our place to detail the events that lead to this event, suffice it to say that, in the divisive Thatcher years , polarisation between left and right was probably more intense than at any other time in the late 20th century . Thatcher hated the GLC with a passion that was so great that it led her to put plans in train that would abolish the institution . The council was to cease on April 1st 1986 and as the final fireworks died at midnight of the 31st, the conservatives wasted no time in removing any trace of their old foe. Signs and GLC banners were taken down as the festival crowd booed the workers from the new regime.

Apparently 100,000 attended this 12 hour bash and the total cost of the free events leading up to the demise of the council were rumoured to cost £ 250,000, but to date we have not been able to ascertain whether these are correct figures or not .

Recordings and setlists

End of GLC discussion forum

History of the Abolition of the GLC

London Council Festivals

   Just because the GLC was no more did not mean that other London Councils couldn't hold free concerts in their parks and some of the remaining Labour controlled Councils continued to do so throughout 1986 . Here are three adverts for free festivals held by Lambeth Council on Clapham Common in 1986.

comments and info are welcomed on these festivals.

If you have photos, recollections, set lists, newspaper reports or tapes of this event then email us at Contact email if you can help.

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