With performances from Nelly Furtado, Jessie Ware, Rita Ora, and JoJo Siwa, we take a look inside Mighty Hoopla’s female-led and most iconic line-up to date.

Mighty Hoopla is London’s most sought-after queer music and entertainment festival: a two-day event, which exudes nostalgia, meme-worthy moments and most of all, wholehearted joy. At the very least, the festival delivers camp, personified this year by JoJo Siwa’s highly anticipated set as she performed her gay-pop anthem ‘Karma’. Or, when Real Housewives of New York star Countess Luann delivered her electro-pop originals with a funny and sweet stage presence.

 

Located at Brockwell Park, London, the event has hosted industry legends such as Chaka Khan, Kelis, Natasha Beddingfield, Anatasia, Kelly Rowland and Sugababes. This year’s line-up included an array of performances from Nelly Furtado, Jessie Ware, Rebecca Black, Slayyyter, Cat Burns, Rachel Stevens, Rita Ora, Bambie Thug and En Vogue. It’s safe to say that female artists dominated the stage, and it’s about time. Although rumours of mud and soaked grass (almost) put attendees into a panic, the crowds on June 1st embraced the event, staggering around in next-day-delivery wellies. 

 

With the female line-up stealing the show, below, we’ve rounded up some of the festival’s most iconic moments this year.

A comeback work waiting for

Making her long-awaited UK comeback, Nelly Furtado headlined on Saturday. With her newest anthem, featuring Tove Lo and SG Lewis, it was only right that Nelly headlined Mighty Hoopla. After all, she’s loved by the queer community and undoubtedly knows how to attract a crowd. 

 

Nelly performed several classic bangers, from ‘I’m Like A Bird’ to ‘Give It To Me’, and fan-favourite, ‘Promiscuous’. Despite Nelly taking a short hiatus, she delivered an incredible performance, reminding the vast crowd of her endless hits.

No frills, just pure vibes

Taking to the main stage in the early evening was Slayyyter. An independent artist who oozes electronic pop femme fatale and took charge of pop culture in 2019, with their hit ‘Mine’. Slayyyter showcased that she’s more than capable of dominating the stage with a maximum thrill and no-spill performance. Slayyyter performed jams like ‘Mine’ and ‘Daddy AF’ alongside a variety of tracks from her second studio album, STARFUCKER.

@mtvuk I want Slayyyter vocal fry as my ringtone 😩 #slayyyter #mtvmusic #corridorquestions #mightyhoopla @slayyyter ♬ original sound - mtvuk

Serving money and exes

Adding to the array of performers and TV personalities was Real Housewives of New York star, Luann de Lesseps, also known as Countess Luann. Herding the masses, she gave the crowd exactly what they wanted; performing ‘Chic, C’est La Vie’ and ‘Money Can’t Buy You Class’. It’s safe to say she charmed the crowd, appearing choked up by their love and genuine positive energy toward her.

A “gay pop” rising star in the making

There’s no doubt that the majority on Sunday were in attendance for the 21-year-old TV personality, JoJo Siwa’s 15-minute performance. Made famous from the US reality TV show, Dance Moms, JoJo showcased she’s more than a viral video. Introduced as the “mother of gay pop”, dressed in multicoloured leather, JoJo took to the stage performing her hit song ‘Karma’. 

 

Though JoJo spent almost half of her allocated time talking about her haters, her energetic performance filled with precise choreography more than made up for it, leaving many Hoopla attendees satisfied to have witnessed a “gay-pop” cultural moment. 

Rita Ora proves she’s the people’s princess

Making yet another stage comeback, Rita Ora delivered an electric performance to remind us that she has a few bops under her wing. Though she faced tech issues very early on, she handled it in the best way possible; showcasing her likeable personality and engaging with the audience. 

 

She performed her biggest hits, including ‘Hot Right Now’, ‘Black Widow’, ‘Praising You’ and her latest single, ‘Ask & You Shall Receive’. Rita even took it upon herself to launch a sing-a-long of ‘Anywhere’.

Mother, that’s all

Closing Sunday’s event was Jessie Ware. Already stamped as a Mighty Hoopla legend, this isn’t Jessie’s first time closing for the festival, as she took to the stage back in 2022, debuting her album What’s Your Pleasure?, which was loved by the queer community. 

 

Jessie entered the Main Stage as though time hadn’t passed. She performed hit after hit, including anthems such as ‘Free Yourself’, ‘Hello Love’, ‘Save A Kiss’ and a cover of Cher’s timeless and iconic, ‘Believe’. Beth Ditto also joined her for an incredible rendition of Gossip’s hit ‘Standing In the Way of Control’. I think we can all agree, that Jessie has cemented her status as the mother of Mighty Hoopla and that’s period.