What’s on the Main Stage? The 2026 Line-up Is Confirmed

The Main Stage will be at the heart of the Disability Festival in the Park, bringing together headline entertainment, community performers, choirs, dancers, DJs and emerging local talent.

Music will begin from 12pm, ahead of the festival’s formal opening, and continue throughout the day.

Please remember that performance timings and the running order may change. Listen for announcements and check with the Information Point for the latest updates during the festival.

Music throughout the day

The atmosphere will be kept lively by the WEL DJ Academy and the Dirty Stop Outs, featuring:

• TJ the DJ

• DJ Shake Me Up

• DJ Spartacus

Visitors can expect music between performances, lively transitions and an after-party mix at the end of the festival.

Formal opening

The festival will be formally opened by Kam Rai and Roopal, welcoming visitors and marking the beginning of the day’s main programme.

Local solo performers

The stage will then showcase four individual performers:

• Teja Sehra, performing tabla drums

• David Mack, busker

• D Dazzler, rapper

• Jude, singer

This section reflects one of the festival’s central aims: creating opportunities for performers from across the community to share their talent with a supportive audience.

Unity Singers

The Disability Festival Choir – Unity Singers will perform three songs during their first appearance, before returning later in the afternoon for a second performance.

Community performances

The programme also includes:

• ASL Bridget’s Café

• Music Man Community Gospel Choir

• Woodbine Zumba

• Give It a Go Funky Friday Crew, including two solo performances

• Dance 21 Woodford

• Barking and Dagenham Progress Project, including a solo performance

These performances bring together dance, music, movement and community participation, reflecting the diversity of the people and organisations involved in the festival.

Headline Performers

Sarah Peterson

Featured vocalist Sarah Peterson will bring her broad repertoire to the Main Stage. Sarah is a classically trained vocalist with more than 25 years’ experience, performing across genres including classical, musical theatre, jazz, pop and country. Her professional work has taken her to venues in Europe and the United States.

She is returning after multiple requests from members who visit the festival who know her well!

David Boakes as Michael Jackson

David Boakes will bring the music, movement and unmistakable energy of Michael Jackson to the festival in one of the day’s headline performances.

Visitors can expect a high-energy celebration of some of the most recognisable music in pop history.

Joseph Doran – The Ed Sheeran Illusion

Joseph Doran will present The Ed Sheeran Illusion, an authentic live-looping tribute built around guitar and loop station.

Rather than simply singing over conventional backing tracks, the performance creates songs live, building the sound layer by layer in the style associated with Ed Sheeran’s live shows.

Deaf Rave and the Woojer Zone

The afternoon programme includes a DJ set from Deaf Rave, alongside a dedicated Woojer Zone.

Haptic vests allow music to be experienced through physical vibration, helping deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors feel beats, rhythm and sound through the body.

This is an important part of the festival’s commitment to creating inclusive experiences rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought.

Grand Finale:

The Tina Turner Show

The Grand Finale will begin with Carrie Anne Rendell’s Tina Turner tribute.

Carrie Anne’s show is known for its energetic party atmosphere and audience participation, featuring songs associated with Tina Turner such as Nutbush City Limits, River Deep – Mountain High, What’s Love Got to Do with It and Proud Mary.

Vinnie’s Big Screen Sing-a-Ding-a-Long

After the Tina Turner performance, visitors can join Vinnie’s Big Screen Sing-a-Ding-a-Long, bringing the crowd together through familiar music and shared participation.

Monkies Wedding

The live stage programme will finish with Monkies Wedding, a guitar-and-saxophone duo playing ska, rocksteady, reggae, soul and pop.

Their music includes influences from The Beat, The Specials, Madness and Bad Manners, alongside modern and retro songs given their own distinctive style.

After-party mix

At 7pm, the Dirty Stop Outs will bring the festival to a close with an after-party mix.

Provisional running order

Approximate time	Performance
12pm	Formal opening
12.15pm	Solo performers
12.30pm	Unity Singers
12.45pm	ASL Bridget’s Café
1pm	Music Man Community Gospel Choir
1.15pm	Sarah Peterson
1.45pm	David Boakes as Michael Jackson
2.30pm	Woodbine Zumba and DJ Shake Me Up
2.45pm	Joseph Doran – The Ed Sheeran Illusion
3.30pm	Give It a Go Funky Friday Crew
3.45pm	Dance 21 Woodford
4pm	Barking and Dagenham Progress Project
4.30pm	Deaf Rave and Woojer Zone
5.15pm	Unity Singers
5.30pm	Carrie Anne Rendell – Tina Turner
6pm	Vinnie’s Big Screen Sing-a-Ding-a-Long
6.15pm	Monkies Wedding
7pm	Dirty Stop Outs After-Party Mix

Please note: Performers, timings and the running order remain subject to change.