Victoria Park was a catwalk at Charli XCX’s LIDO festival

We headed down on June 14 for a day shaped around Charli XCX, whose headline set crowned a line-up soaked in hyperpop, heat, and high-energy chaos.

If there was one word that summed it all up, it was the one stamped across Charli’s latest album – Brat.

Leaning into the album’s glitchy, clubbed-out mood, the crowd dressed like they were ready for a 5am warehouse rave rather than a Saturday in east London.

The ‘BRAT’ twins (Image: Poppy Huggett)

Leather boots stomped across the grass, black lace clung to sun-soaked bodies, and bright green – the signature Brat shade – dominated.

My own outfit fell into line, a black lace dress among a sea of sheer sets, latex, micro-minis and metallics.

The Newsquest team at Charli XCX (Image: Poppy Huggett) Everywhere you looked, it was texture, attitude, and deliberate styling.

Chain belts, devil horns, sunglasses worn well into the evening – it was less street style and more like street theatre.

An iconic trio (Image: Poppy Huggett)

The BRAT aesthetic wasn’t just a trend, it was the dress code, and it was being performed in real time.

Bikinis, mesh cover-ups, glitter-dusted skin and painted faces all caught the light on the day.

Bikinis and cover ups took centre stage (Image: Poppy Huggett) Tops reading 365 partygirl and cult classics referenced Charli’s lyrics directly, and the whole crowd felt like a living moodboard of Gen Z fashion – part Camden Market, part Tumblr archive, and unmistakably east London.

Gen Z fashion icons at Charli XCX (Image: Poppy Huggett) Music-wise, the line-up catered to a more alternative crowd. AG Cook, 070 Shake, The Dare and Gesaffelstein all delivered heavy, high-impact sets, full of noise, distortion, and mood.

The Dare was so popular, their tent reached capacity – plenty of people couldn’t get in. 

Nothing said festival-ready more than a killer pair of sunnies (Image: Poppy Huggett) Then came the moment everyone was there for.

Charli XCX, in full BRAT mode, tore through Von Dutch, 360, Club Classics and more, with a kind of sweaty, magnetic control only she can command.

Charli XCX (Image: Poppy Huggett) It felt like a release – fans yelling back every lyric, glitter flying, bodies moving in unison, mascara streaked and smiling.

That said, her set ended around 20 minutes early, leaving the crowd hanging just as things were peaking.

And yes, the toilet queues were grim. Some things at UK festivals never change.

Charli XCX fans dressed like the internet come to life (Image: Poppy Huggett)

The surprise standout of the day was the Korean fried chicken from one of the many street food stands. 

Crisp, spicy, and genuinely good – the ideal bite before a headline set.

Still in its early years, LIDO is carving out its place on the London festival circuit as one for the fashion-first, pop-obsessed, internet-native crowd who come dressed like they mean it.

More than just a music event, it felt like watching the BRAT era unfold in real life.