Editing Finsbury Park (section)

==Culture==
===Live music===
[[File:Rise_festival_2008.jpg|right|thumb|The 2008 [[Rise Festival]] being held in Finsbury Park]]
The park has hosted many live music performances<ref name=GigWise>{{cite web|url=http://www.gigwise.com/photos/91180/arctic-monkeys-pulp-ratm-and-more-the-biggest-finsbury-park-gigs-ever|title=Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, RATM and more: The Biggest Finsbury Park Gigs Ever|date=8 September 2016|first=Michael|last=Baggs|access-date=8 September 2016}}</ref> and [[music festival]]s including: the Irish-themed ''Fleadh'' (Irish for ‘festival’; 1990–2003),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jun/01/artsnews.london|title=Irish acts in doldrums as festival is axed|date=June 2003|first=Burhan|last=Wazir|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=8 September 2016}}</ref> ''Great Xpectations Festival'' (1993),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/great-xpectations-live-mw0001037221|title=Great Xpectations Live|first=Andy|last=Kellman|publisher=AllMusic.com|access-date=8 September 2016}}</ref> '' [[Big Gay Out (London)|Big Gay Out]] '' (2004–2005),<ref name="guardian">{{cite news|last=Sullivan|first=Caroline|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=Big Gay Out|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/jul/26/popandrock|access-date=15 May 2019|date=26 July 2005}}</ref> '' [[Rise Festival|Rise]] '' Festival (2006–2010) and '' [[Wireless Festival|Wireless]]'' Festival (2014–2019, 2022–).

By the 2010s, the number of live festivals decreased, as local council finances were stretched thin. Furthermore, there were the issues of damaged park property and yellowing, unsightly grass, as well as no-entry blockades due to the special events. Local residents would be inconvenienced and prevented from accessing select areas and  thoroughfares of the park, often for several days at a time, during the run of a festival. Local MP [[David Lammy]] went as far as to say: "There are parts of the park that look like the Serengeti—a bald dust bowl where there was once grass."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peyer|first=Robin de|date=2015-07-11|title=Pictures show how Finsbury Park was left looking after the Wireless festival|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/wireless-festival-left-finsbury-park-looking-like-a-dustbowl-10380811.html|access-date=2021-08-02|website=Standard.co.uk|language=en}}</ref>

A local group, The Friends of Finsbury Park, (unsuccessfully) took [[Haringey Council]] to the High Court in a bid to stop future large, live music events. ''"The group had contended the council had no right to grant the festival permission under the Greater London Parks and Open Spaces Act 1967, claiming Haringey’s actions were unlawful because the event shuts off 27 per cent of the park when the maximum permitted by legislation is 10 per cent."''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Peyer|first=Robin de|date=2015-07-11|title=Pictures show how Finsbury Park was left looking after the Wireless festival|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/wireless-festival-left-finsbury-park-looking-like-a-dustbowl-10380811.html|access-date=2021-08-02|website=Standard|language=en}}</ref> They lost the case,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/fofp-v-haringey-lbc-judgment-16112017.pdf|title=IN THE COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION) ON APPEAL FROM THE HIGH COURT QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION (PLANNING COURT) THE HON MR JUSTICE SUPPERSTONE [2016] EWHC 1454 (Admin)|website=Judiciary.uk|access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref> but the decision made it abundantly clear that the council held Finsbury Park in trust, and that any funds raised in the park from events must be used for the park itself. This somewhat reduced the number of events in the park, moving forward, but also allowed for more rational investments to be made in improving the park (e.g., maintaining the property, new playgrounds, refreshing the Richard Hope play space, etc).

===Filming===
Finsbury Park has been used as a filming location for [[music video]]s such as [[Groove Armada]]'s "[[Song 4 Mutya]]", feature films such as [[Rachid Bouchareb]]'s ''[[London River]]'' and TV programmes such as ''[[Silent Witness]]''.<ref name="HaringeyOnFilm">{{cite web |title=Haringey on Film |url=https://www.haringey.gov.uk/business/filming-haringey/haringey-film |publisher=Haringey Council |access-date=19 May 2020}}</ref>