Alexandra Palace and Park October 2026 Report

The September Consultative Committee focused on the Palace’s major building projects, several of which are entering the planning phase, as well as reviewing the summer concerts and looking ahead to this year’s fireworks and the World Darts Championship.

The largest item was the replacement of the Panorama Room, the tented event space behind the colonnade at the western end of the Palace. It was erected in 2003 with permission for just five years and has now reached the end of its life, with key clients including World Darts and World Snooker raising concerns. The proposal is for a single-storey replacement on a similar footprint, with its own toilets, bar, kitchen and cloakroom, designed to sit discreetly behind the colonnade with minimal fixings into the listed building. The project is expected to cost around £3.5 million, funded by a loan from Haringey. Planning and listed building consent applications are due to be submitted shortly, with a decision expected in January and construction scheduled from March to October 2027.

Three further listed building consent applications are in the pipeline: the first phase of the Creative Campus, bringing the North East Office Building and Theatre Courtyard back into use and upgrading the Transmitter Hall; permanent new toilets at the east end of the building to reduce reliance on hired temporary units at major events; and a replacement West Yard shutter. All depend on securing funding beyond the Trust’s current capital budget. The Creative Campus is reliant on a National Lottery Heritage Fund bid and construction is not expected to begin until 2028.

The first whole-building drone and thermal survey has also been completed to guide future repairs.

The Fireworks & Drone Festival moves this year to Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, rather than Friday and Saturday, to attract more families. Saturday will feature an 8pm display alongside a German Bier Festival, while Sunday will have a family focus with an earlier 6pm display. The bonfire, funfair, ice skating and DJ tent will run on both days. With up to 45,000 people expected each night, details of road closures will be published and shared with residents nearer the time.

The PDC World Darts Championship will then move into the Great Hall for the first time, running from 11 December to 3 January.

Looking back at the Summer Series, recorded sound levels peaked at 65dB, within the 75dB licence limit, and none of the 46 noise complaints related to an exceedance of the limit. However, the Trust is investigating an increase in complaints from parts of Muswell Hill not normally affected by event sound.