Mighty Hoopla says it stands against “unethical investments” of KKR
Mighty Hoopla has shared a statement regarding its ownership by Superstruct, whose parent company KKR has recently come under fire for having stakes in weapons manufacturing companies, the Coastal GasLink pipeline, and a number of Israeli corporations that operate in occupied Palestinian territories.
The London queer festival released a statement on Instagram about its ownership earlier today (May 16), amidst backlash against other Superstruct-owned music companies, including Field Day and Boiler Room.
Mighty Hoopla said that it stands in opposition of the “unethical investments” of KKR, adding that it had no involvement or knowledge of Superstruct’s change of hand back in October 2024 when KKR purchased the company.
Read this next: Field Day issues statement following artist boycott over ties to KKR: “We had no say”
“As an LGBTQ+ inclusive festival, we take issues of complicity and transparency extremely seriously and without any knowledge, we have become caught up in something we unequivocally stand against,” the statement reads.
“Might Hoopla became part of Superstruct in April 2023, in order not only to deliver a better quality event, but also to help secure the future of the festival.
“In October 2024, Superstruct itself had a change of ownership when its then parent company sold their interest to a new investor, KKR – a transaction that we were not involved with and had no knowledge of until its completion.”
Read this next: Midland, Roza Terenzi, and more, join Sisu Crew in pulling out of Field Day in boycott of KKR ownership
The festival affirmed that KKR’s “unethical investments”, particularly those in “complicit Israeli corporations”, directly counter what the festival stands for.
“We recognise that the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice, ruled that Israel is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza and that it is practicing apartheid and occupation against the Palestinian people.”
It continues: “Whilst we cannot control agreements or investments made in our parent companies, we wish to state our clear opposition to KKR’s unethical investments.”
Read this next: Boiler Room issues statement concerning new owners Superstruct/KKR
In March, South Asian collective Daytimers pulled out of scheduled appearances at both Mighty Hoopla and Lost Village due to Superstruct’s acquisition by KKR.
Over the past few weeks, an open letter was published to Field Day asking the London festival to distance itself from the investments of KKR, which received signatures from over 230 artists. A subsequent artist boycott has seen more than 15 artists pull from this year’s line-up.
Yesterday, May 15, Field Day released a statement in response, saying that the festival “had no say” in KKR’s acquisition of Superstruct, and that it remains in “full creative control” with “unchanged” values.
Read the full statement from Mighty Hoopla below.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter
