London electronic festivals Junction 2 and Paradise in the Park will both offer 100% vegetarian and vegan dining options for attendees this year.
This effort is by festival producer BM Park Live, which puts on these and other music events in the city’s Boston Manor Park.
Junction 2 happens July 25-27 with a lineup including Above & Beyond, Charlotte de Witte and deadmau5. Paradise In the City, the London iteration of Jamie Jones‘ globe-traveling Paradise party brand, is set for Aug. 2 at the park with a lineup including Jones, Vintage Culture and Seth Troxler. Attendance for Junction 2 is 45,000 across three days, while Paradise In The City will host 15,000.
This year’s 100% meat-free menus expand on BM Park Live’s NetZero 2025 program, which has phased out meat gradually over three years. In 2024, festival food vendors in the park served chicken, vegetarian and vegan options, but no red meat, while crew catering was 100% vegan.
The menu development has happened in collaboration with food trader management company Event Merch to ensure a diverse selection of 100% plant-based and vegetarian (including dairy) food options across BM Park Live’s festival roster.
The consumption of meat, and especially red meat, is a well-documented source of carbon emissions. A 2024 report by the World Resources Institute says animal agriculture is responsible for more than three-quarters of agricultural land use, 11%-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions and more than 30% of global methane emissions. The report also notes that meat production is a leading driver of recent tropical deforestation.
Notably, the more than 80 artists on this year’s Junction 2 lineup have agreed not to use private jets to travel to the festival this year. In terms of travel, all attendees are charged £1.75 (roughly $2.40) to offset travel emissions via the organization onboard:earth, which works to provide low-carbon travel options for live events.
BM Park Live’s NetZero 2025 initiative also includes the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil instead of diesel, which has a 90% lower carbon footprint; a reduction in the number of generators; and the switching out of diesel generators for batteries where possible. Food serveware is made from plastic-free materials that can be composted at a local facility, and all tea, coffee and hot chocolate served on the site is Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certified.
A rep for BM Park Live says that to date, the company has also protected 158 acres through The Rainforest Trust’s Climate Action Fund and planted 451 trees in Nicaragua and Northern Malawi.