One dead and six hospitalised after falling sign crushes festivalgoers in West Sussex

Fatal sign collapse at Wiston Park

A 41-year-old man from Eastbourne, East Sussex, died on Friday afternoon after a large sign collapsed during the Big Church Festival in West Sussex. The incident occurred at the festival grounds located at Wiston Park, off Washington Road near the town of Steyning. Emergency services received initial emergency calls reporting multiple casualties in need of medical attention around 3:30pm BST, with specific logs placing calls at approximately 3:38pm. First responders pronounced the 41-year-old man dead directly at the scene. Specialist officers from Sussex Police were assigned to notify the victim's next of kin and provide direct support to his family. Medical personnel treated multiple injured attendees on site before taking at least six people to nearby hospitals for further clinical care.

Multi-agency emergency response on site

The collapse triggered an immediate deployment of regional emergency services to the Wiston Park estate. Sussex Police, ambulance crews, critical care paramedics, and specialist response teams from the South East Coast Ambulance Service quickly arrived to administer first aid and secure the area around the fallen sign. Officers established safety cordons across the immediate perimeter to allow medical vehicles to reach the victims without obstruction. Sussex Police warned the public of anticipated traffic disruption along surrounding roads, advising motorists to seek alternative travel routes. Emergency personnel and police officers maintained a visible presence across the grounds through Friday night to monitor the location and manage site access.

Complete shutdown of festival proceedings

Following the accident, event organisers moved to shut down all activities across the multi-day Christian gathering. In an update published to Instagram shortly after 5:30pm on Friday, organisers informed attendees that the show was cancelled and ordered all day visitors to leave the site immediately. Management subsequently announced the total cancellation of the remainder of the festival, which was originally scheduled to run through Sunday. Event officials confirmed that at least seven people suffered injuries in the collapse, including the man who died.

First and foremost, all of our thoughts are with those who have been affected, their families and friends, and everyone who witnessed what happened. Following today's incident, we have made the decision to bring Big Church festival 2026 to a close.

Regulatory notifications and police witness appeals

Sussex Police confirmed that the fatal incident was officially reported to both the Health and Safety Executive and the local authority for formal regulatory scrutiny. Investigators are working alongside partners to establish the sequence of events that caused the sign to fall. Senior officers noted that thousands of people were attending the festival at the time of the collapse. Detective Chief Superintendent Richard McDonagh spoke on behalf of the force regarding the impact on attendees and the collaborative response.

I recognise the immense distress this will have caused people at the festival, and we are working with a number of partners as we seek to establish exactly what happened. We know there were thousands of people at the festival and we're urging anyone with any information, or any relevant video footage, to please come forward.

Investigators continue to request that anyone who captured video recordings of the incident, or who witnessed the structure falling, contact Sussex Police to assist with the inquiry. Police teams remained on site into late Friday evening to preserve the scene and collect relevant evidence from witnesses.