When a social post draws a crowd: pop-up events without a plan

5,000

RSVPs within a day [2]

90 min

between reveal and start [2]

50+

people needs park permission [8]

“We went from 300 kids to a couple of thousands of kids in minutes.”

New York police chief, August 2023, as reported by CNN [20]

By OTAS Insights · Published by OTAS Live Ltd

On Saturday 31 October 2026, a second joust on hire e-bikes drew a large crowd to a park in Hackney, east London [1][2]. Within a day of the online invite, 5,000 people had RSVPed, LBC reported [2]. BBC News said RSVPs were capped online at 5,000, and the location was released two hours before [1]. LBC said an hour and a half before, once police approval was in place [2]. Reports of the crowd range from hundreds to thousands [2][3][5]. The council said it had not given permission for the event [1][3]. The organisers said they had told the council, had a safety team, and spoke to police before going ahead [3]. This Insight is for event professionals, and anyone asked to help with a gathering that starts as a post. It covers what was reported, how social posts draw crowds, who has a say over a public space, and how to plan when the crowd may be bigger than the invite.

In short: an RSVP cap does not cap a crowd in a public place. Ask the landowner and the council early, tell the police, plan for more people than you invite, keep crowds and traffic apart, and name the person in charge.

What was reported

Six reports cover the two jousts [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Each fact is given with its source. We describe the organisers and the hire e-bike operator rather than naming them.

Before the second joust

• The first joust Hundreds watched the first joust in the same park in mid October, and a video of it was watched more than four million times, BBC News reported [4]. The Observer put the crowd at about 1,000, with ten bamboo poles marking the arena [7]. One organiser told LBC they expected police to shut them down [6].
• The hope One organiser had hoped for 100,000 spectators, the Observer reported [7].
• The operator The hire e-bike operator said its bikes are designed for getting around the city, not for jousting, and that it discourages anyone from attempting similar events [4].
• The invite 5,000 people RSVPed within a day of the invite link going out, LBC reported [2]. The post announcing the rematch was shared more than 20,000 times, the North East Londoner reported [5].
• The plan The organisers told BBC News that crowd safety was their biggest priority. They planned a bigger space with an action zone, a dead zone and a spectator area, stewards for crowd control and health professionals on hand [1].

On the day, Saturday 31 October 2026

• The reveal Two hours before the start, BBC News reported [1]. An hour and a half before, after police approval, LBC reported [2].
• The crowd More than a thousand onlookers formed a clearing for the riders, LBC reported [2]. The Telegraph reported hundreds [3]. The North East Londoner reported thousands [5].
• The road The riders had to stop every few minutes to let a delivery van pass, LBC reported [2].
• The police The Metropolitan Police monitored the event and gave the go ahead a few hours before, the North East Londoner reported [5].
• The council The council said it had not given permission for the event to be held in the borough [1][3]. The organisers said they had told the council it was going ahead with a full safety team [3].
• Injury Paramedics on site were needed after one organiser hurt his wrist, the North East Londoner reported [5].

What these cases do and do not show

Facts and judgement are kept apart here. The facts carry source numbers. The rest is OTAS guidance.

Table 3. Facts and open questions in the cases. Facts from [1][2][3][5][17][18][19][21].

The joust was not disorder. It was a planned, good natured gathering with stewards and first aid [1][3][5]. The other two cases show what can happen when a post draws a crowd with no one in charge. The lesson for organisers is the same: the crowd a post draws is not the crowd you invited.

Who has a say over a gathering in a public space

In brief, from the council's events pages and policy [8][9], HSE [10][11] and the Licensing Act 2003 guidance [12]. It also draws on public order and anti social behaviour law [13][14], the Purple Guide [15] and Cabinet Office guidance [16]. Not legal advice.

The landowner

• In this borough, anyone holding an event for more than 50 people must apply for permission. This applies to events in a park, green space or street [8].
• The council recommends applying six months ahead for events of 250 to 4,999 people [8].
• Applications are reviewed by the police, the park user group and council teams. The council teams include licensing, noise, streetscene and community safety. The council may ask for an event management plan, insurance and a risk assessment [8].
• The council's policy says it may refuse an event that cannot show it can be delivered safely. It may also refuse an event that is refused support by one of the emergency services [9].

Safety law

• HSE says local authorities generally enforce health and safety at events [10]. Anyone running an event as a work activity has duties to the public.
• HSE guidance for organisers covers planning, running and reviewing an event. It also covers crowd management and how safety advisory groups work [22].
• HSE says organisers should put crowd controls in place, based on the risk. The risk includes the number of people, the space and the routes in and out [11].

Licensing

• A pop-up may sell alcohol or have some regulated entertainment. If so, a licence or a temporary event notice may be needed [12].
• In England and Wales, a temporary event notice covers no more than 499 people at any one time, including staff. A standard notice must be given at least ten working days before [12].

Police powers

• Police can impose conditions on public assemblies in some circumstances [13].
• In England and Wales, police can give a direction to leave an area under a dispersal authorisation. This power was used in central London in August 2023 [14][17].

Police approval, landowner permission and a licence are three different things. They come from three different bodies. A gathering can have one and not the others.

Who to ask, and what to ask

Before any post goes out. Sources shown. Not a full list.

Table 4. Who to ask before a pop-up. Sources shown.

Keep the answers in writing. If one body says no, the others agreeing does not change that.

Who owns what at a pop-up

Five roles, each with one named person. OTAS guidance, drawing on HSE [11] and the Purple Guide [15].

Table 5. Roles at a pop-up. OTAS guidance, drawing on HSE [11] and the council [8].

Why social posts make crowds hard to plan

In Hackney, an invite drew 5,000 RSVPs in a day [2], and one organiser had hoped for 100,000 spectators at the first joust [7]. In New York in 2023, police said the crowd went from about 300 to thousands in minutes after a post spread [19][20]. The rest of this section is OTAS guidance, drawing on Cabinet Office crowd guidance [16].

From a post to a planned gathering

1Ideaposted

2Groundagreed

3Crowdplanned

4Edgesheld

5Sitecleared

• No ticket, no count. An RSVP is not a ticket. In a public place anyone who sees the post can come, with friends.
• Shares multiply. A post shared thousands of times reaches people you did not invite and cannot contact on the day.
• Late reveals concentrate arrival. Releasing the location late can stop people camping out, but it sends everyone to one place within the same hour.
• The space has other users. Parks have paths, roads, dog walkers and delivery vans. LBC reported riders stopping for a van [2].
• Nobody is clearly in charge. If the council, the police and the organisers each think someone else is responsible, nobody is [16].

Tool: crowd size check for a free gathering

Use this before you post. OTAS guidance, drawing on HSE crowd guidance [11] and Cabinet Office guidance [16].

Estimate

• Count RSVPs, then plan for many more. A shared post reaches people you did not invite.
• Check how many times the post has been shared, and by whom.

The space

• Measure the usable area, leaving the activity area and routes clear.
• Find the edges: roads, water, paths, fences.
• Check at least two routes out, away from roads. HSE says to consider overflow space and additional routes to prevent crushing [11].

The limit

• Decide the most people the space can hold safely.
• Decide what you will do above that number: stop new arrivals, move, or stop the event.

Signs a post is drawing more than you planned

Signs 1 to 3 are drawn from the reports [1][2][4][5]. Signs 4 and 5 are OTAS guidance, drawing on the 2023 cases [17][19].

Signs a post is drawing more than you planned

1. 01RSVPs hit the cap fast

   The invite fills in a day [2].

2. 02Shares outrun invites

   The post is shared far more widely than your list [4][5].

3. 03A late reveal

   The plan depends on releasing the location shortly before [1][2].

4. 04People arrive early

   Groups gather before the time, near the likely spot [19].

5. 05Traffic in the crowd

   Vehicles have to pass through people [2].

Tool: go, hold or stop

When to go ahead, hold or stop, and who decides. Agree before the day. OTAS guidance.

Stopping is part of the plan, not a failure. Say in your invite that the event may stop if the crowd is too big, so people expect it.

Table 6. Go, hold or stop. OTAS guidance.

Plan a pop-up from the idea to the clear up

Five stages. OTAS guidance unless a source is shown.

Five stages, from the idea to the clear up

Stage 1AskLandowner first

Stage 2SizePlan for more

Stage 3StaffOne person in charge

Stage 4RunEdges and traffic

Stage 5ClearLeave it clean

Ask

Ask the landowner or council before you post. In this borough, more than 50 people needs permission [8]. Tell the police what you plan.

Size

Plan for more people than you invite. Pick a space with room to spare, clear edges and routes away from roads [11].

Staff

Name one person in charge. Brief stewards and first aiders, and agree how you will stop the event if the crowd grows too big [11][15].

Run

Hold the edges, keep people and traffic apart, watch the crowd and post updates. Stop if the plan no longer fits the crowd.

Clear

Leave the space as you found it. Thank the neighbours, and report back to the council [8].

Tool: steward brief for a pop-up

Read to every steward and helper before the location is released. OTAS guidance.

Your job

• Know who is in charge and how to reach them.
• Hold your edge. Keep people out of the activity area and off the road.
• Keep the routes out clear.

If the crowd grows

• Call it in early.
• Ask people to step back, calmly and clearly.
• If told to stop, help people leave by the routes out.

Vehicles

• Call in any vehicle that needs to pass.
• Guide it slowly, with the crowd held back.

Tool: what to post, and when

Short posts that help the crowd help you. OTAS guidance.

With the invite

• "This is a free event in a public park. Space is limited. If it is too busy when you arrive, please keep off the road and come back another time."

With the location

• "Please stay behind the markers, keep paths and roads clear, and follow the stewards in [colour]."

If you stop

• "We have stopped for safety. Thank you. Please leave by the main paths and do not walk in the road."

Post updates from one account, and repeat key messages. People act on the information they have [16].

The first ten minutes after the crowd outgrows the plan

OTAS guidance. Agree it with your team and the police contact before the day.

First minute

• The organiser in charge holds the activity.
• Stewards ask people back from the activity area and the road.

Next five minutes

• Post an update, and use a loud hailer if you have one.
• Call the police contact. Call 999 if anyone is hurt or in danger.
• Clear a route for any vehicle or ambulance.

Up to ten minutes

• Decide to restart in a bigger space, or stop.
• If you stop, say so clearly and help people leave by safe routes.
• Note times, numbers and decisions.

Action box

Operational

• Know who is in charge
• Keep off the road
• Watch the edges

Know who is in charge. Keep people off the road and out of the activity area. Watch the edges of the crowd, not just the middle. Call in any vehicle that needs to pass.

Tactical

• Mark edges and routes
• Crowd and traffic apart
• Ready to stop

Mark the edges and the routes out. Keep crowd and traffic apart. Agree a stop signal, and be ready to stop if the crowd outgrows the space. Post updates online.

Strategic

• Landowner first
• Plan for more
• Name who is in charge

Ask the landowner and council before you post, and tell the police. Plan for more people than you invite. Check whether any licence is needed [12]. Name the person in charge.

Readiness checklist

OTAS guidance unless a source is shown.

Before you post

• Landowner or council asked, answer in writing [8].
• Police told.
• Licence need checked [12].
• Person in charge named.

Before the location goes out

• Space measured, edges and routes marked [11].
• Stewards and first aid in place.
• Posts written.

On the day

• Crowd watched against the limit.
• Roads kept clear.

After

• Site cleared.
• Report back to the council and police.

What we do not know yet

• What the police were asked, and what they agreed [2][5].
• Whether the council will take further action [1].
• The total number of people present. Reports range from hundreds to thousands [2][3][5].
• Whether a third joust is planned, and where.

Coming up: festive pop-ups

Christmas jumper runs, carol flash mobs, free giveaways and light switch on watch parties are often shared online first and planned second. Dark evenings and busy streets make a bigger crowd than expected harder to manage. Ask the landowner and tell the police before the post goes out [8][11].

Frequently asked questions

Do we need permission for a free gathering in a park?

Usually, from the landowner. In this borough, any event for more than 50 people in a park, green space or street needs permission [8]. Ask the council for its own rules.

The police said yes. Is that enough?

No. Police approval is not landowner permission, and neither is a licence. The council said it had not given permission for the joust, though the organisers said they had told it and spoke to police [1][3].

Does an RSVP cap limit the crowd?

Not in a public place. Anyone who sees the post can come. Plan for more people than you invite.

Should we release the location late?

It can stop people gathering early, but it sends everyone at once. If you do it, have stewards in place first, and tell the landowner and police where.

Do we need a licence?

Only if there are licensable activities, such as selling alcohol or some regulated entertainment. In England and Wales, a temporary event notice covers up to 499 people at any one time [12].

What if the crowd gets too big?

Stop the activity, tell people clearly, and help them leave by safe routes. Agree this before the day, and who makes the call [11][16].

Related OTAS Insights

These are links to other OTAS Insights pieces, not to any OTAS Live product or service.

• What licensing committees ask of new festivals
• When everyone is told to come in at once

Interest: OTAS Live Ltd, which publishes OTAS Insights, sells event operations services, handbooks and training related to this topic.

Law: this Insight summarises council, HSE, Purple Guide and Cabinet Office guidance, with the Licensing Act 2003 guidance, the Public Order Act 1986 and the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. These cover England and Wales, and section 14 of the 1986 Act also covers Scotland. It is not legal advice. Ask the landowner, the council and the police what applies to your event.

References

Web sources opened 9 November 2026 and labelled with their publisher.

1. BBC News, organisers say e-bike jousting is performance art, 1 November 2026 bbc.co.uk
2. LBC, thousands turn up to watch round two of an e-bike jousting event in east London, 31 October 2026 lbc.co.uk
3. The Telegraph, e-bike jousters defy warnings from the operator, 1 November 2026 telegraph.co.uk
4. BBC News, hire e-bike operator says its bikes are not for jousting, 19 October 2026 bbc.co.uk
5. North East Londoner, second e-bike joust draws thousands, 7 November 2026 nelondoner.co.uk
6. LBC, hundreds gather for e-bike jousting event in east London, 18 October 2026 lbc.co.uk
7. The Observer, these bikes are made for jousting, 26 October 2026 observer.co.uk
8. Hackney Council, holding events in parks, green spaces and streets hackney.gov.uk
9. Hackney Council, parks and green spaces events policy app1.apply4.com
10. HSE, event safety, frequently asked questions hse.gov.uk
11. HSE, event safety, put crowd controls in place hse.gov.uk
12. Home Office, revised guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, chapter 7, temporary event notices, updated 3 November 2026 gov.uk
13. Public Order Act 1986, section 14, conditions on public assemblies legislation.gov.uk
14. Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, section 35, directions excluding a person from an area legislation.gov.uk
15. The Purple Guide, safety advisory groups thepurpleguide.co.uk
16. Cabinet Office, Understanding crowd behaviours: guidance and lessons identified gov.uk
17. BBC News, nine arrested after dispersal orders in central London, 9 August 2023 bbc.co.uk
18. LondonWorld, what happened on Oxford Street, August 2023 londonworld.com
19. CBS News New York, officers attacked and crushed during a giveaway crowd, 4 August 2023 cbsnews.com
20. CNN, giveaway post draws crowds to a New York park, 4 August 2023 cnn.com
21. The Guardian, arrests amid a social media robbery campaign in central London, 9 August 2023 theguardian.com
22. HSE, event safety guidance for organisers hse.gov.uk

If a post drew ten times the crowd to your next event, who would be in charge, and where would the crowd stand?

If you need support with planning a pop-up or free gathering, reach out to us to see how we can support you.

Events industry since 2008, internationally since 2015. OTAS Live Ltd. By OTAS Insights. Edited by Kris Dailly.