Man dead and at least six injured by 'falling sign' at Christian festival as organisers declare serious incident
Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after 5:30pm on Friday
A 41-year-old man has died and at least six people have been injured after a sign fell on attendees at a Christian festival in the UK.
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At least six people were taken to hospital for treatment and a 41-year-old man from Eastbourne died at the scene, police announced.
Organisers declared a "serious incident" at the Big Church event in West Sussex, which was evacuated on Friday evening.
Attendees were told they "must leave the show now" shortly after 5:30pm while emergency services rushed to the scene.
Sussex Police said crews were at the scene at Wiston Park near Steyning, following reports a sign had fallen and injured a number of people at the site.
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Due to unforeseen circumstances, the BIG CHURCH FESTIVAL livestream is temporarily paused.
— GOD TV (@GODTV) August 28, 2026
The Met Office had urged festival-goers to prepare for windy conditions over the bank holiday weekend.
According to its UK weather map, wind speeds of up to 27mph were recorded in Shoreham, West Sussex, on Friday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the police said: "Police were called at around 3.38pm and remain at the scene, assisting other emergency services, at this time."
South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) said its crews were called to reports that "multiple people" needed medical attention.
"Ambulance crews, critical care paramedics and specialist response teams are currently on scene with six patients confirmed so far," a spokesperson said.
"We have no further information to share at this time but will provide updates as soon as possible."
⚠️ Big Church Festival Shuttle Bus Service ⚠️
— Compass Travel (@compassbus) August 28, 2026
❌ Due to a serious incident at the festival, we have been asked to suspend all our shuttle bus services from Shoreham & Steyning to the Site for the rest of today - shuttle buses from site back to Shoreham will continue. ❌
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The festival began on Friday and had been set to run until Sunday.
Big Church Festival said on Instagram: "We are very sorry to inform you that today’s show has been cancelled due to a serious incident.
"All day visitors must leave the site now. If you are camping with us, please return to your campsite and await further updates.
"Campers may leave the site if they wish to do so. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
"We will share further updates as soon as we can."
Big Church Festival was founded in 2009 and is the UK's biggest Christian festival, its website says.
The event was being live-streamed by GOD TV confirmed but was abruplty suspended as the incident unfolded.
An air ambulance was also seen landing near the scene.