Victoria Park was transformed into a sea of red and yellow on Sunday as around 50,000 Twenty One Pilots fans descended on East London for the final day of All Points East 2026. From camo clothing, black painted necks and hands, red bishop’s cloaks to yellow tape wrapped around wrists, bags and clothing, it was immediately obvious that this was far more than a festival day for many in attendance. This was a gathering of the Clique, a term given to the fans, by the fans, dating back to 2012.

Fans had travelled from across the UK and around the world, meeting in the queues before doors had even opened and exchanging handmade gifts, themed bracelets and Twenty One Pilots memorabilia. Clancy masks were everywhere, while others proudly displayed more outfits inspired by different eras of the band’s ever expanding universe.

Once the gates opened, dedicated fans rushed towards the barricade, determined to secure the closest possible view of the night’s headliners, choosing to stay put and wait it out. Elsewhere, festival goers began the task of choosing between what bands to see first. With such a packed alternative line up spread across the 6 stages, there was plenty of new music to discover before Twenty One Pilots hit the stage.

The festival also offered plenty away from the stages. A fan event called “The Few, The Proud and The Emotional” exhibition gave fans the chance to step inside the history of Twenty One Pilots. Setlists, handwritten lyric notes and clothing worn by Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun were displayed throughout a series of tents, charting the band’s journey from their earliest days to the present.

Fans could even dip their hands into Tyler’s trademark black paint, decorate their clothes with coloured tape and leave signed pieces of fabric around the exhibition. It felt less like a normal fan festival attraction and more like stepping directly into the band’s world.

LEAP

Opening the East Stage, LEAP had the difficult task of kicking off the biggest stage of the day, but they approached it with the confidence of a band much further up the bill.

Their alternative rock sound, blended with indie grunge influences, immediately filled the space, with frontman Jack Bixby throwing himself into the performance and working the enormous stage as though it belonged to him. Even among a crowd who may not have been familiar with their music, LEAP quickly won people over.

Songs including “Sinking Feeling”, “Play Dead” and “Do or Die” had people dancing and moving almost immediately. By the end of their set, the choruses were being shouted back by a crowd that had arrived early simply to secure their place for the rest of the day.

There was something refreshing about watching a band turn a massive festival slot into an opportunity to make thousands of new fans. LEAP didn’t need crazy stage productions to make an impression, their energy, catchy sound and natural stage presence did the work for them.

Reece Young

Over on the E3 Stage, Reece Young brought a very different energy to the festival. His set offered a more intimate setting to the enormous stages surrounding him, while still managing to attract a large crowd, eager to hear what the emerging artist had to offer.

Reece’s performance demonstrated why smaller stages at festivals such as All Points East are so important.
His set carried an emotional edge with his songs while maintaining the energy needed to keep the ever growing crowd inside the tent engaged.

The stage presence of Reece was what stood out. His ability to grab the crowd’s heart with his lyrics and then make them laugh between each song. Even getting his guitarist, Jacob to race a fan for the chance of a free t shirt. The outcome ending in the musician flat on his back, on the grass.

For those who had made the trip across the site to catch Reece and his band, it was another reminder that some of the day’s best discoveries can happen away from the headline stages.

Mouth Culture

Mouth Culture brought masses of alternative energy to the festival, delivering a set packed with attitude and infectious excitement.
Their music sits perfectly within the modern alternative scene, combining rock with an indie and pop vibe that translates particularly well to a festival environment.

The band wasted little time getting the crowd involved, jumping straight into performing “Ratbag” and creating the kind of energy where newcomers, unfamiliar with their music could find themselves moving along.
Their performance demonstrated exactly why the smaller stages can be some of the most exciting places to be at a festival.

Without the enormous production surrounding the headliners, Mouth Culture relied on the music, personality and connection with the crowd and it worked. The most exciting part of the set was hearing about the upcoming music that’s being worked on and getting to listen to the debut of the band’s new song, “Growing Pains” which will be released on the 14th September.

Honey Revenge

Honey Revenge were never going to let the energy drop. Their set was everything fans have come to expect from the LA based band. Huge bass lines, strong vocals from lead singer Devin Papadol and a truck load of  enthusiasm, especially from guitarist Donny Lloyd, that spread through the crowd.
They performed hits such as “Rerun”, “Airhead” and their newest release “Sunday Scaries”, showing the X Stage and it’s crowd, who’s boss when it comes to pop rock.

Inside the North Stage tent, Dead Pony delivered heavy riffs, Nova Twins kept the energy alive and Kid Kapachi with their punk sound and clean vocals, surprising plenty of people who had wandered into the tent without knowing exactly what to expect.

Twenty One Pilots

As the afternoon turned into evening, thousands of fans began making their way towards the East Stage. Whatever artists and bands they had spent the day watching, the final destination was the same. The headline act.

Twenty One Pilots arrival transformed the main Victoria Park stage. Their carefully constructed live show was every bit as ambitious as fans had hoped, combining the theatricality and storytelling of their previous tours with a huge festival sized production.

The stage design had elements of the BREACH tour, while the infamous burning cars from previous eras returned as part of the B stage. A towering scaffolding structure housed Josh Dun’s drum kit, while pyro, CO2 cannons, lighting and enormous video screens turned the park into something reminiscent to a gigantic Twenty One Pilots arena show.

For two hours, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun kept 50,000 people completely engaged.
The crowd knew every word, singing along but there were moments when the noise disappeared completely so Josh could take centre stage, each time greeted by an enormous reaction.

What made the show particularly special was the sense of community. Twenty One Pilots have always built their live shows around connection between the band and their audience. That connection was evident throughout the performance. Fans held platforms above their heads for the band to stand on, Tyler and Josh interacted with people along the route to the B stage, and sunglasses were swapped with fans along the way.
One of the most memorable moments came during “Chlorine”, when Tyler was joined by a group of fans dressed as Neds, A fictional white horned creature, created by the lead singer.

The band’s ability to make such a huge crowd feel involved was remarkable.
Tyler’s multi instrumental abilities were also on full display, with songs flowing into unexpected mash ups and covers. The set incorporated moments from The Beatles song “Let It Be”, Radiohead’s “Creep” and Twenty One Pilots’ cover of The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army”.
The setlist travelled through the band’s history, touching on fan favourites from their albums “Vessel” through to “Breach”,  while their latest single “Drag Path” provided one of the most emotional moments of the night.

Perhaps the most meaningful part of the evening was seeing Twenty One Pilots use their headline position to shine a light on the artists who had performed throughout the day.
Tyler and Josh acknowledged the bands and artists who had shared the festival with them before bringing Emi Grace back onto the stage for the live debut of “Robot Voices”.
The moment was electric. Emi shredded alongside Tyler while fans climbed onto shoulders to get a better view, turning what could have simply been another song into a genuinely emotional moment.
Josh Dun then took centre stage, climbing the enormous tower for “Drum Show” while wearing his All Points East shorts. From the top of the structure, he performed above a roaring crowd as thousands of phones captured the moment.

Tyler also brought a security guard named Lucas onto the stage for “Ride”. The crowd quickly began chanting his name before Lucas joined in and delivered the chorus.
The moment was spontaneous, funny and completely in keeping with the spirit of the evening. More importantly, it showed the genuine connection between the band, their fans and the people working behind the scenes to make these huge shows possible.
By the time the final notes rang out across Victoria Park, All Points East had become more than simply a festival day.

It was a celebration of alternative music, community and the next generation of artists.
Twenty One Pilots headline performance demonstrated why they remain one of the most ambitious and exciting live acts around, but it was the sense of community running through the entire day that made the event so memorable.
People arrived as individual fans and left feeling like part of something much bigger.
You simply had to be there.

Words by Haylea Allison

Photography by Haylea Allison and Bethan Miller-Carey