‘Trendy' Luke Littler to headline pop festival with Sabrina Carpenter

Telegraph

22-04-2025

Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo are among the headline acts booked for the annual series of British Summer Time Hyde Park concerts.
The third headliner is more unexpected. Luke Littler will take to the stage in a darts tournament, as promoters cash in on the sport's soaring popularity with young audiences.
The 18-year-old features alongside Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Fallon Sherrock in the championship on July 8.
The tournament will take place on an outdoor stage in the Royal Park and has been masterminded by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
The event will be held two days after Carpenter performs a double bill of weekend concerts. Rodrigo will open the festival, which ends with gigs by Neil Young, Stevie Wonder and Jeff Lynne's ELO.
Matthew Porter, the chief executive of the PDC, described it as 'a really exciting concept' and said: 'We're really looking forward to putting on a world class darts show.'
He added: 'The organisers approached us to say they had a gap in their music schedule. We normally only stage professional tournaments but this is something a bit different, something with a nice profile.
'It shows where darts is positioned in the cultural landscape now. It's in a very different place to where it was 20 or 30 years ago. And, spearheaded by Luke Littler, the sport is younger – not just the audience but the players are from a younger demographic. People like the fact that it's authentic. It doesn't have that Premier League feeling of elitism. Part of the appeal is that it's normal people playing elite level sport, and in a fun environment.'
Spectators will be seated at bierkeller-style trestle tables, as they are at Ally Pally. Porter said: 'Outdoors and darts don't generally mix, for obvious reasons. But the stage will be protected from the elements.
'It's an opportunity to watch the best players in the world and with all the elements that you see on TV: fancy dress, 180 cards and a few drinks.'
The four players are expected to compete against one another in a knockout tournament before ending with a pro-am session in which they will be partnered with celebrities including Olly Murs, Roman Kemp and Dion Dublin.
Dublin, the former footballer turned Homes Under the Hammer presenter, said: 'Never thought I'd swap the pitch for the oche, but I'll give it a go. Music, legends and darts – what more could you wish for?'
Ticket holders will be encouraged to wear fancy dress, just as they do for the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. The action begins at 6.30pm and organisers hope that people will flock to the park after work. Tickets include access to a craft drinks festival with street food and DJs.
Littler has been credited with making darts cool to Gen Z after he became the youngest World Darts Championship finalist in 2024, aged 16, and the youngest world champion a year later.
His last brush with showbiz was an appearance on ITV's Jonathan Ross Show, where he demonstrated his darts skills to the Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown, who was a fellow guest on the programme. But this will be the first time he has shared a bill with pop stars.
While Littler has made history at the oche, Sabrina Carpenter has set records of her own. The former Disney Channel star had the most-streamed song of 2024 with Espresso, and one of the most complained-about performances of 2025 with her raunchy opener at the Brit Awards.
Littler's competitors at the tournament are also the sport's biggest names. Humphries tops the PDC Order of Merit, based on prize money won over the last two years, and beat Littler in the 2024 PDC final.
Michael van Gerwen is the three-time PDC world champion from the Netherlands, while Fallon Sherrock made history as the first woman to beat a man at the world championship.