Sadiq Khan responds to St Paul’s Cathedral and Fabric live event partnership after religious outcry

Sadiq Khan has responded to the new partnership between St Paul’s Cathedral and Fabric, which will see live music hosted there over the next four years.

Fabric announced last week that it had collaborated with the historic cathedral in a four-year-long partnership, which would see it become the “exclusive partner for contemporary music events from 2026 through to 2030”.

Already it has hosted two events at the iconic building ahead of the partnership – a show by RY X in 2024, and an intimate gig from Patti Smith in 2025.

“Both events showed us what can happen when contemporary music is placed within a space with such a deep sense of history, architecture and atmosphere,” Fabric shared. “This new partnership gives us the opportunity to explore that relationship over a much longer period.”

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It also shared that the deal will create shows from a “broad range of artists from across the contemporary music landscape”, each of which will be especially designed to fit with the venue, and the “acoustics, architecture and unique atmosphere will form an important part of every performance”.

While Fabric co-founder Cameron Leslie described it as a way to “bring people together through music and create experiences that stay with people”, the move has divided some people.

Peregrine Hood – a relative of Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson and president of the Nelson Society – for instance called it an “insult” to the memory of the British navy commander.
“Nelson came from a family steeped in the Church, and perhaps it is this misuse of a holy site that would have caused him even greater unease than the prospect of dancing on his grave.”

Hood continued: “Is nothing sacred any more? What a sad reflection on where spiritual integrity and Christianity are today. St Paul’s Cathedral positioning itself in this way is deeply depressing.”

Now, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has also weighed in on the decision to join forces with Fabric, and showed his backing for the move.

“Fabric. St Paul’s Cathedral. Name a more iconic duo,” he wrote on X/Twitter. “Bringing together these two institutions will create a one-of-a-kind experience, pairing world-class music with one of our most special landmarks.”

Fabric. St Paul’s Cathedral. Name a more iconic duo.

Bringing together these two institutions will create a one-of-a-kind experience, pairing world-class music with one of our most special landmarks.https://t.co/4PyeVbKdnv

— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) September 6, 2026

Word has just come down that St. Paul’s Cathedral in London—the second most important church in the Anglican world—has imitated Canterbury Cathedral in permitting “raves,” nightclub-like entertainments, to take place in its confines.

The usual reasons for acquiescing to this…

— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) September 7, 2026

US Bishop Robert Barron, however strongly disagreed, writing on X that “having ‘raves’ in the nave of one of the most sacred spaces in the Christian world is, I’m sad to say, another sign of our pitiful surrender to ideological secularism”.

The first event is set to take place on October 29, and more details about it will be available at a later date. Visit here for more information and updates.