A man who died after a sign collapsed at the Big Church Festival has been named as Pastor Robert Guanco, according to a Big Church Festival public statement. The Big Church Festival sign death occurred on Friday afternoon at Wiston Park, near Steyning in West Sussex, injuring at least seven people and prompting the cancellation of the remainder of the event.
What happened at the Big Church Festival
Sussex Police said it was called to the site at about 15:38 BST on Friday. A 41-year-old man from Eastbourne in East Sussex was confirmed dead at the scene. Theo Saville, who was present, said a ‘large wooden sign’ had collapsed near the entrance to a tented area.
South East Coast Ambulance Service said four of the six people it recorded as injured were taken to local hospitals for further treatment. Two of those had serious injuries. According to Eternal Flames, five people were assessed and treated at the scene by the ambulance service.
The festival’s own statement said at least seven people were injured in total, one of whom ‘tragically lost their life’. Organisers said they are ‘devastated by the serious incident that took place at Big Church Festival 2026 today’.
Operation Igloo and the ongoing investigation
The case is being handled under Operation Igloo, according to Eternal Flames. Organisers confirmed they are working with the emergency services, Sussex Police and the Health and Safety Executive as the circumstances surrounding the incident are established. The local authority has also been informed.
Sussex Police is urging anyone with information to contact them directly.
Festival cancelled, community in shock
The Big Church Festival, which describes itself as the UK’s biggest Christian festival and was founded in 2009, had been due to run until Sunday. Organisers took the decision to cancel the remainder of the event following the incident on Friday.
The Reverend James Di Castiglione, rector of the parish of Chanctonbury in which the festival takes place, described it as a ‘huge shock to everyone locally’. ‘We are all experiencing emotional whiplash about what’s happened really because Big Church Festival is such a time of joy and unity and love and celebration,’ he said.
Di Castiglione said there was ‘just a sense of confusion and shock that was rippling across the site’ at the time. He described the news as ‘just the worst lightning bolt of tragic news striking everybody’s hearts’.
Christian parent support charity ParentFuel, whose members were at the festival, confirmed all its people were safe. Writing on social media on Saturday morning, the charity said it ‘cannot praise the BCF team enough for the way things have been handled’. It described the incident as a ‘freak accident’ and added: ‘Life is so precious and so, so short. This weekend brought that ever closer for us all.’
Organisers said they were ‘incredibly grateful to everyone who responded, and to our teams and community for the care they have shown one another’.
The Health and Safety Executive investigation into the Big Church Festival sign death is ongoing. Sussex Police continues to appeal for witnesses.
