Incident and response
A 41-year-old man died and at least six other people were injured after a large sign fell at a Christian festival in West Sussex on Friday, according to Sussex police. The victim was later named as Robert Guanco, a pastor at the Jesus Living Water Church in Eastbourne, East Sussex, as reported by The Guardian and ie.
The incident occurred at the Big Church festival near Steyning in West Sussex. Police said Guanco was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, Sussex police said.
At least six other people were taken to hospital for treatment, according to The Guardian, which cited police. Four of those injured were taken to hospital, the same outlet reported, while the exact number of hospitalisations varied between reports.
The sign, which read "Everything's Unmissable", was reportedly blown over in the wind. Festivalgoers told The Guardian they rushed to lift the heavy sign after it fell. The cause of the sign's failure has not been officially determined, and no fault has been assigned.
Police remained at the scene on Friday night, and people were advised to avoid the area. The incident has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive and local authority, Sussex police said, as reported by The Guardian. Police urged anyone with information or relevant video footage to come forward, with Detective Chief Superintendent Richard McDonagh saying: "This is a tragic incident and our thoughts go out to the man's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."
Festival cancelled
The Big Church festival, billed by organisers as the UK's biggest Christian festival, was due to run from Friday until Sunday. Following the incident, organisers announced the event was brought to an early close.
In a statement, organisers said: "We are devastated by the serious incident that took place at Big Church festival 2026 today, in which a sign fell, injuring at least seven people, one of whom tragically lost their life. First and foremost, all of our thoughts are with those who have been affected, their families and friends, and everyone who witnessed what happened. Following today's incident, we have made the decision to bring Big Church festival 2026 to a close."
In a separate post on Instagram shortly after 30pm, organisers told attendees the show had been cancelled and all day visitors "must leave the site now", as reported by The Guardian. God TV, which had been broadcasting the festival, announced that "due to unforeseen circumstances" the live stream had been cut, according to the same report.
Tributes and support
Guanco's church, Jesus Living Water Church in Eastbourne, paid tribute to him in a social media post, describing him as a "blessing to so many people whose lives he touched". The post continued: "There are many things we may never fully understand, and our hearts may struggle to make sense of what has happened. Yet, even in our deepest sorrow, we continue to trust in the sovereignty of God."
The church launched a GoFundMe page to support Guanco's family, who it said faced "unimaginable loss". The page described Guanco as "a faithful servant of God, a loving husband to Isay, a devoted and caring father to Ellie, and a blessing to so many people whose lives he touched". As of the latest reports, the page had raised over €142,000 from nearly 4,000 contributors, according to ie.
Gospel singer CeCe Winans, one of the festival's headliners, wrote on Facebook offering prayers for those impacted, as reported by ie. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, said she was "sad and shocked" by the incident, according to The Guardian.
Detective Chief Superintendent McDonagh added: "I recognise the immense distress this will have caused people at the festival, and we are working with a number of partners as we seek to establish exactly what happened." He also noted that "there were thousands of people at the festival" and urged anyone with information to come forward.