A free streetwear giveaway with no crowd plan turned Soho into a riot

On Saturday 22 February 2025, UK streetwear labels Poser London and Up In Flames advertised a 'free pop-up' in Carnaby Street, Soho, revealing the exact location on social media only that morning — a hype tactic the brands had used before. Within minutes, hundreds of teenagers who had seen the post on TikTok and Instagram converged on a small van handing out free clothing.

The crowd, estimated in the hundreds to thousands, crushed around the van; attendees reported being unable to breathe and some passed out. Video showed teens punching each other to grab items. Met Police officers, called at 12:09pm, found the situation escalate further when the crowd swarmed the police vehicles present — one boy was filmed stealing an officer's jacket and jumping on a car roof while chants of 'f*** the feds' rang out.

Scotland Yard confirmed a police vehicle was damaged and its contents stolen, and imposed a Section 35 Dispersal Order across the whole of Westminster until 11:59pm that night to clear the area. Two boys under 16 were arrested on suspicion of theft from a motor vehicle, criminal damage and affray, then bailed pending investigation.

Neither brand issued a public apology or safety statement; Poser London's Instagram acknowledged only that the event had been 'SHUTDOWN' with the caption 'love to everyone'. The stunt drew wider scrutiny of unmoderated, location-drop giveaways as a marketing format for reaching a teenage audience with no crowd-control plan in place.