It was part of a large expanse of woodland called Hornsey Wood that was cut further and further back for use as grazing land during the Middle Ages.

In 1841 the people of Finsbury on the northern perimeter of the City of London petitioned for a park to alleviate conditions of the poor.

[10] A £5 million Heritage Lottery Fund Award, made in 2003, enabled significant renovations including cleaning the lake, building a new cafe and children's playground and resurfacing and repairing the tennis courts.

The park now contains tennis courts, a running track, a softball field and many open spaces for various leisure activities.

There is also a lake home to many species of waterfowl, a children's play area, a cafe and an art exhibition space.

Sports facilities in the park include football pitches, a cycling club, a bowling green,[12] a skatepark,[13] an athletics stadium, and tennis and basketball courts.

Furthermore, there were the issues of damaged park property and yellowing, unsightly grass, as well as no-entry blockades due to the special events.

Local residents would be inconvenienced and prevented from accessing select areas and thoroughfares of the park, often for several days at a time, during the run of a festival.

"[18] A local group, The Friends of Finsbury Park, (unsuccessfully) took Haringey Council to the High Court in a bid to stop future large, live music events.