Throughout the summer, the first four-weekend-long East Bank Festival series has been a big hit, drawing crowds to Olympic Park for a cool and varied programme of free-to-enjoy music, dancing and culture-led encounters.

The theme of this first year tied in with the inaugural exhibition at the V&A East, with four different takes on the concept of The Music is Black. The season culminates with final live shows this weekend 12th-13th Sept, with Black to the Future, curated by promising rapper FLOHIO, local party starters The Blues Project, and podcaster-choreographer Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe.

Not only will there be loads to see on the waterfront and at Sadler’s Wells East, but the party then spills over the water to Hackney Wick on the Sunday evening, with a special Music is Black at The Yard party at the newly reopened The Yard Theatre.

East Bank’s Head of Programmes, Holly Hunter told The Wick: “teaming up with The Yard just as they open their new theatre - during East Bank’s inaugural festival season - is a true celebration of local creative energy. This first edition extends the East Bank outdoor music stage to the Wick, featuring performances from Elijah, Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson alongside rich conversations in the new space that explore Black British music and legacy, all filmed for a new digital archive.”

Finally, from 5pm, the party moves across Queen’s Yard to the Colour Factory, for a free party up on he terrace with plentyppl, CasuallyClued and Marvin Jupiter, rounding off a brilliant summer-long festival series, and hinting at the possibilities of what might be in store in 2027, too.

By now, pretty much all subscribers should have had a separate invite to join The Wick Community, which last week also included a very tasty 50% off festival tickets exclusive offer 😉

It’s now open and free for all to participate, so do head over there, introduce yourself, post an event, a tasty offer you’ve spotted offer or something else you’d like to share with the community for free, and have a chat with others.

At last month’s free-to-attend CIG + Social Drinks (details on the Sept edition below), Simon from innovative locally-based tea brand Taste Invader showcased some of his booze-inspired brews, the whiskey sour and juicy IPA teas, which were a hit with everyone in need of refreshment on a blistering day aboard The Milk Float. It was such fun we thought we’d make a sampling or demonstration a regular feature of the meetings, so if you’ve got a product you’d like to share with an appreciative and captive audience, reach out to [email protected]

☕ Just opened this week is new hole-in-the-wall style coffee pitstop Common by Hour, on Wallis Rd. As the name implies, it hails from the popular Hour hair studio just around the corner in Mainyard, who are moving their top quality barista operation to a dedicated spot all of its own. You’ll be glad to hear the coffee is just as good served from this new space, which picks up a lot more passing trade, and was busy right from the off on their first day of trading earlier this week.

We’ve been working with the team at Hour as the pickup point for online orders of The Wick Book, so if you’ve not got yours yet, why not order one of the final few copies and drop by to pick it up while checking out the salon and new coffee kiosk? And you can also read their in-depth feature on the website, as part of The Wick’s growing network of independent local business profiles.

🏳️‍🌈Queer Edge Dine, the new experience from Queer Edge (read more about the past, present and future of QE in our rolling Nightlife Campaign series here), still have tickets for grabs for their dining event tomorrow, Thurs 10th Sept. QE takes over the restaurant at Fish Island’s Unlock for one big gay dinner party - a three course dinner made by local queer chefs, paired with entertainment by Rhys’ Pieces.

🥒The Big Brine is London’s first festival celebrating all things pickled, fermented and brining, at Hackney Bridge on Sat 12th - Sun 13th Sept. Taste, sip and crunch your way through the latest briney creations, plus live music, chef demos and more entertainment.

🪑Béton Brut are presenting The Masur Edition for London Design Festival from Sat 12th-Sun 20th Sept, bringing together four iconic 1936 designs by Bauhaus pioneer Marcel Breuer, reimagined by Isokon in rare masur birch veneer. The exhibition explores Breuer’s experimental approach to wood and challenges the idea that his plywood furniture was meant to remain unadorned.

🌿On Sat 12th Sept, the Herb Garden at Trowbridge Gardens is hosting a Herbs for the Skin Workshop - talking you through some local herbs and how you can work them into your skin routine. The workshop shows you how to make herb infused essential oils, taking home your own herbal skin balm.

Check out local culture reviews, features & interviews every week on thisisthewick.com

🌀Ruggz & Friends takes over Colour Factory on Fri 11th Sept for a high tempo bass blowout, with Ruggz bringing together an extended crew of BLUMITSU, El-B, Nancy June, Pent1 and Coza.

🔊At 90 Hideout on Fri 11th Sept is Soundscape x Round About - a house music collaboration featuring a lineup of Silverlining, Ste Roberts, Adam Curtain, Sunny D, Buddy., IZZY (UK) and J Sains.

🌍Sat 12th Sept at Grow belongs to DeepDig this week, bringing together selectors Patrick Forge and Cosmo Sofi for an extended session featuring everything from Latin and global grooves to disco, broken beat, jazz and soul.

⚡Amalfi Music x Bassic is over at Vittoria Wharf Studio, stretching Sat 12th Sept into the early hours with an 11-hour house and electronic session - lineup includes Emi Ömar, Wooka, Oward, Aladdin!, Mickl, TTAM, Rhiavas, Ch3f, Jack Marsden, D1SC and Sonny Cadbury, with three live sets and a string of French electronic artists.

🕺Also at Colour Factory on Sat 12th Sept is another Howl Rave - the lube crew have run queer raves in London since 2019, with its parties centred around LGBTQ+ communities, sex positivity and bringing different queer scenes together.

♻️Refill Therapy has officially reopened in Hackney Wick, now to be found at 15 Copper Street, just a short walk over the Lea Navigation from their original Wallis Rd store. They’ve also closed their nearby East Village spot to focus all operations on this new site filled with refillable household essentials and plastic-free products for anyone looking to make their weekly shop a little less wasteful.

🏠Head over to the Bridge House launch at Wickside, Sat 12th Sept, to view the area’s new Shared Ownership homes, designed by award-winning architects Studio Shaw. Coinciding with Open House Festival, it's an opportunity to see Bridge House from every angle, with 1, 2 & 3-bedroom flats available to view. Book your space at the launch event to speak to the sales team, and then book a different slot at the Open House with Studio Shaw.

💡Coworking Week is back at Plexal, Here East from Mon 14th - Fri 18th Sept - welcoming startups, corporates, creatives and freelancers for a week of innovation, collaboration and community – completely free of charge. Access the link for the free pass here.

🏃 Team Marathon London is bringing a new kind of running event to Hackney Wick in May 2027. Rather than one person taking on the full 26.2 miles, teams of four will each run 10.55km together, with no relay handover. The race will be wrapped up in a festival-style atmosphere with DJs, live music, a brass band, street food and drinks. Tickets start at £26.20 per runner. Join the waiting list here to grab tickets when released.

☕️Donald’s has opened its first London spot at 455 Wick Lane, bringing its mix of handmade pies, specialty coffee, freshly baked cookies, sausage rolls and more. Inspired by the everyday coffee-and-pie culture of New Zealand, Donald’s has built a following in Cardiff over the past two years - and is now making its first move outside Wales. Open 10am–4pm every Sat and Sun, with pies including Mince Beef & Cheddar, Butter Chicken Curry, Ratatouille & Vegan Feta and BBQ Pulled Pork.

🥳 Planning an upcoming party and looking for a stunning local location? Timber Lodge, the striking Park-side venue on Honour Lea Avenue is offering readers of The Wick free venue hire and a very affordable discount minimum bar spend of only £950 (18+ parties only). Reach out to them via [email protected] or brewstreet.uk and simply quote THEWICK50 to get the special discount.

🌿 Sustainable seaweed packaging company Notpla is looking for a Graphic Designer to join its creative team. The full-time, permanent role involves everything from brand and campaign work to social, events and physical design, helping shape their visual identity. Notpla is also offering EMI share options, a zero-carbon pension and a hybrid working setup. Applications close 26th Sept. Apply here.

📈London College of Fashion’s Help to Grow Management Course is designed for leaders and senior managers of UK SMEs, covering everything from strategy and innovation to marketing, finance, digital transformation and building high-performing teams. The programme combines online learning with face-to-face sessions at LCF’s East Bank campus, plus 1:1 mentoring to help you develop a practical Growth Action Plan for your business. The programme is 90% government-funded, with eligible participants paying £750. The next cohort starts 4th Nov. Find out more and register your interest.

🚀Discover Creative Careers has launched a fresh chapter as an expanded UK-wide initiative designed to make creative careers accessible to all young people (ages 11–24), particularly those from underrepresented communities. Delivered by the Creative Careers Collective, the updated platform connects students, educators, and industry leaders with hands-on work experience opportunities, career resources, and pathways into the UK's creative economy.

📕 The Wick Book is a limited edition 160-page hardback historic record, looking at 15 years of culture, community and change in the neighbourhood through the pages of The Wick. We’re now down to the last 40+ copies.

BUSINESSES: profile your own local venture in a video and share your offers and events to over 8,000 locals via this newsletter and 1,000s more on our social channels. Sign up to The Wick Business Community today.

READERS: Join The Wick as a premium subscriber to support our independent culture journalism and we’ll give you a whole host of upcoming perks