You’re going to be hearing a lot about the V&A East over the next few days, as the national media descended upon the QEOP this morning for the first look inside the angular new museum, which officially opens this Sat 18th Apr.

And while the column inches will doubtless be devoted to the excellent (and massive) debut exhibition, Music Is Black: A British Story, the impressive architecture and the quality of the 500+ artefacts in the permanent Why We Make galleries, the building is also a huge love letter to East London’s creative minds.

As well as featuring plenty of local output in the collections, V&A East Director, Gus Casely-Hayford, spoke of the years of outreach that has been going on, he personally having visited nearly 100 nearby schools to listen to local young voices and demonstrate to them that this is not going to be your typical aloof, slightly intimidating cultural space.

Consequently, the Music Is Black exhibition has something to capture the imagination of every generation of music lover, from the earliest crackly gramophone recordings to the latest grime hits, all played over some rather clever headsets that play the sound associated with whichever exhibit you are standing closest to.

Highlights include Stormzy’s iconic Banksy-designed stab vest from his Glastonbury 2019 headline set, drum & bass originator Grooverider’s first Technics turntable and the spangly shorts worn by DJ Paulette in photos from Manchester’s 90s LGBTQ+ club night, Flesh.

And locals should definitely make sure to head up to the top floor, not only for fabulous views across the Park, but also for an exhibition of photos depicting some of the 200+ businesses that were displaced from the QEOP site to make way for London 2012. It’s another very nice nod to the people who came before, from the institution that will be a focal point of the years to come around here.

🌶️Head to Riverside East as the London Reggae Festival comes to the Olympic Park this Sat 18th Apr with a springtime celebration of Caribbean culture. With the legendary Saxon Sound and Rampage Sound taking over the terrace, expect a day of suitably heavy basslines, rum punch, and authentic flavours on the grill. Limited free entry tickets if you arrive before 4pm, so get down early and secure your spot in this sun-drenched celebration of the diaspora.

✨ Sadler’s Wells East open their doors for the Get Into Dance Festival on Sunday 19th Apr. It’s an energetic, inclusive day designed to get the whole of East London moving through workshops and pop-up performances - from South Asian dance to hip hop. It all wraps up with a high-energy party on the floor with DJ Kathy.

📽️ The community-led Passenger Cinema is hosting a special edition event that blends film and dance at The Bath House on Sun 19th Apr. The unique night features a screening of the film Vengo (Tony Gatlif, 2000), followed by a flamenco class led by Maika Jiménez Blanco. The ongoing project aims to create intimate film screenings paired with shared experiences, focusing on stories of cultural identity, movement, and memory.

🏊 Yesterday kicked off a powerhouse week of high-energy racing as Britain’s elite swimmers compete in the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships 2026 at London Aquatics Centre daily until Sun 19th Apr. Olympic and Paralympic legends will be stepping onto the blocks to battle for national titles and selection for the upcoming European Championships.

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🔥The PLAYGRND crew takes over Colour Factory for a high-energy Spring Fever Edition of their Summer Series on Fri 17th Apr - blending premier Hip Hop, R&B, and dancehall rhythms to spark the season’s first big collective shift on the floor.

💃 Dive into the hypnotic world of Amazonian chicha and vintage Peruvian cumbia as Ritmo del Barrio take over Grow on Sat 18th Apr for a high-energy night of heavy basslines and tropical heat. Headline act Las Chanchas will perform alongside Guest DJ Danny Fitzgerald.

⭐ Local resident and serial party-starting publican, Rob Star, opened his first boozer down the road in Bethnal Green 18 years ago. He’s added a further eight pubs to the group since then, including, of course, The Lord Napier Star here in the Wick. Join the Electric Star crew on an epic 18th Birthday Pub Crawl to celebrate, this Sat 18th Apr, which begins at the The Star of King’s in King’s Cross at midday, passes through the Napier around 7pm, and ends up ‘until late’ at The Heathcote & Star. Expect goodie bags, freebies, special guest DJs and medals for anyone making it across the finish line.

🌱 Biosonification workshop and day rave, Plants Can Dance, where you get the chance to make music from plant electrical signals, is back at No.90 Hideout on Sun 19th Apr. Alongside musical experimentation, Earth Percent's Sophia Shnapp will be there to deliver her recent TEDx talk on the initiative to give nature a status as a co-composer, and bio-designer Paul Triechl talk about his new magazine and platform Feral Worlding.

🏛️ The next edition of Hackney Wick Town Hall takes place at Trowbridge Gardens today Wed 15th Apr from 6-8 pm with Becky Sampson from the Canal & River Trust exploring interventions to reduce crime and share experiences of being impacted by crime on the towpath, a chance to share local priorities and hear updates on ongoing projects and opportunities, too.

♻️ The HW&FI Community Development Trust is launching guidance supporting developers, local authorities and practitioners in creating Circular Economy Hubs at a special event at The Loop on Thurs 16th Apr, open to developers, planning and sustainability officers, consultants, academics and anyone interested in being part of such a hub.

🌍 Earth Week in Hackney Wick at Trowbridge Gardens Mon 20th Apr – Sun 26th Apr. This sustainable series features free workshops, making sessions, material reuse, and open studios designed to turn "waste" into a collective resource. The Loop: End of Cycle Celebration on Wed 22nd Apr will be a farewell festival for the Wallis Road hub.

🎨 Queen Mary University of London is seeking an East London-based artist to design an original, permanent artwork for its Mile End Campus. The selected design will be realized as a perforated metal screen located in a new meadow between the School of Business and Management and the Arts One building. The winning £6k commission will be a thought-provoking design that acts as a campus landmark. Apply by 23rd Apr.

🖌️ Hackney Council is inviting applications from a Hackney-based artist aged 18-26 to create the key visual for their 2026 Discover Young Hackney programme of summer activities aimed at local youth. The winning design will be used across a range of promotional materials including printed posters, leaflets, digital platforms and social media, and be paid a fee of £1,000. It’s a great opportunity for an emerging artist or designer to contribute to a borough-wide creative programme and have their work featured across a public campaign. Apply by Fri 17th Apr.

👩🏼‍💼 Bring fresh talent into your local business with significant financial support by securing one of the final 10 slots in the University of Staffordshire’s Graduate Accelerator Internship Programme. It provides funding for a 160-hour internship, requiring your company to cover only 30% of the cost (£950 + VAT) while the University handles the recruitment, payment, and support of the graduates. You can recruit a funded intern from any course including specialists in marketing, digital, finance, engineering and admin. Contact [email protected].

💷 The Loughborough University London Open Fund is a grant of up to £1000, available to organisations/groups based within and working in one or more of the London Boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham or Waltham Forest, to assist with the delivery of projects on the themes of health and wellbeing, sustainability and inclusivity. Apply by Mon 20 Apr.

📢 Up Projects are looking for a new permanent part-time (3-days a week) Head of Partnerships & Communications to work with them on achieving a world class creative programme, resilient business model, increased organisation profile and thriving team. Apply by 19th Apr.

📕 The Wick Book is a stunning 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 200+ copies, and they won’t last long…

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.

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