There may be a relentless stream of negativity dominating the national and international news, but down here at hyperlocal level, you just can’t hold back the plucky positivity of East London’s creative entrepreneurs, busy raising the collective spirits with their fantastic projects.

🥩 First up, this week it’s been made official - the White Building’s prime top floor restaurant, sadly vacated by zero waste trailblazers Silo earlier this year, is to reopen in the summer with a familiar local face in the kitchen.

Uncle Hon’s BBQ has already proved a big homegrown local hit, fusing Texan and Asian flavours and fire cooking techniques during its time just over the road at All My Friends. Now Hon, who has a long history of innovating in the Wick - including a globally renowned vinyl business, a music-focused flat rental concept and snapping lovely photographs for The Wick among them - is taking on his biggest project yet.

He’s crowdfunding to raise £50k in 30 days, by offering all kinds of incentives for sticking in some cash, from securing the first tables to 1-2-1 BBQ cooking training from the man himself. The space will also continue its tradition as an occasional party venue (it was a key dancefloor at the weekend’s Queen’s Yard Summer Party) with Hon installing a decent soundsystem to compliment the groaning platters of fusion meats that look set be packing the place out the rest of the time.

Catch Hon presenting more about his exciting restaurant expansion at the CIG this Friday morning - details below

♨️ Meanwhile, AUTM HAUS, a new social wellness club on Fish Island, has soft-launched their riverside sauna experience and are welcoming the neighbours to be first to come try it out.

Set beside the water, their space brings together a beautiful cedar sauna, cold water immersion, a copper bath and regular slow evenings by the fire, all designed as a calm place to reset, connect and unwind without leaving the neighbourhood. As part of the soft launch, AUTM HAUS is offering limited neighbour access, including early booking, founding member rates and priority invites before wider opening, so reach out to them now and be the first to plunge in…

📚 Today marks 6 months since the opening of Fish Island Books inside Italian waterfront restaurant Unlock. So, for this week’s profile feature, The Wick’s Sam Charlton drops in to speak to owner Agatha, and gets the full lowdown on this unique partnership, plus the popular social event calendar they run, pairing food and drink with authors, books and poetry.

Are you a local business who’d like to be profiled in The Wick? Join our Business Community now for a package of content creation, benefits and support throughout the year.

The new format print edition of The Wick lands later this month, along with the announcement of a summer of special events, social meets-ups and network-building opportunities for all, with the return of Wick Wednesdays.

Subscribers to this email will get the first heads-up on invites to the launch party next week, so why not share the love with your friends?

🌊There’s lots going on this week with UCL East, including the People Powered Prosperity exhibition running all week at Marshgate, a collaborative look at what leading a good life actually means today through the eyes of locals. River Me This is at House Mill on Fri 8th May, an outdoor creative listening workshop working to connect people with the needs of the River Lea. It’s followed by Rewild Remake on Sun 10th May at Hackney Marshes Centre, which turns a standard litter pick into an art session, transforming foraged plastic into printed plaques.

⚙️ Unit.d open their Andu Masebo showcase exhibition on Wed 6th May, a show which celebrates design, featuring three new products that prioritize utility and build quality over aesthetics. If you can’t make the opening night, the Haggerston space stays open daily to Sun 10th May. Everything on display is also for sale so it’s a good opportunity to support the local design scene.

🍸Seven-day cultural festival Hackney Altfest is taking over various alternative venues across the borough until Sun 10th May to celebrate the ‘outsider spirit’ of Hackney and is being billed as London’s first ‘dive bar festival’. The program stays true to each spot's niche, offering everything from absinthe tasting to tarot readings to heavy metal karaoke. Pick up a festival stamp card at any participating bar - if you hit all eight locations before Sunday, you can claim a prize (and a well-earned hangover).

🎸 Treat yourself to a bit of cultured escapism with an orchestral trip through Middle-earth with The Music of The Lord of The Rings at Hackney Empire tonight, Wed 7th May, performed by modern chamber orchestra Mystery Ensemble.

🎭 On Thu 8th May, Sadler's Wells East will be flexing its muscles with BULLYACHE: A Good Man is Hard to Find, blending working-class imagery with experimental pop and dance. Inspired by the 2008 financial crash, the dancers take a look at the performance of masculinity in the modern world.

🤸 Hackney Bridge will throw on a full afternoon of activities for kids at SHABBA Family Day on Sat 10th May. We’re talking circus skills workshops and performance, bouncy castles, soft play, face painting, retro gaming and craft stations. There should be enough to keep them occupied while the adults can sit down with some pop-up food, cocktails and the sweet sound of the SHABBA DJs.

🎹 Hand In Hand is at All My Friends on Thu 7th May A night of minimal house and genre-fluid selections landing at the Hamlet Estate. The line-up is Karis and Michael Yumé, both with a reputation for digging a bit deeper than most, favouring solid grooves and rare finds over the usual club hits.

⚡ The Hideout (Number 90) is running the label launch party of Action Juice 001 at on Fri 8th May. Expect machine funk and live hardware, featuring a heavyweight line-up that includes headliner Radioactive Man, Bill Brewster, 909 Hotline, Mat Carter, and Jon Chandler.

⛪The "Cathedral of Creativity", as coined by Hackney Church’s Rev’ Al Gordon, plays host to jungle revivalist Nia Archives on Fri 8th May. It’s a high-spec production that still stays true to Nia’s DIY roots, and in this venue the acoustics alone should make those breakbeats feel pretty holy.

🎧 Jamz Supernova (All Night Long) is at Colour Factory on Sat 9th May. A bonafide flag-bearer for UK underground club culture, Jamz is ready for lift off as she takes over Queen’s Yard’s all-night-long session with genre-defying NRG that has made her a global powerhouse, blending everything from global bass and broken beats to archival jazz-inflected house.

🎸Grow have Canalside Sessions: Roland Perrin & Friends on Sun 10th May - keeping it community-led with a live global jazz session as Roland Perrin and his ensemble take you on a journey through intricate piano melodies and funky rhythms.

🏃 Wings for Life World Run will take place at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Sun 10th May - a global event landing right on our doorstep, as hundreds of thousands of people across the world start running at the exact same time to raise money for spinal cord research.

🍕 Dough Hands has just kicked off a residency at All My Friends, bringing their signature 20-inch New York-style pies and XL slices to the Wick. Founded by Hannah Sideris, the menu focuses on high-quality ingredients and long-fermented dough, with toppings like spicy vodka sauce, hot honey, and fennel sausage.

🚢 Barge East are bringing back their popular mid-week offer 50% Off Terrace Mains Mon – Wed all of May. The deal covers all main courses from the bistro menu on the newly refurbished terrace.

🖼️Hackney Walls: Artist Open Call is part of the wider Hackney Walls project aimed at creating high-impact public murals - it’s a fresh open call for local artists to help shape the visual landscape of the borough. Applications closes on Wed 13th May.

📝A final call for local grassroots organisations and non-profits as the Home Office Community Engagement Fund closes on Tues 12th May. This fund is specifically for groups working on community safety and engagement initiatives.

📈 London Legacy Development Corporation are hiring for a new Innovation and Partnerships Delivery Leader to be based at their Stratford HQ, working in the Inclusive Growth department. Apply by 11th May.

📕 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 180+ copies, and they won’t last long…

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