Global Carnivalz and Hackney Carnival groups, are proud to announce Our Carnival Our Story — a vibrant celebration of the Mas Bands and Hackney Carnival artists. The two-day programme will showcase performances, workshops, and exhibitions, giving the public a rare chance to see behind the scenes of Hackney’s Carnival arts. Chats Palace — a venue with deep historic links to Hackney Carnival since the 1980s — will now be brought back into focus as a true “Carnival House” for this special occasion. Programme below!

• Exhibitions & displays presented by Carnival groups, plus photography from Sean Pollock (long-time official Hackney Carnival photographer) and Pax Nindi, alongside archive images from Chats Palace.

• Saturday daytime (13th Dec 10am-4pm): workshops, “Let’s Talk Carnival” symposium, and open access activities *no tickets required

• Saturday night (13th Dec 6:30pm-12:00am): Carnival DJs and Samba performances recreating the road experience indoors *advance tickets required

  Please book free tickets for Friday and Saturday evenings at bit.ly/ocostickets