What’s on
Holding Form: A Solo Exhibition by Ben Wakeling
A new solo exhibition by local Hackney-based artist Ben Wakeling.
Pride Month: Reading List
To celebrate Pride Month this year Hackney Libraries have put together a reading list focusing on classic and new cult science fiction novels.
Reggae Revival: The Exhibition
Celebrating forty years of the British Reggae Artist Famine Appeal.
Baroque Chamber Opera Auto da Catingueira
Experience the UK premiere of Auto da Catingueira (1969), a Brazilian baroque chamber opera.
Windrush Day Celebration
Join us at Ridley Road Market for a free Windrush Day celebration of art, culture and creativity.
DJAG at Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation
Tune in to DJ AG Online for a one hour live set in celebration of the Windrush Generation
Hackney Writers’ Festival: Dalston CLR James Library Writers with Morgan Omotoye
Join this special taster session including a workshop and readings from group members
Sheroes: Two Stories of Triumph Over the Windrush Scandal
Celebrating Windrush Day with a film premiere, panel discussion, dance performance, food and cultural stalls.
Windrush Tek Over at the Hackney Empire
Join Hackney Empire for Windrush Tek Over, an immersive celebration of the legacy, culture and contributions of the Windrush generation! Expect Ship-front installation exploring journeys, migration and belonging, Interactive intergenerational writing workshop, Original soundscapes, music and more!
Hackney Writers’ Festival: Hackney Welcome Hub x Emel Sevinç
Join this special taster session with the Hackney Welcome Hub
Hackney Writers’ Festival: Stamford Hill Library with Jonathan Fortgang
Join this special taster session including a workshop and readings from group members
All Of Them, Dead
In a global pandemic caused by infected meat, two boys find they're much less alone than they thought. A play about being young, gay and working-class in the middle of nowhere.
Windrush Herstory
Interactive workshops exploring the overlooked experiences of women from the Windrush Generation through Caribbean and Black British literature.
Reggae Revival: Babymother
Neeta and her crew rise to dancehall fame in North West London’s Caribbean community, in the first Black British musical.
Hackney Pride Fayre: LGBTQIA+ Food & Market stalls
Join us for a special LGBTQIA+ extension of the Chatsworth Road Sunday market. Featuring queer-led traders, business and charities, come grab a snack and enjoy the Market.
Hackney Pride Fayre: Positive East Pop-Up
Positive East join us with a pop-up stall on Chatsworth Road Market. Come to speak to them about their services in STI and HIV support and prevention.
Hackney Pride Fayre: Art Installations at Chats Palace
Two installations from artists Alec Stevens and Neil Martinson will be in sit at Chats Palace, be sure to seek them out.
Hackney Pride Fayre: Panel Talk: A Queer Hackney. With Crystal, Mayor Zoë Garbett & Aisha Shaibu-Lenoir.
Join Crystal, Mayor Zoë Garbett & Aisha Shaibu-Lenoir for a panel talk and Q&A on A Queer Hackney.
Hackney Pride Fayre: Grounding Yoga Class
8th Sister Yoga will guide you through a gentle but invigorating trauma informed yoga practice to ground you for the day ahead.
Hackney Pride Fayre: Pop-Up Clothing Swap
QueerSwap is a clothing swap meet. Bring your old clothes, swap ‘em out and leave with a new look!
Hackney Pride Fayre: Artist & Makers Market @ Chats Palace
Check out our Artists & Makers market at the gorgeously historic Chats Palace featuring 20+ sellers!
Hackney Pride Fayre: Short Film Screenings: CHOOSE YR OWN ADVENTURE
Welcome traveller. This curated selection of films by Fringe! revel in themes of destiny and discovery. If you decide to choose your own adventure, who knows what fortunes lay ahead on your path?
Hackney Pride Fayre: Bedazzling Clothing Embellishment Pop-Up
Join artist Fen Fitzgerald for a bedazzling clothing embellishment pop-up! Yassify your look!
Hackney Pride Fayre: Studded Leather Workshop
Join artist Emily Witham to learn how to attach metal rivets to leather, creating a studded patch spelling out a 3–6 letter word of your choosing. This event requires a FREE ticket.
Hackney Pride Fayre: Badge Cafe
Fancy a crafty utopian hangout? Come and make your own unique badges reusing old pics, books and mags, including fab vintage LGBTQ+ material.
Hackney Pride Fayre: Ten-Minute Portraits
InkyLayla is an artist who draws people in ink and watercolour. She will be available between 12-2pm, drawing Pay-What-You-Can 10 minute portraits.
Hackney Pride Fayre: DIY Patch Making
Come make your own patches with Silly Little Craft Club! Bring your creativity and get handy with these DIY drop-in sessions.
Hackney Pride Fayre: Queer Smell Club
Curious about the possibilities of scent? Eager to try something new? This workshop delves into the cultural history and symbolism of scent representing LGBTQ+ cultures and identities.
Pantonic Windrush Community Picnic
Join a vibrant day of culture, creativity, carnival arts, music, dance, costumes and community connection!
Hackney Pride Fayre: Self Defence Workshop | Gender Defenders
Check out our Artists & Makers market at the gorgeously historic Chats Palace featuring 20+ sellers!
Hackney Pride Fayre: 'Bona to vada!' POLARI workshop
In the decades before decriminalisation, gay and queer men spoke ‘Polari’ - a secret gay slang . Come learn all about it with your pitiful host Dan de la Motte. Free with a ticket.
Hackney Pride Fayre: The Cabaret at the End of the Fayre.
The Cabaret at the end of the Fayre. Curated by Pretzel Cage & hosted by Azara. Featuring: Azara | Cazeleon | Co Kendrah | Major Dom | Posey Metha | Pretzel Cage
Hackney Writers’ Festival: Homerton Library with Ngoma Bishop
Join this special taster session including a workshop and readings from group members
Life Lift Dance workshops
Life Lift Dance for over 55s.
Free, welcoming and fun, low-intensity dance/movement workshops for everyone over 55 years. Suitable for beginners and adapted for all levels with chair-based options. Supported by the Marathon Foundation fund.
Hackney Writers’ Festival: Shoreditch Library Black Women Writers with Lisa Ogun’
Join this special taster session including a workshop and readings from group members
Windrush Herstory
Interactive workshops exploring the overlooked experiences of women from the Windrush Generation through Caribbean and Black British literature.
Reggae Revival: The Harder They Come
A film that needs no introduction to anyone with so much as the slightest interest in reggae or Jamaican culture, The Harder They Come celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Rhythm of Resilience: Celebrating our Elders
Celebrate the sounds and strength of Windrush elders with a day of live music, history talks, storytelling and a free Caribbean meal. A photographer will be capturing the day with free resilience family portraits for people to cherish.
Life Lift Dance workshops
Life Lift Dance for over 55s.
Free, welcoming and fun, low-intensity dance/movement workshops for everyone over 55 years. Suitable for beginners and adapted for all levels with chair-based options. Supported by the Marathon Foundation fund.
De Beauvoir Jazz Festival 2026
De Beauvoir Jazz Festival is a 2 day jazz festival taking place across De Beauvoir Town, Hackney on 10-11th July 2026.
Dementia: The Island Journey – A Caribbean Dementia-Friendly Screening
Join this heartwarming Caribbean film screening celebrating dementia-friendly stories and community vibes!
Life Lift Dance workshops
Life Lift Dance for over 55s.
Free, welcoming and fun, low-intensity dance/movement workshops for everyone over 55 years. Suitable for beginners and adapted for all levels with chair-based options. Supported by the Marathon Foundation fund.
Languages of Belonging
A poetry workshop centring trans and queer South Asian poets with Gayathiri Kamalakanthan.
Celebratory Cultural Cuisine Collaboration
Ewart's Jerk (Chicken) of Gillett Square is collaborating with Chinneal Collins to create a celebratory menu fusing British classics with a Caribbean twist to mark Windrush 2026.
Life Lift Dance workshops
Life Lift Dance for over 55s.
Free, welcoming and fun, low-intensity dance/movement workshops for everyone over 55 years. Suitable for beginners and adapted for all levels with chair-based options. Supported by the Marathon Foundation fund.
Life Lift Dance workshops
Life Lift Dance for over 55s.
Free, welcoming and fun, low-intensity dance/movement workshops for everyone over 55 years. Suitable for beginners and adapted for all levels with chair-based options. Supported by the Marathon Foundation fund.
Big Man - Dean Atta: Live Book Launch
Hackney Libraries are proud to host the official book launch of Big Man, the highly anticipated adult literary debut by award-winning author and poet Dean Atta.
Reggae Revival: Babylon
A young Rastafarian toaster (rapper) aims for success at a Reggae Sound System competition.
A Taste of Windrush
Come and share the flavours and traditions of the Windrush generation at this intergenerational Light Lunch Launch.
Scattered: In conversation with Aamna Mohdin
Join Beth Evans from Welcome Hackney for an evening in conversation with correspondent and author Aamna Mohdin about her memoir Scattered.
Jah Makin It Happen: A Reggae Musical
A hilarious musical-comedy that tells the story of a Jamaican family’s journey from Jamaica to the UK during the Windrush era.
Hackney Writers’ Festival: Dalston CLR James Poetry with Jack Houston and Erem Sahintepe
Join this special taster session including a workshop and readings with local poets.
Hackney Writers’ Festival: Knit & Natter special with Sara Nisha Adams
Join this special creative writing session with our Knit & Natter group
Girlfriends + Claudia Weill Q&A
Rio Film Feminists returns to 1979/80 to shine a light on the Rio’s first feminist film season which included the groundbreaking New York indie gem Girlfriends. Legendary director Claudia Weill will join in an online Q&A!
Saltwater & Stories
Join this free community event, celebrating the history, resilience, and lasting legacy of the Windrush Generation.
The Magic Sweet Jar
Join Weaver Line Music for a special free preview and experience The Magic Sweet Jar before its national tour in 2027.
Exploring Online Safety Through Play and Craft
A relaxed, creative family workshop where we will spend two hours making simple crafts, chatting, and exploring everyday digital life together.
Hackney Writers’ Festival: QTIBIPOC Writing Group with PJ Samuels
Join this special taster session at Clapton Library
Bring Your Baby Guided London Walk: Stoke Newington Sounds Music Locations Tour
Hear stories and visit sites associated with:
Amy Winehouse, Desmond Dekker, Paloma Faith, Marc Bolan and more.
San Siro, Hackney: How do football cages change lives?
Join Tara Darby for an inspiring conversation about the importance of free football cages and play areas in cities and how they transform lives.
Hackney Writers’ Festival: Hackney Central Library Writing Group with Sara Nisha Adams
Join this special taster session including a workshop and readings from group members
Queertopia Picnic in the Park
Welcome to the Queertopia Picnic in the Park! Join in for a fabulous day of fun, music, and community at Haggerston.
Family Film Screening
Join us for a family film afternoon! These special screenings promise fun for all ages.
Make a Flower Crown
Use your imagination to create your own colourful, nature-inspired crown!
Paper Spinner Craft at Shoreditch Library
Join us for a hands-on crafting adventure where we’ll fold, cut, and glue our way to creating whizzing paper spinners to take home.
Half Term Stories & Rhymes at Dalston CLR James Library
Join in with a fun, interactive session with books and songs for babies, toddlers and their adults. Older siblings are welcome for our half-term special.
Make a Paper Spinner
Join us for a hands-on crafting adventure where we’ll fold, cut, and glue our way to creating whizzing paper spinners to take home.
Make Your Own Paper Sun Visor
Beat the heat and shade your eyes with a custom, DIY sun visor designed and decorated by you!
Lego Club at Homerton Library
Join our friendly Lego club and see where your imagination takes you!
Clay Creature Workshop
Join us to create strange and wonderful creatures from clay! We will look at some clay figures from history as inspiration. Will you make a real animal, or your own fantastical beast?
Make a Fluttering Butterfly at Dalston CLR James Library
Transform simple paper into a soaring work of art at our hands-on workshop!
Create a Spring Tree
Bring the season to life and branch out your creativity at our hands-on workshop where you'll craft a vibrant spring tree.
Half Term Stories & Rhymes at Hackney Central Library
Join in with a fun, interactive session with books and songs for babies, toddlers and their adults. Older siblings are welcome for our half-term special.
Paper Spinner Craft at Woodberry Down Library
Join us for a hands-on crafting adventure where we’ll fold, cut, and glue our way to creating whizzing paper spinners to take home.
Face Painting Story Adventure at Homerton Library
Step into the story and watch your character come to life as Michela transforms your face and leads us on a collaborative, improvised adventure where you are the star...
Make a Collage Hedgehog
Join our librarians to learn more about hedgehogs and to make your own collage paper hedgehog in time for Hedgehog Awareness Week!
Half Term Stories & Rhymes at Woodberry Down Library
Join in with a fun, interactive session with books and songs for babies, toddlers and their adults. Older siblings are welcome for our half-term special.
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