Bank Holiday Weekend fun in The Wick ☀️

Get ready for another epic bank holiday weekend in Hackney Wick that will keep you buzzing from dawn till dusk. Dive into a Live Paint Jam with Barge East, and catch incredible wrestlers battling it out at Colour Factory. The fun continues well into June, ever wanted to embroider some cheeky words on tea towels or upcycle those old jeans? Now's your chance! Plus, don’t miss out on exciting new grant and education opportunities.

🖼️ Indra Gallery has two upcoming exhibitions: Mrs Drip Art Exhibition is a a unique collection of modern abstract art pieces opening this Saturday, May 25th. Then, get ready to dive into a world of unsettling connections and uneasy harmonies at Discomfort in Resonance, encapsulating both the depth of emotion and the lasting impact of anger within female and queer experience. Opening Wednesday May 29th.

🎨 On the 27th May, Bank Holiday Monday, The Matchbox Collective will be descending on Barge East for a day time party and live paint jam to celebrate Summer in The City! There will be live painting from the Matchbox crew, along with a drink and draw, sticker swap, DJ and kids activity table.

🌳 Arbeit Studios is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition,You Can’t Make Trees, by the 2nd ReRooted Residency artists, Rachel and Ray Atfield until June 2, 2024, at Trowbridge Gardens Gallery. Rachel and Ray create art using locally foraged natural materials, blending traditional craft and architectural skills.

🧵 Meet Rachel, the vibrant artisan who brings vintage fabrics back to life with her expertise in embroidery and upcycling. Eccentric, creative and fun-loving, Rachel loves learning and teaching and she's a social person with a great sense of style. Her workshops are not only about learning a skill, but also about connecting with others and promoting sustainability through mending. Take a look at her upcoming workshops and get involved!

🏗️ Palmlane Estates Ltd owns the Fish Island Creative Arts Quarter which includes buildings in Bream Street, Dace Road, Smeed Road and Stour Road. On May 23rd, from 12pm-8pm, you are invited to attend their consultation to view some initial ideas and concepts that will be the starting point of an ongoing dialogue with the community.

🎭 The NIC (New Improv Club) is new improv club based at The Cave for anyone who's interested in improv theatre. No experience is necessary, people just need to come ready to get silly! It's happening on the 23 May at 7:30pm at The Cave and it's £5 to book a spot!

🎬 Captivate the Room: Beginners Performance Class is a class for anyone and everyone who just wants to get better at being more confident in being on stage. The class is happening on the 28 May at 6pm in The Cave with a £10 fee to book your spot. This type of beginners class will be offered throughout the Summer so there's other opportunities to grow your performance skills if you miss this class!

🤼‍♂️ Body-slamming, high flying, hard hitting Pro Wrestling returns to Colour Factory! See incredible wrestlers battle it out on Tuesday May 28th including a HUGE Championship Main Event and much more!

🎤 What does your long weekend need? A fabulous Karaoke session at the Lord Napier Star, of course! They have introduced this unbeatable offer: Get 2 hours of Karaoke for the price of 1 in their Private Room!
When? This awesome deal is available from Friday to Monday this Bank Holiday weekend.
Who? Gather up to 25 of your friends for a massive singing extravaganza!
What? With over 10,000 songs to choose from you can sing whatever you want.
But hurry, the room is sure to sell out quickly! Make sure to book your spot now and get ready to sing your heart out!
Book Now and Make your Bank Holiday Weekend Unforgettable!

🎧 Join Crate Brewery this summer for their brand new Day Break series. They’ve got an exciting lineup of DJs ready to take over our terrace from 12pm - 10pm with a brand new, custom built sound system. But the party doesn’t stop there, they will be hosting a series of afterparties in collaboration with The Yard for each of their day parties, making it a full day into night affair. Be sure to secure your tickets early before they sell out, you won’t want to miss this. Saturday May 25th.

🚶‍♂️ Looking for change but not finding the solutions you need? Prefer moving to being stuck behind a desk? Inner Hero, an East London coaching company, are expanding and have formed an extension to focus purely on coaching on the move called East London Walking Coaching. They use the power of coaching in nature to unlock creative solutions to the most pressing challenges in people's lives. If you feel called to or want to learn more, contact Joe on 07834612086, or [email protected]. 

📢 Head over to Trowbridge Gardens for a lively conversation with your neighbours at the next Hackney Wick Town Hall. An opportunity to get together to work through things that concern us. A chance to discuss, to listen, to be heard, and to maybe make some plans. When we’re connected, great things can happen. May 29th, 6-8pm, register to attend.

👚 Caramel Rock is partnering with Hackney Learning Trust to introduce a captivating year-long project aimed at enhancing skills and exploring the boundless potential of the fashion world. Find out more about the courses available.

🎓 Loughborough University London and UCL East are joining forces to offer a combined personal and professional development workshop package for interested recent graduates.  The aim of the Inspiring Success initiative is to encourage people to test drive the experience of studying at UCL or Loughborough London, while also boosting their personal and professional development. The deadline for sign ups is June 4^th 2024.

💵 Celebrating their home on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Loughborough University London Open Fund is only available to organisations working in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest. Up to £7,500 is available for community groups. You can apply for a maximum of £1000. Bidding for all three finds opens on Monday 13 May and can be accessed here.  The closing date for applications is Friday 7 June 2024, 5pm.

⚡️ Here's a great opportunity for creative and cultural businesses, including workspace providers, based in the Hackney Wick and Fish Island Creative Enterprise Zone to access grant support to reduce their energy costs and implement more sustainable energy adaptations within their businesses. Hackney Council is administering the grants on behalf of the two boroughs. Details are available here - deadline for applications is 19th June 2024.

🏆 The Mick Bateman Memorial Award is a new award set up with specific intention to support and encourage emerging artists working in metal. Each award offers: Two years of financial support towards the whole cost of a professional artist studio at Bow Arts. The award is up to a maximum of £2,000 in any one year, and; up to £1,000 (equivalent to 8 days) access to courses and/or workshop time in the London Sculpture Workshop. Applications are welcome from all artists until 12:00pm, Monday 3rd June.

🦋 The RES insect science garden is being relocated to Stratford Cross, close to the Aquatic centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. The Society is seeking to work exclusively with education partner to operate in the RES Garden at Stratford Cross, providing sessions for schools around entomology and related subjects. Read the information file, to find out more about submitting a proposal. Deadline to apply, 14 June 2024.