With the arrival of the huge, Texan-born music, film and technology festival, South By South West, shining a global spotlight on East London all this week, we invited Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East, to be the guest editor of the summer print edition of The Wick (available locally now).

Below, he explains why all this is a big deal in the ongoing creative-led evolution of this part of the world…

This week, one of the world’s most iconic creative and tech festivals, South by South West (SXSW), makes its long-anticipated London debut. The festival, widely associated with Austin, Texas, has selected London as the location for its first expansion into Europe. And where better to anchor that energy than East London: the capital’s engine of creative enterprise, home to some of the most exciting global conversations in innovation and culture.

SXSW’s arrival is more than just another global event landing in our capital. It represents the full-circle evolution of a long-standing relationship. There’s something poetic about this transatlantic connection between Austin and East London. Both cities thrive on a spirit of creativity, built on a legacy of music, film and culture. SXSW London will turbocharge that dy-namic, bringing together everyone from music producers to AI-obsessed engineers.

It has been over a decade since we launched the Here East brand at SXSW Austin, introducing our vision for a new type of creative campus: one rooted in culture, education and collaboration. We returned year after year, seeing the festival as a kindred spirit, an ecosystem built on experimentation, creative freedom and cross-sector innovation.

That’s why its arrival in our home city feels so momentous. SXSW’s model, a meeting of ideas across art, technology, society and enterprise, is exactly what East London has become. Since the 2012 Games, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has been transformed into one of the most dynamic cultural clusters in the country. Today, it is home to a growing number of scale-ups, university research institutes, and creative studios. This melting pot of commerce, academia, culture and community is what makes East London so successful.

SXSW London marks a milestone for East London. The festival is a place for new ideas to be trialed and where art, science, and music collide. It offers the perfect global platform to show what’s been happening in East London over the past decade.

As we welcome SXSW to the capital at our ‘It all starts Here’ event in LMA, based at Here East tonight, Wed June 4th, let’s not think of this as a one-off celebration, but as the beginning of a new, exciting chapter. A chapter where East London, with all its talent, diversity and energy, steps confidently onto the global stage, and invites the world to join.

📸 Hackney Wick Folk is a new photographic exhibition currently showing at Trowbridge Gardens, until 15th Jun. The portraits, taken by Brian Whar, capture some of the brilliant people who’ve been part of Wick Awards decade of work in the local community – especially the regulars at the weekly community lunches.

🎞️ The world premier of new film Rites, takes place at UCL East on Fri 13th Jun. It’s a story of one local’s pilgrimage back to The Philippines to search for his father, who died 25-years ago. Produced in association with the School of Social Justice, the event will feature a Q&A with the director and crew, plus a keynote from the Mayor of Newham.

📚 The Library of Things We Forgot to Remember is an archive of materials including vinyl, posters, paintings and more, drawn from private African collections. Artist Kudzanai Chiurai invites a different librarian to interrogate the archive for each show, the latest being shaped for the UCL Urban Room by guest librarian Dr Kara Blackmore. The opening is on 11th Jun and it runs to 16th Aug.

🎭 Coming up at Sadler’s Wells East is Inside Giovanni’s Room, James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel brought to life by titans of UK dance, Phoenix Dance Theatre. It runs 11th - 14th Jun, and we’ll have an exclusive interview from the company’s Artistic Director, Marcus Jarrell Willis, in next week’s edition of The Wick newsletter.

🎤 It’s the rather epic new Lido festival in Victoria Park this weekend and next, 6th - 15th Jun, with one for the headz on Friday, as Massive Attack, Air and Mad Professor are among the artists performing. Then Saturday sees Jamie XX dominate, not only on the main stage but playing B2Bs with Skrillex and also Nia Archives across the afternoon. Look out for a 3-hour set from DJ Harvey, too.
Locals also get to enjoy the the free weekday festival In The Neighbourhood, Mon 9th - Thurs 12th Jun, which brings local music talent and family-friendly adventures to the site.

🥪 Tomorrow, Thur 5th Jun, there’s a free sandwich giveaway as Moody’s Dip Sandwiches celebrate their kitchen residency at The Leyton Star. The first 50 people to turn up after 7pm will get a free sarni and famous gravy dip, with 50% off sandwiches for the rest of the night, too.

🪩 There’s an all-dayer at HWK this Sat 7th Jun as Access bring Charonne, Darley, Neidex and loads more DJ talent into the open air for a summer party sunshine session.

🎶The ever-fabulous Girls of the Internet are live in the Colour Factory Garden this Fri 6th Jun bringing a few special guests with them for a post-work bash that kicks off at 6pm.

New Summer print issue + We’re having a party

The brand new summer 2025 edition of The Wick is now available in 200+ locations PLUS right across Shoreditch as part of our exciting media partnership with SXSW London.

Discover the phenomenon of Skate Cabal, celebrate the ongoing success of No.90 and their new Hideout venue, marvel at the story of Wickside and make sure to visit one of the best Fish Island restaurants while we await the return of Roach Point Bridge…

Then on Thurs 26th Jun, join us for complimentary drinks on the terrace at Crate Brewery as The Wick hosts a free summer party for readers, local businesses, friends and family! We’ll have music from DJ Ben Osborne (Noise of Art) and beers from Crate, plus you can grab pizza and make a night of it. 🍻

🪴 Live in one of the growth boroughs and aged over 18? Groundwork London’s Step into Horticulture programme is offering a free 6-week training to grow a career in green spaces, starting on 17th Jun (apply by Fri 6th). You’ll learn how to use tools, take part in practical gardening sessions and get 1-2-1 support from an employment advisor. Contact [email protected] to apply.

🏛️ 2026 sees 200 years since UCL’s establishment as the first University in London and the start of a year of activity and celebration. An exciting programme of public art is in development, with a call now live for the UCL200 Artist in Residence programme. Three artists will be invited to be embedded in a distinct area of UCL life across the bicentenary year - UCL Bloomsbury, UCL East and the student community - and create work that responds to these areas in relation to the institution’s history, culture, and future ambitions. There’s a drop-in session tomorrow, Thurs 5th June, details via the link above.

🌍 Climate Change All Change is a charity that takes designers into primary schools to explore the causes and consequences of climate change through design. They are looking for designers interested in sustainability from various disciplines to undertake a six week, climate-focused educational workshop programme, the Young Designers Award 2025, with a £5,000 bursary. Appy before 8th June. 

🎓 The Inspiring Success Scholarship at Loughborough University London covers 100% of tuition fees on a masters programme, including career guidance and support, to unemployed or under-employed graduates from East London at their London campus at Here East. Residents of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, or Waltham Forest who are willing to actively contribute to the local community are invited to apply for the programme by 31st July.

🌍 Apply now for the QEOP-based British Council’s Connections Through Culture (CTC) Grants 2025, which support artistic collaboration between the UK and select countries in Asia, Europe and Australasia’. Grants of up to £5k or £10k depending on region will be awarded across a wide range of creative disciplines from architecture to theatre. Deadline 23rd June.

🤝 There’s an opportunity to join local charity Foundation for Future London as their new Corporate Partnerships Manager, helping in their ongoing mission to connect communities, creativity and regeneration in East London and beyond. They're looking for a brilliant relationship builder to launch and lead their new corporate partnerships programme, focusing on exciting sectors including property, regeneration and culture. Apply by Mon 16th June.