Discosailing: A Ballet on Water sees performers floating along the Waterworks River - between London Aquatics Centre and UCL East - this Saturday, July 27th.

It’s a key event in local art trail The Line’s summer outdoor programme; a participatory art performance conceived by the artist Rasheed Araeen way back in 1970, with six shows taking place across the day (between 11.30am and 5pm), each lasting 30 minutes.

This will be the first time Discosailing has ever been performed in the UK, as nine participants float on discs and wave sails to move gracefully across the water. They are joined by community groups and volunteers from the public, who all become part of the work for a truly meditative, magical waterborne encounter.

🦗 Also taking over the Olympic Park this Saturday is the inaugural Park BioBlitz, a citizen science event packed with free activities based out of UCL East and the Mobile Gardens at Hackney Bridge.

Try fee walks led by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, dragonfly walks or pond-dipping with the RSPB, flower insect timed counts led by Buglife, camera trapping with UCL, Insect painting led by Our Parklife or go on a botanical walk with the team from Idverde.

It’s all free to just rock up and get involved for however long you like, but if you’ve got a particular pursuit you’d like to try, it might be a good idea to book in advance.

📽️ UCL East Marshgate has a special exhibition and screening event this Thursday 25th July. It explores the impact of the Tory government’s historic ‘hostile environment’ policies which aimed to co-opt large parts of UK society into policing the UK’s borders – from doctors to landlords, employers, homeless services and more. The artworks have been co-produced in close dialogue and collaboration with those who have first-hand experience of migration as well as those actively challenging the Home Office’s draconian and surveillance-intensive policies. There’s also a screening of the film H is for Hostile Environment, by refugee and coffee entrepreneur Usman Khalid, followed by a free meal from the refugee-run Plateful Cafe.

🖼️ The first Bow Open Lates of the summer, on Thursday 1st August, offers an afterhours chance to explore this year’s exhibition curated by Lindsey Mendick, alongside two exclusive live performances by exhibiting artists. Sadegh Aleahmad will be activating his installation Poems for Keeping Warm, inviting visitors to write poems, observations, messages, or even a shopping list on pieces of kindling, before ceremonially burning them to ashes, in an act of metamorphosis and transformation. Harriet Richardson will be revisiting the ‘90s, recreating her 2007 home teenage computer set up in the gallery space. She will then invite visitors to chat with her on MSN Messenger, unravelling the possibilities of text-based dialogue and the collective creation of digital moments in time.

🧠 Living archives: a trans-local conversation is the latest special event at Memory Work, a free exhibition exploring the themes of memory and showcasing the research of UCL East’s Urban Lab Steering Committee. It’s a bilingual hybrid discussion taking place across continents via Zoom with the collaborators of three projects questioning and engaging with Living archives from Colombia, Mexico and UK on Friday 2nd August, with the show running until 16th August. 

🏅 Paris 2024 Olympics coverage kicks off on the big screen at Here East canalside this Friday (26th), making for a dependable al fresco spot to catch the sporting action over the weeks ahead. There’s also the latest free live music show from That 90s Nashville Band from 6pm tomorrow, Thursday 25th July.

🎸 Unstoppable local LGBTQ+ community Queer Edge launches a brand new monthly Live event this Wednesday, 31st July from 5pm. They’ll be bringing an exciting line-up of live music, dance, art and comedy at Nico's Cocktail Bar at Hackney Bridge on the last Wednesday of every month. For the launch, you’ll find people’s fave BABY from Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Queer Edge’s own queen-host and poet Ashley, acoustic singer-songwriter Esther Turner, hilarious queer comedy queen Ella Evans, Al Coffey who played at QE’s debut back by popular demand, and Sir Jude celebrating her album release ‘Revelations’, all about unravelling internalised misogyny and discovery of the self. Check out the video from the debut QE Live a few weeks ago.

🎶 Colour Factory’s beloved Monday night community freestyle jam session Orii Jam is a tribute to soul sensation D’Angelo this Monday, 31st July, with beats inspired by the big man’s music struck up by the house band and visiting musicians all night long.

🎛️ Life at GROW doesn’t rest after last weekend’s big 10th birthday celebrations, with the return of Equal Parts this Friday night, 26th July. Esteemed crate digger Wes Baggaley joins the residents for a night of underground house, deep rumbling techno and everything in between.

❓Howling Hops’ new Quiz Night runs every Wednesday at 8pm, is it’s only £2 entry with a £50 beer tab up for grabs, plus there’s quality food at hand from resident taco kitchen La Cumbia.

Sustainable business hub The Loop, located in a big warehouse on Wallis Road, has a pop-up space out front that they are currently offering to local entrepreneurs. It costs just £50 a day for the pitch, with no minimum period. Ethical and circular businesses are preferred, although all welcome and if you book a slot before Wednesday 31st July you’ll get 50% discount on your first day. Email: [email protected] for info and bookings.

👚 The Innovate UK Textile Fund is currently open for applications from businesses in the UK fashion and textile sector who are looking to develop new solutions to pressing industry challenges.  Themes the grantees will be engaging with include circular business models, novel technologies, sustainable manufacturing and other areas where many businesses in Hackney Wick & Fish Island have already been early adopters. Application details are all here, closes 31st July.

🛒 The London Made Me retail development programme is back for 2024 with applications now open from the capital’s Creative Enterprise Zones, and that - of course - means Hackney Wick & Fish Island needs to represent. If you’re a local artist, maker or creative looking to grow your business by running a pop-up shop, you should definitely check it out, after the success of successful editions in Regent' Street and Carnaby Street in previous years. Applications close 9th August.

💻 Loughborough University London masters student Zak Powlesland-Chester is currently writing a dissertation on the impact of AI on job market entry for people wanting a career in design, film and music. He’s put together a confidential survey that only takes a few minutes to complete, and he’d love to hear from local creatives on this pressing topic.

🥻 If you live, work or study in Redbridge and are 16 or over then creative art and fashion educators Caramel Rock have teamed up with free summer events programme Colours of Redbridge for a series of Stich Your Style: Fashion Design Taster Sessions. It’s an 8-week course over weekly Saturday mornings where you’ll draw, upcycle, dye and create your own clothing designs, then bring the to life on a catwalk.

🤝 Social Founders, the organisation that supports people running projects that aim to make a real social impact, is running an event specifically for Hackney-based founders on Thursday 8th August. The day is all about developing collaborations and joint proposals in order to secure more resources than they individually could. It’s open to creative entrepreneurs and businesses from all sectors, and includes guest speakers, an interactive workshop, lunch and networking opportunities. Find out more and register for free here.