Following our spotlight on BADU last week, we’re celebrating another of the neighbourhood’s trailblazing collectives today, ahead of a particularly busy long Easter weekend ahead for their party-starting crew.

Queer Edge have been throwing a growing assortment of events that offer a safe space for all genders and sexualities, plus fabulous music and entertainment among like-minded new friends.

This week sees their live monthly showcase at Nico’s Bar, Hackney Bridge hit it’s first anniversary, just a few days away from an ambitious new party that aims to celebrate pioneers of London’s thriving queer underbelly.

"I don’t think it’s a coincidence that two monumental moments in the QE journey are happening on the same bank holiday weekend,” founder EJ Nutbrown tells us. “This Thursday (17th Apr) QE Live turns one - which feels surreal in itself - and on Saturday we launch a new edition at Colour Factory. It’s a real reflection of how quickly things have grown for us, and how much love and energy our community brings to these events.”

The Colour Factory QE Easter Edition event will bring together innovators of the scene, including pioneer of the free-party movement, Grace Sands, icon of the London Ballroom scene, JayJay Revlon, who’ll be hosting a voguing workshop in the garden from 7pm, and Ellie Prohan, the Kiss FM DJ who has forged her own path as a queer Middle Eastern woman.

“When we first started, we had no idea just how much QE would resonate with the community,” says EJ. “What began as a one-off event at Two More Years has evolved into something so much bigger than we could have ever imagined. This weekend feels like a celebration of everyone who’s been part of that - from the artists and performers to our community who show up, bring their best vibes and make it all come alive.”

Find out about even more things that Queer Edge are up to in Hackney Wick via their official website

🤖 As the boundary between the virtual and the real grows increasingly ambiguous and the relationship between the artificial and the natural is continuously redefined, new art exhibition Intergrade: Unfinished Migration explores our era of hybrid reality. It opens at Indra Gallery this Sat 19th Apr (and runs through to Fri 25th), posing the question: when data, algorithms, and bio-enhancement become the new norm, are we inevitably moving toward an era of cyborg faith?

🍎 Forget the Disney reboot controversy and witness dance-theatre company balletLORENT bring two versions retelling the story of Snow White to Sadler's Wells East from Wed 16th-Sat 19th Apr. First, for the perfect Easter outing for the whole family, you can go see the family friendly classic tale. Later on (for those aged 16+), watch Snow White: The Sacrifice (pictured above); a savage and captivating ‘after dark’ adaption.

🖼️ Not for Sale Gallery is currently hosting Nomadic Thoughts: Powerscape, a solo exhibition by Sasan Sahafi, which delves into the notion of power in human society through three distinct perspectives, expressed in kinetic sculptures. Runs to 25th May.

💡 Sun 27th Apr sees a free, ticketed immersive art experience where storytelling meets visual art, heritage meets design, and strangers become part of the narrative, at the debut event from Persian collective BONGEREH. Between Light & Time at Indra Gallery brings together a group of emerging Persian artists and cultural businesses, showcasing work that explores renewal, balance, memory, and transformation.

New on thisisthewick.com this week…

🎙️ Head to Stratford East this Easter Sat 19th Apr for a one-off special An Evening of Soul: Jukebox. It features the sensational Wayne Hernandez - veteran of London Community Soul Choir and singer with the band Gorillaz - alongside a hand-picked super-soulful group of musicians, where the audience get to decide the set list.

🎺 The celebrated Monday night jam at Color Factory kickstarts the long Easter weekend and becomes Orii Club on Fri 18th Apr as their improvised nu-jazz sounds fuse with more electronic, bass-driven beats with Larizzle, Tribal Brothers and Sexy Lady Massive on the stellar line-up.

🎶 Good Friday (18th Apr) also sees the Illasoul crew combine the essence of their esteemed In Real Time series with a stacked DJ lineup including Josef Chan and Arthur Franks to keep the jazz fusion, broken beat and hip hop flow moving till late at GROW.

🎂 Celebrate two years of eclectic party Niche at The Bath House on Sat 19th Apr as they bring no less than three artists to play alongside their residents. Berlin legend, Minor Science, joins UK debut live show ‘dreamgaze’ from Egyptian Amsterdam-based diva YoungWoman, and a unique performance by Parisian sound alchemist Le Frit.

🥩 Exciting food news from The Lord Napier Star just in time for Easter Sunday, as their weekday kitchen, then Texan BBQ specialists Red Dog Saloon take over the Sunday Roasts from this week, Sun 20th Apr and every weekend from now on.

🥖 Meanwhile, just down the road a sister pub The Leyton Star, the new kitchen offering comes from the unique Moody’s Dip Sandwiches, who do a hot French-style bread sarni, stuffed with slow-cooked meats and garnishes and served ‘Au Jus’ - with the juices from the roast for dipping, slathering etc.

🚲 With a history dating back to 1903, The Good Friday Track Race Meeting is back this Fri 18th Apr at Lee Valley VeloPark for one of the most prestigious events in British track cycling. This year’s edition is set to be a cracker, with an electric lineup featuring top riders including Ben Swift of Ineos Grenadiers.

🏀 Superleague Netball is back at the Copper Box Arena as London Pulse play Manchester Thunder on Fri 18th Apr.

🏊🏻‍♀️ The 2025 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships kicked off at the QEOP’s iconic London Aquatics Centre yesterday with a fully-integrated para-swimming and swimming programme of pool action. Prepare to watch world-class racing and a series of British and World records fall, daily until Sun 20th Apr.

🗣️ If you run an alternative education organisation or project at secondary school level, join CIVA (the Centre For Innovation In Voluntary Action) for a knowledge and idea sharing session: Educational Alternatives idea and business model exchange. You have the chance to engage with others on various topics, including critical income generation on Wed 30th Apr at Proposition Studios.

♻️ Hackney Council want to hear from local residents, charities, and community groups to help shape the borough’s circular economy strategy by filling in their Making Things Last survey. It takes less than 10 minutes and you can give your views on repairing, upcycling, reusing, and sharing so the Council can better support local action on waste and climate change. You’ll be entered into a draw to win one of five £20 Growing Communities veg boxes.

👩🏻‍💼 Join business strategist and leadership coach, Felix Riley, for an evening of powerful insights and entrepreneurial inspiration at The Trampery Fish Island Village on Thurs 1st May for the free event Brilliant Thinking: How to Think Bigger in Business (And in Life). Felix will help you break free from limited thinking, maximise opportunities, and unlock your creative potential via practical brainstorming techniques, motivating stories, and a chance to ask him your burning questions in a Q&A session.