Forgive us a momentary spot of navel-gazing this week, but we thought you’d like to know that The Wick has an exciting new home on the web.

As this weekly newsletter develops spin-offs such as our community network, it makes sense to host everything we do online in one easy-to-find place. So from now on, all our digital storytelling and updates can be found at the new home for thisisthewick.com right here.

All previous stories can still found at archive.thisisthewick.com so nothing has got lost in the move, but we’ll be able to do a lot more by having everything in one place.

That include running a new series of regular local arts and culture reviews, both as written pieces and spoken-to-camera videos on our @thisisthewick social channels. The aim is to help people discover more of the broad range of stage shows, comedy nights, live music, sporting events, dance, club nights and other events happening across East London.

To kick things off, check out what our theatre reviewer, Sam Charlton, thinks of the emotional new show currently playing at Stratford East below, and if you’ve got an event you’d like us to consider reviewing, please send info to the usual mailbox: [email protected]

The new focus on digital is just part of how we plan to keep The Wick growing and delivering real value to the community in an era where the role of the media is shifting fast at every level.

We’re currently expanding the benefits of becoming one of our new paid subscribers, so if you’d like to improve your experience of the local area while also supporting our journalism and events, take a look at the premium upgrades - we’d love to have you on board 😍

Buying a copy of The Wick Book is also a direct way for you to support all this, while also getting a stunning 160-page tome for your coffee table, looking back at 15 years of culture, community and change in the neighbourhood.

Order online for postal deliveries or the ongoing pick-up point at Hour Studio in Main Yard. Meanwhile, two more local retailers now have stock of the book for you to buy in person. So next time you’re grabbing ethical groceries at Refill Therapy or enhancing your at JuJu Home, you can also pick up a copy of the book, too. 👍🏻

🚬 Artist and comedian Amy Binns brings her YUCK On Tour art exhibition to Two More Years for the next month, with a few drinks at the Private View tonight, Wed 18th Feb. She works with bold, colourful acrylic on canvas, focusing on themes of contrast, irony, and wry look at popular culture.

🎞️ Head to UCL East Cinema tonight, Wed 18th Feb, for Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf + a special Q&A afterwards. The screening of the biopic of trans activist Munroe Bergdorf faces up to her childhood trauma while writing her life story and speaking out for her community, as a part of LGBTQIA+ History Month 2026, in association with The New Black Film Collective.

🃏 Pokèmon fans, assemble! There’s an afternoon of buying or trading card packs, singles and fan art at the Pop-Up Pokè-Stop, taking over Fish Island’s Social Yoga on Sun 22nd Feb.

🎨 New collaborative exhibition Creative Voices, Activist Voices is Trowbridge Gardens until Sun 15th Mar, exploring the intersection of grassroots culture and civic activism, using photographs, objects, and storytelling to investigate how community-led creativity can unlock a wider voice for social change.

♻️ Also back at Trowbridge Gardens is the next Renée Community Event – Eco Material Kilo Sale + Textile Swap, the new monthly eco-friendly material kilo sale featuring fabric, leather, and paper samples, plus a free textile swap to keep quality materials in the circular loop. Sat 28th Feb.

🖼️ Catch the final days of the free exhibition from the fastest growing multi-disciplinary art prize in the UK, the John Ruskin Prize at Trinity Buoy Wharf. The awards support and promote artists, designers and makers whose work defies easy categorisation, all with the values of the radical polymath John Ruskin at it's very core. Runs to 21st Feb.

There’s a free hands-on workshop open to 18–30 year olds on Fri 27th Feb where you’ll get to walk the public art trail The Line, learn holistic digital art making, and create a video poem inspired by Mahtab Hussain's sculpture in the Olympic Park, ‘Please Take a Seat’. Poem from the Bench is a digital poetry workshop that explores themes of hope and belonging.

🎂 Illusive Rhythm (Sam's Birthday Bash) is at Hackney Wick’s high-fidelity hangout All My Friends on Thu 19th Feb with DJs Thoma Bulwer and Samuel Richter leading the charge dropping deep, immersive house and slick minimal rollers through until 1am.

🎧 Bubbledee is back in the building, taking over the intimate Loft space at Colour Factory this Fri 20th Feb with late-night session for the heads Electronic Music with Bubbledee featuring house and tech-house from Andrea Giudice and Larry Cadge.

🔥There’s the return of the ever-popular Hackney Wick local to the decks at The Lord Napier Star on Fri 20th Feb as DJ Normski brings his archival knowledge of dance music to the pub. Get down early, ans the Friday Wine Club flows from midday, before the dancefloor fills up later on.

🎨 A cross between an audiovisual exhibition and a full-blown LGBTQ+ rave, Club Are: Edition 17 is taking over Hackney Bridge for a full 11-hour session on Sat 21st Feb with spectacular people, sounds and visuals guaranteed.

🥁 Ritmo Del Barrio: Chicha Por Favor at Grow, Hackney Sat 21st Feb sees Latin-punk meet Peruvian Cumbia and tropical rhythms for a high-energy session that celebrates the global cultures woven into the fabric of East London.

Profile your own local business, project or event to over 8,000 locals via this newsletter and 1,000s more on our social channels. Sign up to The Wick Business Community today.

📦 Crate Brewery are on the lookout for a new Warehouse and Supply Operative to help the brewery team with logistics, deliveries, and stock management. Apply now.

🌿 Canalside music and culture hub, Grow, are currently looking for chefs and kitchen porters to join the team in their plant-based kitchen.

🧵 Cheeky Studio are offering team-building tufting workshops at their studio in Tradestars Hackney Wick. Options are suitable for teams of between 8-20 people, are beginner-friendly and include all materials and guidance.

📋 HereThe CIC is looking for participants for a 5-minute research survey on their wellness habits and feelings about ‘slow living’ to support neurodivergent artists. Take the survey here.

🚀 The Royal College of Art’s InnovationRCA Creative Brands Accelerator is open to applications from alumni. It’s is a call-to-arms for founders working in fashion, ceramics, digital design, and beyond, offering dedicated coaching from retail heavyweights, access to hot-desking in the heart of their incubator and a winter pop-up opportunity to showcase your craft to a global audience. Apply by Mon 23rd Mar.

📢 Last callout for any local employers looking to engage with students at Here East Student Jobs Fair on Fri 23rd Feb with any part time, internship and volunteering opportunities that could be an idea fit for the diverse and talented students attending Teesside University London, Loughborough University London, UCL, University of Staffordshire London and LMA.