Three days of fun: Black Owned Hackney market is among the events taking place this weekend
(Picture: @KhrisMorganUK)It’s a magical time of year, the spring. Sure, you’ve got the miracle of nature’s renewal and all that jazz, but really, this time of year is special for one thing in particular: the amount of bank holidays we’re given.
We’ve already had the Easter four-dayer, and we’ve got another elongated weekend to look forward to in June (cheers, Liz). Coming up at the end of April and into May though, we’ve got a bank holiday Monday to play with. And London is ready to party.
With DJ shindigs, pop-up food markets, boozy excursions and more, it’s time to get planning for your three-day extravaganza. Here’s our pick of the bunch.
The restaurant: Black Owned Hackney
BlackEatsLDN — the directory dedicated to collating the UK’s Black-owned restaurants — is returning this weekend for the latest edition of its Black Owned Hackney market. It’ll bringing together food vendors, artisan traders and more, all gathered on Bohemia Place, across the road from Hackney Central. If you can’t make it this time round, then worry not: there are more events planned throughout the summer.
Free entry, April 30-May 1, Bohemia Place, E8 1DU, blackeatsldn.com
The bar: Blackhorse Beer Mile
Move aside, Bermondsey: there’s a new beer mile in town. Taking in six breweries and taprooms along Blackhorse Lane in Walthamstow, it’s one to explore on the bank holiday Monday. Start at the northernmost spot, Hackney Brewery, and work your way south before ending up in the beer hall at Truman’s Social Club, which will be serving food and playing music all day and into the evening.
Free entry, May 1, blackhorsebeermile.co.uk
The exhibition: Walter Sickert at Tate Britain
Our critic gave a shining five-star review for the new Walter Sickert exhibition at Tate Britain — and it should be top of your exhibition hit list this weekend. The “wonderful show” represents “every stage” of the artist’s career, from his early apprenticeship to Whistler, to his time spent working and living in Camden Town. Read the full review here.
£18, from April 28, Millbank, SW1P 4RG, tate.org.uk
The event: Rebel Music
The rich history of activism in Lewisham will be told via the medium of music thanks to a month-long festival, Rebel Music. There’s all sorts going on, from an in-conversation evening with legendary dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, to an Afrofuturistic vogue ball. Pick of the programme this weekend is the Reggae Roast at the Fox and Firkin pub, which promises rum cocktails, Caribbean street food, and plenty of reggae and dancehall.
£12, May 1, Fox and Firkin, 316 Lewisham High Street, SE13 6JZ, wearelewisham.com
The club night: Queen’s Yard Summer Party
Spread out across 16 venues in Hackney Wick, this day festival is always a sure-fire sign that the summer of fun is getting underway. With a heaving line-up of DJ talent — Club Fitness, Pearson Sound, Raw Silk, Tasch LC, Yung Singh and plenty, plenty more — things will roll on from midday until 10.30pm, with afterparties at Colour Factory, The Yard and Studio 9294 (all of which a separately ticketed).
£60.50, May 1, E9, queensyardsummer.party
The festival: Underbelly
Launching for the weekend, Underbelly is promising food and drink stalls aplenty — Indian from Tandoori Tadkaa, seafood from the London Grilled Fish Company, sustainable choices from Ewe Pulled — as well as Spiegeltent promising everything from cabaret to comedy, drag to burlesque to acrobatics. This weekend is more about sinking a few pints in the sun than getting in the tent, but there’s plenty to enjoy as it runs throughout the summer.
