Summer is in full swing and August is off to a banging start in London with two festivals that will leave you torn between the south and the north this weekend.
Down in the south Brixton brings you its annual carnival style free festival - the Brixton Splash - this Sunday. And it's guaranteed to be loud, live and full of colour. There is a main stage offering musical delights for all, ranging from reggae and latin to soul, funk and R n B. As expected for any carnival there will be soundsystems in place pumping reggae through the town while the crowds dance in the streets. When you’re tired of dancing there are food stalls aplenty and a craft market to browse. For those with kids to entertain there are art activities throughout the weekend to get the creative juices flowing as well as puppet shows and an eternally popular bouncy castle. If by the end of the day you haven’t had your fill of dancing or sunshine, its time to head to the official after party on the rooftop of the Prince of Wales Pub, where DJ greats Norman Jay and Don Letts will keep your feet stomping ‘til the early hours.
Northeast London’s offering this weekend comes in the form of Hackney Wicked Festival; a 3 day arts extravaganza in celebration of and support of the local community. Hackney Wick, known for its arty inhabitants and bohemian style will be opening its doors to the public quite literally. Over local 20 studios will be baring their souls and showcasing their talented tenants, and there’s a host of live performances, exhibitions and installations on offer too. If you’re feeling inspired there’s a range of workshops to get involved in, or if shopping is more your thing you’ll want to be checking out the Fate for the Wicked. As any festival is never complete without some musical accompaniment there are two stages to peruse; one offering lo-fi acoustic fare and the main stage boasting a diverse range of talented musicians blasting out beatboxing and jazz to dub, funk and folk. For any of you fans of electronic music there is one more intriguing event to check out. The modular synth shop, London Modular, is celebrating its first birthday on the Sunday and holding a free party in the spacious warehouse Shapes. All the music will be being created live, using only modular synths (in laymen’s terms a bunch of wire, flashing LEDs and analogue circuitry). Described as “more of an experiment than a party…there will be an ongoing search to find the perfect tones to fit the room and your ears”. With the visuals to match!
If you’re thinking of going to Hackney Wicked why not hire one of our bikes and follow the gloriously car-free Regent’s canal path straight into the heart of the festival.