Dancing City festival & cultural curiosities of East London

Join us at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to see some sizzling outdoor dance, discover some of East London’s quirky cultural curiosities, and share a coffee and a drink with some lovely people.

We’ll meet for refreshments at an amazing rooftop terrace, before seeing some free outdoor dance from the fabulous Dancing City festival. Don’t worry if dance isn’t your thing, as you’ll love these short sharp tasters of hip-hop, street and contemporary styles.

We’ll stroll through the Olympic Park, along the canal and onto funky Fish Island, taking in a few of their quirkier attractions. We’ll end the afternoon with a chill and a chat at a fabulous canal-side brewery and pizza place in Hackney Wick.

We welcome seasoned art-lovers and anyone beginning their journey in the weird and wonderful world of visual art. We’re a friendly and welcoming bunch, we don’t bark or bite, so don’t be shy and please do come along.

Full disclosure
We’ll meet for introductions, refreshments and a pitstop on the roof terrace of Bread Street Kitchen Bar & Rooftop. It’s an amazing space with fabulous views, and it’s open to the public, but nobody knows (except us).

Come up to the top floor using the external stairs at the back of the building, or the lift from the Park Information Point. Look out for my brightly coloured cap (and shoes).

There’s no cafe on the terrace, so bring a takeaway beverage and a sweet treat, or a hot focaccia sandwich (nom-nom) from the nearby Signorelli bakery.

The first dance is right below the terrace, so we may watch it from there, or go down for a different view. Then we’ll stroll around the Olympic Park taking in a few more of the short performances. We’ll see some pretty cool stuff, such as:

• Touch – gravity-defying contemporary dance by internationally renowned choreographer Yoann Bourgeous.
• Imole – contemporary African dance embodiment of the intensity and wildness of fire.
• Are You Here For The Meeting – big, bold, beautiful meeting without walls – a physical broadcast by the young.
• As, Was, Is – electrifying fusion of South Asian and street dance.
• Wheels & Cello – groundbreaking street skating choreography combined with live music.

When we can’t face any more amazingly fit and talented performers, we’ll stroll through the Olympic Park, taking in a few of its iconic and lesser-known attractions. We’ll see the Olympic Stadium, the Orbit (the UK’s largest and arguably ugliest sculpture), a whacky out-of-the-way shipping container cafe, and the original Big breakfast house.

We’ll also saunter over the canal bridge to Fish Island and Hackney Wick, two of London’s coolest and quirkiest areas, and home to the largest colony of artist and craftspeople in Europe – wow! We’ll see old warehouses and street art, lots of street art.

After all that, we’ll need a beer (or a soft drink), so we’ll head to Crate Brewery, with its fabulous canal-side location, awesomely unusual pizzas, and some of the best craft beer this side of Tallinn. We’ll have a drink and chat about what we’ve seen, and anything else that comes to mind.

Where & when
START – We begin at 12:15pm on the public roof terrace of Bread Street Kitchen Bar & Rooftop (map), a short walk from Stratford station. The terrace has toilets but no cafe, so bring a takeaway beverage and a sweet treat, or a hot focaccia sandwich from the nearby Signorelli bakery (map).

END – We finish at Crate Brewery (map), a short walk from Hackney Wick Overground station (map).

Small print
We‘re building an inclusive, responsible and respectful community, and a safe space for everyone, so please play nicely!

• This is a self-guided event with a hobby group, not a professionally guided tour.
• We’ll start the event on time, so come early to allow for transport delays.
• Let us know if you can no longer make it by changing your rsvp in good time.
• We may remove you from the group if you don’t turn up to an event, cancel on the day when there’s a waiting list, or in some other way show a lack of responsibility, respect and tolerance for other members.
• Nobody is providing you with a service and none is implied. You are responsible for your own safety. You attend completely at your own risk. By attending, you accept group organisers and members have no responsibility or liability for any injury or loss.