Left Culture Club: Events & Socials for a Radical Future

Join LCC Sunday, March 8th at the Hackney Marshes playing field as we make another attempt at playing the Soviet Union's very own Zarnitsa, a capture-the-flag alternative with a small twist.

WHAT IS ZARNITSA?

Zarnitsa (Зарница), or heat-lightning, officially known as the All-Union Young Pioneer military sports game "Zarnitsa", is a massive multi-player physical sports game developed and practiced by the Young Pioneers communist youth organisation during the Soviet era. The game provides a simulation of military actions such as reconnaissance, co-ordinated offensives, giving chase, etc. Popular once again in modern Russia, this is a simple game designed for children and young people in military/cadet organisations, but great fun for active people of all ages.

The rules of Zarnitsa are based on the classic capture the flag concept. Two teams each have a "base area" with a flag contained within, concealed or otherwise. Each team's goal is to protect their own flag and seize the other team's and bring it back to the base area. Players can walk, run, sneak, hide, create diversions and use any means short of physical violence to achieve their objectives.

What makes Zarnitsa different from classic CTF is simply this: every player has two velcro-attached shoulder straps that serve as health indicators and can be torn off by the opponents. Losing one indicates "wounded", losing two indicates "dead". The "wounded" players cannot run and should only walk. The "dead" players return to a respawn point or leave the game in some modes.

Why are we doing this? Capture the flag is simply top fun and anyone who says otherwise is joking themselves. Zarnitsa's slightly elevated level of complexity should give us just that extra challenge needed to really make it interesting. That said, this is our first go with organising multiplayer sports games, so we'll see what the results are! As always comments, questions, suggestions and concerns are more than welcome - just contact an organiser.

Sports games are a great way to get and stay active, meet new people, and break the monotony of everyday life under British capitalism. Let's get out there!

For our first attempt at organising a little Zarnitsa league here in London, we'll hit up Hackney Marshes and Wick Woodland. We'll divide into two teams; each will receive coloured vests or other garments to which the health indicator strips are attached. Then we'll take up our places, count down from 60 seconds, and let the games begin!

Note: we'll want at least five people per team for this to really work right, so we'll cancel or reschedule if this one gets less than 9 RSVPs. There's no limit to how big our group can be of course, so please do join us! Just be sure to either turn up on the day or change your RSVP if you can't make it in the end, just so we know what to expect.

Take care and see you on the pitch!

Hello path-beaters and foot-padders! Once again it's that time again: Spring is in the air, or at least it will be (have been?) by the time we touch down in east London for another big step down The Greenway on April 12th, 2026.

It was with this hidden gem of an urban nature trail that we kicked off last year's smash-hit nature walking series. Longtime LCC-ers will remember that we didn't actually get very far down the Greenway, thanks to the torturous interference of some no-good developers who put a big fence and a "GREENWAY CLOSED" sign in our way. We diverted and had a lovely hike anyway, but this time we'll be ready.

The Greenway was once known as the Northern Outfall Sewer, a raised sewer line designed to whisk away the industrial filth of London during the height of the Industrial Revolution. At the start of the 20th century, it was sealed up and turned into a linear park for the enjoyment of working-class east London, over which it passes today - from Fish Island all the way over East Ham and on down to Silvertown and the end of the Woolwich Peninsula. We'll try to cover the whole distance, for a walk of about 3-3.5 hours.

The weather should be alright - who can say - but do bring a wind layer and possibly some protection from light rains. Good walking shoes and boots are handy, but this trail shouldn't have much or any mud, since it's paved in quite a few places. A snack or lunch is worth bringing too, but we'll aim for a pub at the end somewhere.

There are bathroom facilities at Hackney Wick, our starting point, as well as at a couple cafes at situated on the eastern end of the route.

Along the way we'll see gorgeous views of the River Lea with its branches, canal sections and forests as well as the Olympic parklands of Hackney and Stratford. To top that off, we'll have a near birds-eye view of the changing human landscape with all the big fuck-off construction sites of Bow Goods Yard, Sweetwater, Pudding Mill etc - a veritable tour of the gentrification process as it rolls on in east London! Natural beauty and political-economic field research - a winning combination, so do join us. Take care and see you on the trail!