Tower Hamlets has a vibrant arts scene, and a host of family and community activities. We hope you find something to enjoy.
For more events taking place in Tower Hamlets this month, visit our What’s on Guide for arts and entertainment listings.
 Join us for a Victory Day concert on 17 December in the Great Hall, Queen Mary University of London.
Book your tickets now for a showstopping evening of music and dance as we celebrate Victory Day and Bengali culture with a very special concert that will feature some of the best UK acts on stage including the internationally acclaimed Naz & Bolly Flex, English Bangla fusion singer, rapper and songwriter Nish plus RnB chart topper Mumzy Stranger.
The evening will feature a range of Bengali inspired traditional and contemporary music and dance and will be an uplifting and spectacular finale to the Bangladesh@50 programme 2021, as well as something the whole family can enjoy.
Please note that you will need to demonstrate your COVID-19 status to gain entry to this event.
Events to mark the 50th anniversary of Victory Day will also take place at Rich Mix from 10 - 16 December.
 Take a step back in time with My Home, My Bari - an art installation that represents the living spaces of the British Bangladeshi community in 1971 in Tower Hamlets.
History begins at home, and as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence, acclaimed artist Rahemur Rahman has worked with a group of artists and young people from Tower Hamlets to evoke such a living space. This installation is a multi-sensory depiction of the textures, décor and aromas of those homes to trigger memories and associations of that era.
See the installation at the Kobi Nazrul Centre, off Brick Lane until 14 December. The installation is accompanied by a series of salons, discussing the themes of the exhibition, and guided walks around Brick Lane. All FREE - book now
 Tower Hamlets’ over 50s residents are invited to put on their party clothes and join us for an afternoon concert of seasonal music and song. Top London jazz and swing band The Sunshine Kings are back to provide live music and festive cheer with New Orleans, Dixieland, 20s, traditional and vintage style sounds. The choir of St Paul’s Way Secondary School will also serenade the audience.
Light refreshments will be served. The concert will take place at The Ecology Pavilion, Mile End Park from 2 - 4.30pm on Thursday 9 December. Free but advance booking essential.
 East London Printmakers return to The Art Pavilion, Mile End Park with their Festival of Print 2021. The exhibition includes new work from a wide range of contemporary printmaking practice, from traditional techniques to experimental processes. 90 artists will be showcasing etching, woodcuts, screenprints, collagraphs and more.
The recently completed 2021 ELP Box Set will be launched and for sale at the exhibition,, as well as unframed prints and greeting cards. The Fesitval of print is open daily until Sunday 5 December.
East London Printmakers is a not-for-profit, artist run studio based in Mile End.
 Now in its 6th successful year, Urban Makers return to The Ecology Pavilion, Mile End Park, to host their annual festive makers’ market. 50 different designers each day will be selling everything from Christmas gifts and decorations, to homewares, jewellery, art, candles and accessories. All sustainable and ethical. The makers market takes place on November 27 and 28, and on December 11 and 12. Free entry.
There will be a range of craft workshops including embroidery, punch needle and Christmas decorations. Visit the Urban Makers website for full details and to book.
Urban Makers Feast will be back with a great selection of festive food and drink including delicious cakes, warming savoury food, artisan coffee, cocktails and more.
 Local artist Mira Connolly loves discovering the nooks and crannies of Tower Hamlets and her work is concentrated around local scenes.
She moved to Mile End 20 years ago and, after having been made redundant in 2010, attended classes in printmaking and other media. Through this she discovered a love of painting and was shortlisted in 2020 for the Royal Academy of Art’s prestigious Open Exhibition.
See Mira’s paintings in this new exhibition at The Brady Arts Centre from Wednesday 1 December to Tuesday 25 January,
 Nine months of events and activities to mark Bangladesh@50 will culminate in an exhibition Five:50 at The Art Pavilion in Mile End Park.
50 years after the liberation of Bangladesh, five women artists have been invited to share their work on the theme of freedom and independence. This mixed media exhibition includes paintings, textiles and illustrations, and presents a diverse range of creative responses to the theme. It runs from 9 to 16 December with a free, community arts workshop on 12 December. The participating artists are Rahima Begum, Mukta Chakravarty, Karimah Hassan, Husna Parvin and Rukia Ullah.
 Trapped in Zone One returns to Bethnal Green with their winter programme of Club Zone One in partnership with Parkview TRA.
The locally based arts collective will be providing creative workshops and fitness sessions from 23 - 31 December 2021 for young females aged 11-18 from Tower Hamlets. Free lunchtime nutritious meals will be provided by a local food provider. Sessions take place at Glasshouse Community Centre, 161 Old Ford Road, E2 9QB. Visit the website to register a young person for the programme and for Covid-19 guidance for this event.
 Join the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park for a festive guided tour exploring the history of the Cemetery Park and telling the stories of some of the residents and how they might have celebrated Christmas in the past.
This walk, on 23 December, will last approximately an hour and a half and you'll be greeted with a mince pie on arrival. This is a free event but donations are welcome.
Spaces are limited to 15 to ensure social distancing so advance booking is required.
 Join Poplar Union for some Christmassy events to get you ready for the big day, including a festive cookie decorating workshop with Poplar Bakehouse, a magical, snowy theatre show for little'uns from Tiny Light Theatre, and a free family film screening of The Polar Express! They also have some ideas for great Christmas gifts with their new memberships, Christmas vouchers and festive merch!
 Ebenezer and his ghoulish gang are back! Hunker down into the Christmas spirit with The Dickens Theatre Company and of course... the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future! This unique adaptation of Dicken’s classic novella presents two actors taking on every role in a fast-paced & action-packed 60-minute production!
Book now and catch this festive performance on Saturday 11 December at 2:30pm and 5pm, at St Margaret’s House in Bethnal Green.
 Cardboard Citizens return to Rich Mix with two nights of performance, music and spoken word created by Londoners with experience of homelessness.
During lockdown, Cardboard Citizens members wrote short plays and recorded music about the housing crisis – what might lie ahead for those of us whose living situation becomes unstable, and what solutions might there be to address the crisis in the future.
Sketches of resistance and dissent, of chosen communities, and alternate ways of living as we emerge from the time of COVID into an era of creativity. From hostels, squats and temporary housing, direct to the Rich Mix stage – join your community in a festive-free two-day festival that looks towards a better 2022.
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 December. Book now.
 Vital Theatre presents The Incident At Marshfell. A new play by Michael Punter at The Space, Isle of Dogs on 9 and 10 December.
Thirteen years after a series of shocking and unexplained events shattered the lives of a family living alone on the marshes of East Sussex, two women arrange to meet. One is the daughter of the family and the other, a scientist who seeks to uncover the truth about Marshfell Cottage and the disturbing events that have defined their lives ever since.
But as the evening progresses, an uncanny energy fizzes in the room, interfering with sound and light, memory and reality. Is it the house that is haunted? Or is there something much more unknowable that needs their help?
 Head down to Wapping Wonderland every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the first three weekends of December at Brussels Wharf, Wapping. Come and get your Christmas presents and enjoy a variety of live artists and bands, street food, craft beers, cocktails and mulled wine whilst you're at it.
Santa visits, Christmas tree village, wreath and candle making workshops and more!
Tower Hamlets Council coronavirus updates
We continue to work with Public Health England, the NHS and a wide range of partners to ensure we're doing everything we can, in line with the government advice, and urging our residents to do the same. Please regularly check www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/coronavirus for the latest advice and subscribe to updates.
If you are organising arts or cultural events, either online or at your venue in Tower Hamlets, please submit listings to our What’s On pages.
Use #TowerHamletsTogether to highlight your event and enter wider conversations about activities and support available to the local community.
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