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.
 The Brady Arts and Community Centre is joining other Tower Hamlets venues for this year’s Open House Festival, an annual celebration of London’s buildings, architecture, and neighbourhoods. The building has a fascinating history. It opened in 1935 and was specifically designed as a youth club for Jewish young people. It retains many original architectural features and remains at the heart of the community.
Free activities at the open day on 16 September will highlight the life of the building and give a taste of what’s on offer at the centre.
- Drop in family art workshop, drawing and painting classes and dancing, singing and storytelling workshops in the Theatre space
- Bangladeshi textiles exhibition Rhythm of Life Festival and the Brady Archive Photographic exhibition
- Screenings of the Brady Boys Club documentary, ‘The Battle of Brick Lane’ and ‘Moving Language Forward'.
- Sister Circle, Theatre Company Outside Edge and our Stonecarving tutor showcase services available at the Centre.
Café Bite will be open throughout the day. No booking, but space is limited. First come first served so put The Brady Arts Centre on your Open House tour of venues in Tower Hamlets.
Greenwich & Docklands International Festival at Canary Wharf
 Greenwich & Docklands International Festival (GDIF) returns to Canary Wharf with ground-breaking outdoor performance and dance.
Dancing City
Two extraordinary days of outdoor dance transform the piazzas, parks and waterfronts of Canary Wharf. Discover a spectacular alfresco programme of international and UK dance featuring contemporary, ballet, hip hop, parkour, kathak and choreography on stilts. Every performance is FREE and unticketed – just show up.
Saturday 9 - Sunday 10 September
Pan~ // Catwalk
Two performers, one catwalk and a never-ending row of outfits. From a worn-out denim jacket to an extravagant glitter dress, our clothes are an expression of who we are, want to be, and sometimes have to be. Through a fusion of fashion, choreography, live music and theatre, this performance, challenges the urge to label or judge others based on how they appear, revealing instead a mind-opening celebration of fluidity and self-expression.
Performances at 1.30pm and 4.00pm on 6, 7, 9 and 10 September,
 Come along to art classes at The Brady Arts Centre on Wednesdays from 1 - 3pm and 6.30 - 8.30pm to develop your skills and learn how to use a variety of media.
The theme for the first half of the Autumn term 2023 is Black History Month. Sources of inspiration for the creation of portraits, pattern design and mask making include the British Museum, the work of Yinka Shonibare and Carnival!
After half term classes will use oils paint, pastel, watercolour and collage. The theme is flora and this will be an opportunity to draw and paint flowers and leaves. Drop-in or sign-up. Email ginnyhawke5@hotmail.co.uk
Beautiful painted textiles by Mong Mong Sho and Debabrata Behera are on display at the Brady Arts Centre Gallery 7 - 30 September. These visualise the emotional depth conveyed through traditional south Asian dance forms as well as a sense of pride and national identity.
This exhibition is part of the Rhythm of Images Festival taking place at Rich Mix on 8-9 September which celebrates Indian Classical dance heritage, and culminating in a performance at the Brady Arts Centre on 30 September. Presented by Mukul and Ghetto Tigers.
গানের সিলেট, প্রাণের সিলেট - Beloved Sylhet, Songs of Sylhet
 Singers including Gouri Choudhury, Abdul Shahid and Hashi Rani will be raising the roof on 23 September at The Kobi Nazrul Centre with an uplifting evening of song and traditional music from Sylhet. This is a celebration of legendary composers Durbin Shah, Gias Uddin Ahmed, Hason Raja, Kofil Uddin Sorkar, Radha Raman and Shah Abdul Karim.
FREE but booking essential. as spaces are limited.
 THAMES Children’s Choir is an exciting singing group for 7-11 years olds who live or attend school in Tower Hamlets.
Each session includes fun singing warm-ups, learning a range of songs, developing musical and performing skills, working towards performances and meeting new friends. The choir takes part in local performances/festivals at various times across the year.
There are many benefits of singing, including improved musical skills and higher attainment in other school subjects. Singing is also said to help develop confidence, concentration and social skills, and is also great fun!
Join the choir on Mondays and be part of a vibrant, talented team of young singers! Participation is FREE.Register your child.
For more information, visit the THAMES website, email alison.porter@towerhamlets.gov.uk or phone the office on 020 7364 0431.
 A play focusing on an eclectic group of six young hopefuls during the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming "ding" of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves a champion! Come along to find out who...
Presented by Geoids Musical Theatre; a dynamic central London amateur theatre company who perform exciting and entertaining musical theatre.
See The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at The Brady Arts Centre 19 – 24 September
 The first ever exhibition of sound art inspired by the amazing collections of oral history and archival audio held at Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives.
Dating back to 1962 and held on fragile cassettes and open reel audiotape, these recordings offer us tantalising fragments of the sonic past. In this installation, the audio collections held at Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives are revisited by three sound artists - Alastair Levy, Emily Peasgood and Syma Tariq.
Produced in collaboration with researchers at Queen Mary, University of London and Birkbeck, University of London, who have been exploring what the East End meant to generations of migrants, Everything is Different, Nothing has Changed uses archival audio to offer new interpretations of Tower Hamlets’ past, focussing particularly on the experiences of Jewish and Bengali/Bangladeshi migrants living here during the twentieth century. The exhibition is accompanied by a series of free events and activities.
 Thames Festival Trust is delighted to present London’s annual river festival, Totally Thames 2023. The festival will feature art installations and exhibitions, performances including a climate cabaret, foreshore walks, talks, boat trips, river races and more this September, particularly focusing on sustainability and protecting the environment and ecosystem of the river. This exciting annual celebration of the Thames is back for its 27th year with an all-new look: each weekend will see a festival hub in a different London riverside location with events and activities, and there will be further events across London all month long. Find out about events and activities in Tower Hamlets.
 The UK’s original vintage fair is back in East London! Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair combines with The Vintage Furniture Flea for one great big vintage shopping and furniture event at The Pavilions in Mile End Park on Sunday 17 September.
Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair is nearly 20 years old!! And to celebrate being the longest running travelling vintage fair in the UK they are holding a special event in East London and putting on a huge vintage double bill with ‘The Vintage Furniture Flea’ Your ticket gets you access to both venues so you can come and go as you please between the two all day!
Check out hand selected some awesome traders selling mid-century furniture in the Art Pavilion and some of the finest vintage fashion traders from around the UK in the Ecology Pavilion. There will also be street food stalls so customers will be well fed whilst shopping vintage furniture and fashion.
Aberfest Community Festival
 Join Aberfeldy Big Local at Millenium Green, 14 – 4pm on Saturday 16 September for AberFest Community Festival
Take part in a range of community activities and entertainment for all ages provided by local partners! Enjoy food, a bouncy castle, games, creative and sustainability workshops and music provided by Spotlight.
 All are welcome at The Art Pavilion to attend this cultural event on 10 and 11 September, organised by Sommilito Sahitya O Sangskritik Parishad Juktorajya (The Council for Bengali Cultural Alliance UK). The line-up includes literary discussions, children performances, drawing workshops, book launches, book stalls, dance performances, poetry recitations, poetry reading, a special artist programme by APASEN, a musical programme and an award ceremony.
 Your favourite neighbourhood queer film fest is back at Rich Mix
The 2023 programme promises to deliver a wild array of film premieres, radical joy, trans networking opportunities, experimental gunk, and salacious celluloid. Our shorts are fierce, our parties are fab, and our features are groundbreaking.
Explore the full programme!
Coming soon...Black History Month
October 2023 sees another busy programme of events and activities for those of all ages and interests in celebration of Black arts, culture and heritage. Exhibitions, performances and workshops cover film, music, poetry and local archive collections plus intergenerational sessions to explore connections within communities. Keep an eye on the Black History Month page on our website for full details.
|
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.
Twitter @THevents
Facebook TowerHamletsEvents
 |
|
Tell your friends!
|
We’re delighted that you're one of our readers!
If you enjoy our arts and events highlights, why not invite your friends and family to subscribe?
Simply send them this link.
|
|
Did you know that Tower Hamlets offers other email newsletters to keep you up to date on a variety of topics?
|
