Newham Unlocked Festival returns this summer touring the borough over five consecutive Saturdays in August and September, featuring a roller-rink, live music and cabaret stage.
Newham Unlocked Festival will celebrate the unique culture, resilience, and creativity that defines the borough.
The free events will feature a bespoke line-up of roller skating classes and demos, street food, stage performances, creative workshops and a market area.
Invisible Wind Factory’s incredible Rollerdrome will be central to the events. Festival-goers can watch a performance or pull on some skates and join a free workshop with discos and DJs and more for all abilities and ages across the course of the 5 weeks.
The festival debuts on Saturday 20 August in Plashet Park and goes on to tour at Rathbone Market, Beckton Park, Central Park with a final event at West Ham Park on Saturday 17 September, where plans are being drawn up for a spectacular high-energy closing catwalk.
Live music, dance performances and DJs will keep the energy high and the entertainment flowing, with performances from local and London-based artists.
Acts include Mohammed Gueye, a West African percussionist, Newham based UD Music, queer cabaret collective Raze, Gospeloke with their Gospel-style Karaoke, Sami Rhymes an award-winning spoken word artist and Grand Union Orchestra, pioneers of cross-cultural music-making.
That’s not all, get stuck in at the making-area where festival-goers can make a new outfit with Griffi & Rosie, try out movement workshops with the Pappy Show, get involved in glow up sessions, or try our ecology workshops where we’ll be building a wormery and feeding the worms with any leftover festival food.
Visitors can come and listen to Somalian Tape stories with Dhaqan collective – then go on to showcase what they’ve made from the workshops on the Festival Catwalk.
Enjoy food from the street food vendors or eat at the new Community Kitchen, featuring local amateur cooks who will work with a professional chef to produce incredible and affordable dishes.
Each Saturday will see a bespoke line-up of performances and workshops as it moves location, creating spaces to encounter joy, community and the unexpected, with a packed line-up for people of all ages to enjoy.
The festival is produced by Newham Council and Independent Creative Producer Tracky Crombie. Tracky said; “The festivals are a chance to bring people together, engage with the culture of Newham in lots of different ways and find new connections. We need that now more than ever. There are elements to watch, to participate in, to try out, to make, to take home and hopefully everyone will feel welcome there, it’s all free and unticketed so you can just turn up and get stuck in.”
The festival is calling on local people to get involved, from dancers to cooks and people wanting to work in cultural events.
This is an opportunity to showcase your talent, learn a new skill or volunteer in the community. Newham residents can apply for a range of opportunities via the festival’s website www.newhamunlockedfestival.org
A full line-up of performances and workshops will be released soon, with more details about the festival available online at www.newhamunlockedfestival.org
About Newham Unlocked
Dates and locations of events:
Every event is planned to run from 12noon until 6pm.
- Saturday 20 August - Plashet Park
- Saturday 27 August - Rathbone Market
- Saturday 3 September - Beckton Park
- Saturday 10 September - Central Park
- Saturday 17 September - West Ham Park
- Stay up-to-date with information online: https://www.newhamunlockedfestival.org
- Newham Unlocked Festival is funded by Newham Council and is part of Newham Unlocked, a collaborative year-round cultural programme, giving everyone the opportunity to actively participate in cultural life. More: https://www.newhamunlocked.org/
- Newham Unlocked Festival is produced by Independent Creative Producer and Programmer Tracky Crombie who has more than 10 years’ experience working for companies in the creative and cultural sector in London and the UK.
Tracky has recently delivered Jump in Waltham Forest, and Smithfield Street Party and Smithfield 150 with the Museum of London and Culture Mile. She has held leading roles with organisations such as Superflux, the Royal Opera House, Create London, Coney, Look Left Look Right, Punchdrunk, the Invisible Dot, and The Kazimier giving her extensive experience across diverse art forms, scales and locations. More details: https://trackycrombie.com/
- All workshops and entertainment at the festival is free for participants
- Full line-up for each event to be released online at www.newhamunlockedfestival.org
About the artists and performers
(More artists to be announced)
IWF Rollerdrome
Invisible Wind Factory, established in 2014, is an international and multi disciplinary arts organisation. They are based in the Invisible Wind Factory multi-use venue and arts space in Liverpool which is now also the home of their IWF Rollerdrome venue. IWF Rollerdrome started hosting roller events including workshops, classes, discos and themed nights in Liverpool last year and is now taking this concept up and down the country. Drawing on their many years working in cultural experiences, events and audio visual production IWF Rollerdrome brings a new and unique roller skating experience to town centres, venues and festivals.
https://www.invisiblewindfactory.com/rollerdrome
Grand Union Orchestra
For nearly 40 years, we have brought together musicians and singers born or brought up in all major musical traditions worldwide to create spectacular live shows, combining music and theatre to reflect vividly the society we live in today. Grand Union Orchestra is the acknowledged pioneer and leading exponent of cross-cultural music-making in the UK
Once memorably commended for 'making cultural diversity an art-form', Grand Union continues to blaze a trail unrivalled by any other organisation, characterised by its story-telling and the authentic lived experience of its artists.
Their music encompasses Indian ragas, Latin American salsa, Chinese harmonies, Bengali
songs, reggae basslines, West African and South African drumming, Bhangra and Samba rhythms, Eastern European styles and big band Blues.
https://www.grandunion.org.uk/about-us
Reggae Choir
Reggae Choir is an exciting non-audition, non-religious, contemporary ensemble, open to all who enjoy singing reggae music, regardless of skill or experience.
Formed in 2012 by award-winning singer-songwriter Fola Phillip, Reggae Choir have performed at many indoor and outdoor events and festivals including the U.K’s largest reggae and dub festival ‘One Love’, Citadel Festival, The London International Ska Festival, Royal Festival Hall, Fairfield Concert Hall, a sell-out show at world Famous Jazz Café in Camden Town, Hackney Empire, Hayling Island Reggae and Soul Weekender and The Royal Academy of Arts.
https://www.reggaechoir.com/story
Mohammed Gueye
A West African percussionist based in London. Born into a large griot family of drummers from Dakar in Senegal, Mohamed learnt the Sabar and Djembe drum with his family from the age of 5 and has been playing professionally since the age of 15.
He has performed at festivals across the UK including Womad, African Drum Village, Drum Camp, Africa Oye and BEATS Cornwall with African stars such as Baaba Maal, Carlou D, Aida Samb and Africa Express.
UD Music
UD is a London-based music organisation bringing communities together around Black music and Black music culture. With over 20 years of experience in nurturing and supporting Black and culturally diverse artists when they need it most, UD acts as a bridge between burgeoning talent and the music industry.
Since 2000, when UD was co-founded by a group of hip-hop artists, we have understood that young people need the resources and space to create and explore their potential; UD works for a world where young people who make and love Black Music, are recognised as equal to any excellent creative individuals, and are celebrated and supported as such. Whether they’re on their first steps into music, just breaking into notoriously competitive creative environments, or about to make it big, we provide the tools they need: Excellence, confidence, structure, opportunity and networks.
United in development, UD stands for you.
https://www.udmusic.org/about-us/
Raze Collective
Raze Collective is a charity dedicated to promoting the very best & boldest of queer performance in the UK! From drag to dance, circus to cabaret, music & everything in between, Raze is an unapologetically queer colletive brimming with fresh ideas & bright new talents, from all corners of the LGBTQIA+ performance community.
Bring your granny, bring your cousins & your kids for an hour of camp cabaret fun at Newham Unlocked Festival this summer! RAZE PRESENTS CABARET (from LGBTQIA+ charity Raze Collective) is a guaranteed hour of top-notch queer talent; expect comedy, music, drag & a whole lot of hula-hoops.
https://www.razecollective.com/about
Gospeloke
Think Sister Act meets your school assembly via Top of the Pops, with classics such as Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer’, Blur’s ‘Tender’, Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’ and Mary Mary’s ‘Shackles’.
Ever wanted to sound like Tina/Stevie/Whitney on the mic? Have you always dreamt of singing on a stage, unleashing your hidden diva in front of adoring fans with a live GOSPEL choir backing you up?
GOSPELOKE; the capital’s 1st Gospel Style Karaoke knees-up, is for you. Hosted by Shoreditch’s fallen angel, the ‘ludicrously entertaining’, Eleanor Conway, and from the makers of some of the capital’s best interactive producers, Jonny Unknown, you can expect one euphoric ceremonial singalong with soulful Toni Robinson and her gospel choir backing you up all the way… It’s a ‘spiritual awakening with a pop concert feel’.
https://gospeloke.com/about-us/
Pappy Show
A playful and physical ensemble theatre company who create distinctive and critically acclaimed productions, lead inclusive workshops rooted in kindness, and work tirelessly to develop the industry we move in through connection and uplifting.
The PappyShow was formed in 2013 by Kane Husbands to bring people together to move, dance, create moments of radical joy, share stories and take time just to PLAY! That is still our mission but our identity has become clearer. We exist as a social enterprise – working across performance and platforming the marginalised identities that we believe society could do better with.
https://www.thepappyshow.co.uk/home/about-the-pappyshow
Stratford East Singers
Known for their big harmonies and joyous sound, Byron Gold & The Stratford East Singers have appeared on the X-Factor (ITV), The One Show (BBC 1) and were crowned third place in the original BBC2 series of The Naked Choir hosted by Gareth Malone.
Instagram @stratfordeastsingers
Sami Rhymes
Sami Rhymes is an Award-winning Spoken Word Artist from London. She has performed and headlined at a number of events in London, nationally and abroad in Malaysia.
She has featured on a number of local radio stations including BBC Radio London, and also appeared on S1:E3 of the BAFTA winning Sky Arts commissioned TV show Life & Rhymes. Sami had her first poem published at the age of 9. She has released her debut collection 20 Something and debut EP "Triple Threat" was also released on 22.2.22.