Chats Palace will be showing unseen images from the first Hackney Marsh Fun Festival from 1974 alongside images from the last ever Hackney Carnival in 2024. Separated by fifty years the photographs have been taken by Hackney photographer Neil Martinson. The Hackney Marsh Fun Festival led to the creation of Chats Palace because the festival grew so large that its organisers desperately needed a permanent, year-round headquarters. In 1974, the old, Grade II-listed Homerton Library closed down when a newer library opened nearby. Rather than letting the building fall into disrepair or corporate hands, community activists and festival organisers marched on and occupied the building in 1976. They reclaimed it to ensure it stayed "for the betterment of East Londoners". By 1977, they officially named it Chats Palace. Once established, Chats Palace became the engine room for the festival, housing its carnival committee, building floats, hosting local pensioner clubs, and providing a legendary local stage for community theatre and music. The exhibition will be showing September and October 2026. For the duration of its stay, the Exhibition will be on display on Wednesdays, Thursday, Fridays, & Sundays from 11am-3pm.
Pearl Fish is from SE London, lives itinerantly on the UK’s historically woven waterways. Intimate and warm her sound shifts with a transient scape of musicians and projects. Songs fuelled by murmurings of melancholia, hope and wit backed with sometimes spoken, sometimes soaring vocals.
We'll be a part of the nationwide Fun Palaces weekend on Saturday 3rd October! Just turn up and get creative with us, or hang out in our Library bar with friends and family.
1000 Rabbits present RABBITFÊTE. 1000 Rabbits is an off-kilter art-pop picnic who tell stories through human sounds, both intimate and extroverted. RABBITFÊTE is a celebration of music from the band and some of our dearest and most talented friends…
The Last Hairbender is a celebration of all things ATLA and Legend of Korra - heroes, villains, fire lords, cabbage merchants - by an all-star, all-POC cast of drag & cabaret superstars and hosted by Asian drag icon Mild Peril.
Kitaab Kilab × Funkaari Live brings you a fun-packed day of books, art, and live creativity vibes! Get Ready for Kitaab Kilab × Funkaari Live! Join us in person for a super fun day filled with books, creativity, and amazing vibes. Whether you're a book lover or just want to chill and enjoy some cool art and activities, this event is made for you. Don't miss out on the chance to connect, explore, and have a blast with fellow enthusiasts. Mark your calendar and come hang out at Kitaab Kilab × Funkaari Live! 📚 किताब Club urf Kitaab Kilab | 11 October We’re back with our next किताब क्लब gathering on 11 October! ❤️ This time, we’ll be diving into the wonderful world of Manav Kaul and discussing his book Bahut Door, Kitna Door Hota Hai; exploring the stories, ideas and feelings the book leaves us with. ✍️ किताब क्लब will also include a creative writing session, where we’ll take some of those thoughts and turn them into our own words, stories and little experiments. And then… 🎭 Funkaari Live - Improv Night! We’ll end the evening with lots of stories, comedy, characters, spontaneity and fun; an intimate improv session […]
Darol and Bruce have been musical explorers together for years, sharing a creative universe that’s resulted in some epic collaborations, crashing each other’s concerts and recordings, and just finding big joy in playing together.
Following the blowout success of our sellout launch party at Folklore, contemporary music magazine PRXLUDES presents a night of music, conversations, and gatherings, celebrating today's most cutting-edge composers. Part live gig, part conversation, part social gathering: PRX.LIVE is a platform to gather people, share adventurous music and sounds, and start conversations about art, music, and the world in which we’re creating it. Trailblazing ensemble Standard Issue premiere a new commission by rising-star composer Rebecca Galian Castello, alongside genre-defying works by today's most cutting-edge early-career composers and live interviews from PRXLUDES hosts. Hosted by PRXLUDES in partnership with ensemble Standard Issue and producers Stomping Ground. PRX.LIVE and Rebecca Galian Castello's commission are generously supported by The Hinrichsen Foundation's Multi-Year Partnership and Arts Council England. Programme Rebecca Galian Castello - Peach Fuzz (world premiere, PRXLUDES commission) alongside other works by some of today's most exciting composers - full programme to be announced! What is PRXLUDES? PRXLUDES is an online contemporary music magazine, platform, and resource dedicated to the promotion of the most cutting-edge contemporary music of today, with a focus on the work of emerging and early-career composers. The publication specialises in in-depth interviews with composers, ensembles, and organisations promoting the work of emerging artists. https://prxludes.net/
MARTHA TILSTON “She has the power to draw an audience into her world, leaving all those present with a smile, and a few issues to ponder, too”-Time Out With a pure silken voice and lyrics that inspire and captivate, Martha Tilstonhas developed a successful musical career with a large and loyal following.She has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages and festivals, recorded and released several critically acclaimed albums, gained a nomination for BBC best newcomer, appeared as a guest vocalist for Zero 7, toured internationally and worked with the some of the world’s most inspiring performers including Damien Rice, Nick Harper, KaeTempest, Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera) and Zero 7. The past few years have seen Martha venture into the world of film making, gaining nominations for best arts film for The Clifftop Sessions and recently releasing her first feature film (with an accompanying Soundtrack Album) -The Tape -which is garnering much praise and excitement.With her long-time collaborators and musicians Matt Tweed and Matt Kelly, among others they entwine raw vocals, sparkling melodies and thought-provoking lyrics with filmic movements and earthy baselines. To see them live is to connect with longed-for parts of ourselves... “Sharp, original songs that […]
To coincide with the 50th anniversary of east London’s illustrious art centre, Chats Palace, Robert will be presenting a live version of his much loved radio show
London's Premiere (unofficial) cabaret salute to Stephen Sondheim is back, just in time for Halloween…
7 drag and cabaret icons, (at least) 7 brand new acts, high camp musical theatre mayhem, hosted by Sondheim superfans Helen Highwater and Cissyphus.
With their high energy approach to traditional American songs and dance music, Interstate Express shares their love of old stories and passion for the joy of a fiddle tune that drives like a Mercedes on the open road.
RITUAL: A Cabaret of Queer Journeys into Folklore. This is a brand new variety night following the Celtic Wheel of the Year. For our first outing, we greet you during Samhain.
ClerknWell ARTSlab hops over to Hackney's famous Chats Palace - just for one day - as these heroes of poetry, music and magic celebrate 50 years of Chats Palace Arts Centr
