On Saturday 3rd December, Barking Riverside, one of London’s fastest growing new neighbourhoods, welcomed an estimated 1,780 Londoners to experience a brand-new festival on the banks of the River Thames in east London – Emerge East.

One of the most vibrant events to come to the capital this December, Emerge East offered visitors a jam-packed schedule of activities running from 11am through to 8.30pm, including plenty of free workshops for families. The event also marked the opening of the new Station Square, connecting the Barking Riverside Overground station to the pier in a few minutes’ walk.

Matt Carpen, MD for Barking Riverside Ltd comments; “Emerge East has been a huge success and was our biggest event to date allowing people to experience this unique Riverside environment, as well as the brand new public square and the amazing potential it has to host all sorts of activities from markets to music to fantastic street food experiences.

The event also created an opportunity for several entrepreneurial residents to participate in an Emerging Makers and Food Producers Market especially curated by HemingwayDesign, an agency specialised in delivering high quality festivals across the UK.”

The Emerging Makers and Food Producers Market was a perfect platform for local independent brands. Faizan Jahangir from Kashmir Saffron trader Luxuriants, said of Emerge East “I trade in markets across London, including Borough Market and Greenwich. This was the most seamless experience, and the sales today were phenomenal. I’ve nearly sold out…..making this my best trading day this quarter.”

Residents also took centre stage at the Home Cook event. Led by TV chef Bola Obileye, local people delivered a unique food offering featuring many diverse cuisines representing the multicultural character of the local area. Residents involved received support and mentoring ahead of the event in order to cater for large volumes of customers at high standards.

More highlights included the Riverside Sauna, where visitors could experience the feel-good benefits of deep heat, cold contrast and delicious steam alongside a range of sauna rituals from around the world. A stationary Uber Boat by Thames Clippers vessel hosted a session of Indeedy Musical Bingo on a Boat, giving participants a chance to guess the song for points and prizes. The Fold your Town activity allowed visitors of all ages to re-create Barking Riverside with paper origami.

The event was hosted by Barking Riverside, a new development which is transforming a 443-acre former industrial site into a vibrant neighbourhood of over 10,000 homes, commercial and leisure space, new schools and facilities, public open spaces and riverside walks.

The event was supported by TfL; Uber Boat by Thames Clippers; housing association L&Q; ecology experts Arcus Consultancy Services; Acre Landscapes; Swedish waste management company Envac; house builder Bellway London and construction engineers McLaughlin & Harvey and Gallaghers; and architects Weston Williamson + Partners. It was curated by HemingwayDesign.

Emerge East will be returning to Barking Riverside. More details will be announced in 2023.