A pop-up bar and events programme opens at Barking Riverside

When: 15th July – 17th September

Where: The riverfront, outside the Barking Riverside Project Office, Project Road, IG11 0YP

Barking Riverside is launching the Summer Sessions, an action-packed programme of events and activities along Barking Riverside’s Thames riverfront. 

Highlights of the Summer Sessions will include a residency from Barking favourite the Boat House Bar and Café and a series of events including a family rave and the return of the Emerge East festival.  

Running for ten weekends across the summer, the line-up has been carefully curated by Barking Riverside Limited (BRL). The master developers behind the growing East London neighbourhood, BRL is a joint venture between housing association L&Q and The Mayor of London.

Helping Londoners and residents make the most of one of the area’s main draws, the Summer Sessions is set along 2km of unique river frontage at Barking Riverside – a new neighbourhood the size of London’s Hyde Park which is rapidly cementing itself as one of the capital’s most exciting and vibrant residential districts. 

To complement the 10 weekends of programmed activity, Meetini Cocktails, who have previously been a regular trader at Broadway Market, are hosting a cocktail bar on the Barking Riverside riverfront.  

Sarah McCready, Head of Placemaking and Communications for Barking Riverside Ltd, comments, “Our Summer Sessions programme has been designed to provide a diverse range of events, workshops, activities and facilities, meaning that there will be something for everyone to enjoy, including new visitors who want to explore this growing neighbourhood. The programme activates one of East London’s most undiscovered stretches of the River Thames. Barking Riverside has experienced huge changes in the last year with the opening of the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pier and the Barking Riverside Overground station, both of which make it much easier for people to explore what we have on offer here.”

One of the major events of the summer will be the return of Emerge East, a community festival first held in December 2022. Delivered in partnership with renowned event organisers Hemingway Design, Emerge East is set to return on 5th – 6th August and 16th September. At Emerge East, residents and visitors will be able to enjoy a different range of activities, including everything from DJs to dog shows, as well as the return of the outdoor sauna experience and the “home cooks” food offering, which features residents who have been supported to become food entrepreneurs. The final Emerge East weekend will be the culmination of the Summer Sessions programme, bringing residents and visitors together for a season closer on the riverside.

As part of a weekend designed for families, on Saturday 2nd September BRL will be partnering with Big Fish Little Fish, an independent, grassroots music and events crew to deliver a family rave.

The Summer Sessions will be hosted by BRL in partnership with selected partners, who will bring their unique offer on this Eastern stretch of the River Thames throughout July, August and September.

What’s on?

• Mobile cocktail bar Meetini – Thursday to Sunday 22nd June – 15th July, 27th – 30th July, 10th – 13th August, 24th – 27th August, 31st August – 3rd September
• Summer Sessions x the Boat House – Saturday to Sunday 22th – 23rd July, 19th – 20th August, 7th – 10th September
• Riverside fitness classes including yoga and HIIT – every weekend: Saturday 11.20am - 12noon - HIIT and Legs, Bums and Tums; Sunday 11am- 12pm – Yoga.
• Pop-up from NUGS, London’s first-ever chicken nugget shop – Saturday 2nd + Sunday 3rd September
• Family Rave with Big Fish Little Fish – Saturday 2nd September – pre-booking required.
• Emerge East in partnership with Hemingway Design, with the support of home builders Bellway and L&Q – 5th – 6th August, 16thSeptember.

For more information about the Summer Sessions programme at Barking Riverside and full timings, please visit: barkingriverside.london/event/summer-sessions