Next event: September 2026
Emerge East is Barking Riverside’s annual free festival celebrating community, creativity and nature. Conceived to shine a light on local talent — from emerging artists and makers to home cooks, musicians and performers — the festival reflects Barking Riverside’s ambition to become one of Europe’s largest and most vibrant new neighbourhoods, and London’s only ‘Healthy New Town’.
From the very beginning, Emerge East has been about collaboration with the local community. HemingwayDesign work closely with Barking Riverside residents, cultural groups and local organisations to co-create a festival that reflects the spirit of the place and the people shaping it. Each edition is designed to give a platform to local talent, generate opportunities for participation, and create a shared sense of ownership as the area develops.
The first festival in December 2022 transformed the new Station Square with over 30 local makers and producers, street food traders, DJs, workshops and wildlife walks, attracting around 1,800 visitors. Standout experiences — such as The Home Cooks: Taste of Barking Riverside, where residents shared recipes and food from their own kitchens, highlighted the creativity and generosity of the community.
Since then, the festival has grown year on year. The 2024 edition expanded across the riverside and included the London debut of Arborialis Luminarium — a monumental immersive sculpture brought by Creative Barking and Dagenham in partnership with Barking Riverside, with support from Riverside School. Thousands of visitors experienced this work alongside a packed programme of creative workshops, markets, performances, nature walks, talks, and wellness activities.
In September 2025, Emerge East returned for its fourth year, bigger and better than ever. Much-loved features such as the Riverside Sauna & Wellness Zone, the Emerging Makers Market and The Home Cooks sat alongside a bold new addition: the Barking Riverside Block Party. Curated by One Room Live, Barking & Dagenham’s acclaimed music and arts collective, the Block Party provided a stage for community performances, local DJs and headline acts hosted by Capital Xtra.
Now firmly established as an annual highlight, Emerge East continues to grow with Barking Riverside itself — a large-scale celebration of the area’s creativity and identity, and most importantly, a festival shaped with and for the community.
