June 29 – July 6th: Festival love in east London

Love has no gender poster

Gay rights demonstrators at recent pride march. Pic: Lewishamdreamer (Flickr)

Festival love is in the air this week as Pride in the Park kicks off tomorrow in Shoreditch and East London plays host to the massive Sydenham Arts Festival in Lewisham, the East End Film festival in Tower Hamlets and the Crystal Palace Overground Festival in Croydon.

Free Range 2013 - Art Exhibitions at the Old Truman Brewery

June 27 - July 1st

91 - 95 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL

Since its founding in 2001, the Free Range project has become one of the must-see events of the year for those looking to get a glimpse into the UK’s up-and-coming creative talent.

While the fashion show part of Free Range 2013 is now over, the exhibitions section of the event kicked-off yesterday with graduates from universities all over the country including Leeds, Oxford, Birmingham, Loughborough and the University of East London all showcasing their work. The exhibitions on offer span the fields of graphics, illustration, fine art and mixed disciplines - all likely to provide plenty of inspiration for any young-budding creative type.

Check out: http://www.free-range.org.uk/ for more information and the full range of exhibition listings.

East End Film Festival
June 25 – July 10th

One of the biggest and best film festivals in the UK, the East End Film Festival looks set to impress audiences again this year. This weekend there are plenty of films for discerning films buffs to choose from with a particularly international flavour. Some of the highlights on the Saturday schedule include the intriguingly named “Inch-Allah”, a collection of thriller and cult-classic films screened at a Masonic temple, and an absorbing tale set in remote Western Australia - the film, “Satellite Boy”.

Go to: http://www.eastendfilmfestival.com/ for more details or to check out film listings for the Sunday schedule.

“Pride in the Park” at Shoreditch (£27.50)

June 29

Shoreditch Park, (nearest tube, Old Street)

This massive event running from 2pm til 11pm for one day only, will include performances by over 60 DJs as well as a number of well-known live acts with Atomic Kitten headlining.

In addition to the seven live music arenas set to take over the park on Saturday, there will also be a community market and fun fair set-up on site.

While tickets are selling out fast, you can still book a ticket here for £27.50 or there will be a limited number of tickets available on the day for £35.

Sydenham Arts Festival

29 June to 14 July

See the venues map for event locations

Another huge culture and art festival in the East London area, this time in ELL’s local borough of Lewisham. Again, a wide variety of events are on offer catering for every diverse taste including film, music, comedy, theatre, spoken word, visual arts and workshops.

East London certainly knows how to celebrate the creative-side of life over the summer months, check out the Sydenham festival’s website for all the listings and more information on individual events.

Crystal Palace Overground Festival

27 June – 30 June

Westow Park and the Triangle

With the UK’s festival season now well and truly underway, Croydon is taking full advantage of the feel-good vibes of summer by launching its second major festival now at Crystal Palace.

On Saturday, Westow Park will serve as the main venue for several attractions including the main music stage, a kids zone to keep the little ones occupied, a performing arts tent and a soothing “holistic tent” giving festival-goers a chance to recharge their batteries after the excitements of the day.

The festival then spills out into the surrounding group of streets known as the “Triangle” on Sunday with food markets and a new partnership with local traders bringing fine art, crafts and vintage antique markets to the festival for the first time.

You can find the full programme of events at the Crystal Palace Overground Festival on their homepage here.

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