Satellite Events 2026

Ticket price determined by venue. Ticketed unless stated otherwise.

Time	Address	Title & Description
Fri 1st May: 6.00 PM	18 Ashwin St, London E8 3DL	Bootstrap Join us for the launch of Hackney History Festival which runs throughout May, as well as that of the exhibition of a new series of detailed maps placing contemporary Hackney neighbourhoods alongside their historic counterparts from around 100 years ago. Cost includes a glass of wine or soft drink and snacks. Exhibition continues throughout May with free entry.
Sat 2nd May: 1.00 PM	St. Augustine's Tower, E8 1HT	St Augustine's Tower Family activities at the St Augustine's Tower, Hackney's oldest building. FREE, JUST TURN UP
Sat 2nd May: 2.00 PM	Dalston Square, London E8 3BQ	Hackney Archives Join us to learn how to create content on Wikipedia, a free-content online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers. Trainers from Wikimedia UK will give an overview of Wikipedia editing, why it is important and help attendees to get started. We are particularly hoping to add more information on some of the women featured in Women from Hackney’s History Volumes 1 and 2, but participants will be able to focus on their areas of interest.
Sun 3rd May: 11.00 AM - 1:00 PM	---	Celebrate 186 years of Abney Park Cemetery Chapel Join Abney Park Trust and the Tower Theatre to celebrate 186 years since the laying of the foundation stone for the Chapel in Abney Park Cemetery. As part of the celebration, Abney Park Trust will open the Chapel and members of the Tower Theatre will bring some of the amazing residents to life and you might encounter Margaret Graham and hear about her dare devil balloon flights; or perhaps Issac Watts might tell you about his life with Lady Abney; James Braidwood might be there to explain how his dedication and ingenuity led to him becoming the father of the modern fire service- Pick up a map at the chapel and see who you can find. Oh yes, and of course there may be some birthday cake on a first come first served basis. FREE Just Turn up.
Sun 3rd May: 11.30 AM, 1.30 PM	Lauriston Road, E9 7H	Lauriston Road Cemetery: Open Site, Talk and Walk Join us for a special open afternoon at Lauriston Road Jewish Cemetery, offering a chance to visit this historic site and learn about its story. The event will include a short talk introducing the history of the cemetery and its place in Hackney’s past, followed by a guided walk of the site. We will also share details of our current projects to document and research the graves, helping to preserve the cemetery’s heritage for future generations. There will be time for questions, discussion, and quiet exploration of the site.
Mon 4th May: 9:00 AM	18 Ashwin St, London E8 3DL	This Place Then — Map Exhibition Bootstrap Join us for a special open afternoon at Lauriston Road Jewish Cemetery, offering a chance to visit this historic site and learn about its story. The event will include a short talk introducing the history of the cemetery and its place in Hackney’s past, followed by a guided walk of the site. We will also share details of our current projects to document and research the graves, helping to preserve the cemetery’s heritage for future generations. There will be time for questions, discussion, and quiet exploration of the site.
Tue 5th May: 11:00 AM	St Mark's Rise, London E8 2LJ	St Mark's Dalston Tour A chance to see inside this massive Victorian church built between 1864–1880 in the Early English Gothic style to serve a rapidly growing, impoverished population. Known as the "Cathedral of the East End" due to its 1,800–2,000 capacity, it is designed by Chester Cheston and features a rare, working outdoor turret barometer on its tower.
Wed 6th May: 11:00 AM	291 Mare St, London E8 1EJ	Hackney Empire Come behind the scenes to discover the history of Hackney Empire with a free guided tour. Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building. The theatre was built as a music hall in 1901, designed by the architect Frank Matcham. It is now an exceptional variety theatre for the 21st century, serving the local community and beyond. Come behind the scenes to discover the history of Hackney Empire with a free guided tour. Hear how we went from a music hall, to a TV studio, to a Bingo Hall, to the theatre we are today.
Wed 6th May: 2:00 PM	117 – 119 Stoke Newington Road, London, N16 8BU	Aziziye Mosque A guided tour of the Aziziye Mosque in Stoke Newington, which was originally built in 1913-1914 as the Apollo Picture House, designed with a distinct mock-oriental style. It later operated as the Ambassador Cinema (1933) and the Astra Cinema (1974), which famously screened martial arts films. The building was purchased in 1983 and converted into a mosque by 1984. As this is a mosque, we kindly ask that all visitors are dressed modestly and appropriately. Shoes will also need to be removed upon entering the mosque. FREE
Fri 15th May: 4.00 PM	195 Mare St, E8 3QE	Tours of 195 Mare Street Visit 195 Mare Street, one of Hackney’s oldest buildings. Built in 1697, the house has an incredible history. Come on a tour and hear the stories of rich merchants, a venal Tory MP, women prisoners and working men. See the restoration in progress and discover objects found beneath the floorboards. FREE, Just turn up.
Fri 15th May: 4.30 PM - 7:30PM	Community Centre, 61 Leswin Road N16 7NX	The Old Firestation Open Event Our much loved community building started life as a live-in working Firestation in 1886 and after closure by the LFB in the late 1970’s, re-opened its doors as a community centre in 1982. Find out more about its histories and what goes on here now at our community open evening, including impromptu tours of our spaces, tunes and tasty snacks. Open to all! FREE entry JUST TURN UP: donations welcome.
Mon 18th May: 11.00 AM	Mare St, E8 1EA	Hackney Town Hall Join a Hackney councillor on a guided tour of the beautiful art deco Town Hall and learn all about the building's heritage of local government, service delivery, and recently as an interactive theatre venue! FREE.
Mon 18th May: 5.00 PM	291 Mare St, London E8 1EJ	Hackney Empire Come behind the scenes to discover the history of Hackney Empire with a free guided tour. Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building. The theatre was built as a music hall in 1901, designed by the architect Frank Matcham. It is now an exceptional variety theatre for the 21st century, serving the local community and beyond. Come behind the scenes to discover the history of Hackney Empire with a free guided tour. Hear how we went from a music hall, to a TV studio, to a Bingo Hall, to the theatre we are today.
Wed 20th May: 1.00 PM	Mare St, E8 1EA	Hackney Town Hall Join a Hackney councillor on a guided tour of the beautiful art deco Town Hall and learn all about the building's heritage of local government, service delivery, and recently as an interactive theatre venue! FREE.
Sat 23rd May: 12.00 PM	Trinity Centre Dalston, Beechwood Rd, E8 3DY	London School of Architecture Join us for a guided tour of 4 Beechwood Road, home to the London School of Architecture (LSA) and its neighbour, Holy Trinity Church. We will begin the tour at Holy Trinity Church, a 19th-century Grade-II listed building in the Parish of the United Benefice of Holy Trinity with St Philip Dalston and All Saints Haggerston. Designed by Ewan Christian, a prominent British architect known for his extensive church restorations and for the National Portrait Gallery, the church remains an important local landmark. Next door, the London School of Architecture (LSA) moved into the Trinity Centre in 2023. Established as a charity in 2013, the LSA was founded to create a more accessible and practice-based model for architectural education. The school launched its Master’s programme in 2015 and expanded in 2022 to work with young people aged 11–19 through its access and outreach campaign, Part 0. This initiative supports local young people in developing the confidence, skills, and knowledge needed to pursue careers in the built environment. Together, these two buildings offer a glimpse into how historic buildings can evolve while continuing to support local communities.
Sat 23rd May: 4.00 PM	St Barnabas Shacklewell Row, London E8 2EA	Faith Buildings in Hackney talk Urban landscapes are shaped by faith: faith buildings act as landmarks both geographically and in collective cultural consciousness. Expanding upon his 2025 publication, Faith Buildings in the City of London, architectural historian Billy Hurley Reading explores 1,000 years of built history in the borough. Through churches, chapels, synagogues and temples, gudwaras, monasteries and mosques, Hackney's history of faith buildings is a complex story of shifts and evolution, repurposing and change. What faith means to us is personal. How we ask our buildings to reflect that therefore ranges wildly, from the very practical to the monumental. The outcomes remain behind as evidence, speaking of our shared values and changing attitudes, political and socio-economic histories, our hopes and fears from religious life to daily life.
Sun 24th May: 4.00 PM	75 Downs Rd, E5 8D	Bike tour of Hackney The Pickwick Bicycle Club, founded in Hackney in 1870, is the world’s oldest cycling association. The ride will start outside its original base, on the northeast corner of Hackney Downs, before traversing the borough, with stops at Clapton Pond, Sutton House, St Augustine’s Tower, the Rio Cinema and other historic landmarks. Led by Anna Aslanyan, with support from Hackney Cycling Campaign, the tour will explore the colourful past of these places, look at their dynamic present and attempt to imagine their future. The route – a combination of cycle paths and local roads, mapped here – is suitable for competent cyclists aged 12 and over, who are expected to join on bikes. The event will end at Dalston Eastern Curve Garden.
Wed 27th May: 6.30 PM	380 Old Street EC1V 9LT	Shoreditch Town Hall Learn about how the use of the space developed over the years from a municipal building that opened in 1866, holding the inquest into the murder of Jack the Ripper’s last victim Mary Kelly in 1888, to becoming one of the East End's premiere boxing venues in the 60s, hosting colourful trance nights in the 1990s with the now infamous Whirl-Y-Gig, to the leading arts venue it is today with a programme of spectacular theatre, star-studded comedy, boisterous drag queens and more. You'll find out about the architecture and design of our building, and get the opportunity to see your favourite film and TV locations in the flesh - our spaces were recently featured in Baby Reindeer and A Quiet Place: Day One. Oh, and you might bump into a ghost in The Ditch.
Sun 31st May	St. Augustine's Tower, E8 1HT	St Augustines Family activities at the St Augustine's Tower, Hackney's oldest building. FREE, JUST TURN UP