culture

Hackney Residents Launch Community-Led Art Week Across Multiple Neighbourhoods

Two local founders launched the festival in 2025, and it has since expanded across everyday venues in multiple neighbourhoods.

By Hackney Culture Desk · Published 18 July 2026

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Hackney Residents Launch Community-Led Art Week Across Multiple Neighbourhoods — AI illustration

Hackney Art Week runs from 4 to 14 June 2026 across 60 venues featuring work by more than 130 artists. The event is organised as a borough-wide festival that opens pubs, cafés, hairdressers and ramen bars as temporary galleries, with most activities free to attend and only a few events requiring tickets.

Founders and Early Growth

Lisa Baker and Anna McHugh, both Hackney residents, started the festival in 2025. Within its first year the programme tripled in size, moving from one-fifth of its present reach to the current scale that covers multiple neighbourhoods. This resident-led start has kept the focus on accessible spaces rather than conventional gallery settings.

Neighbourhoods and Venues Involved

The festival reaches Dalston, Clapton, London Fields, De Beauvoir, Stoke Newington, Haggerston and Hackney Wick. Specific sites include Chats Palace, Raleigh Chapel and The Rose Lipman Building, where everyday locations host exhibitions alongside established cultural spots.

Affordable Workspace Developments

In Hackney Wick the Bow Arts Trust plans to finish 38 affordable studios at the Hackney Yards development by late 2026. These spaces are intended to offer rents around 34 percent below local averages, providing a practical extension of the same community emphasis that drives the festival.

The combination of a short annual programme and longer-term studio provision shows how local residents have shaped both temporary displays and ongoing workspace access. Details on venues, opening times and any ticketed events appear on the Hackney Art Week site and related listings from Artlyst and East End Review.

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