This is a sponsored article on behalf of Emerge East.
Free festival Emerge East returns to the banks of the Thames this summer, offering a day packed with music, food, art and wellbeing events and activities for all the family.
Now in its fourth year, Emerge East celebrates the flourishing neighbourhood that is Barking Riverside, with thousands of Londoners expected to attend. Local talent and headliners from across London are showcased on the festival's Barking Riverside Block Party stage, brand new for this year.
DJs, bands and singers star on the line-up, including Girls Love Soul, a platform championing women and non-binary DJs — while Capital XTRA breakfast DJ Shayna Marie brings things to a lively close in the final slot of the evening. More acts and details are being announced on the Emerge East website throughout August.
Over at the Emerging Makers' Market, the entrepreneurial spirit and talent of the area is celebrated with local artists, designers and traders in the spotlight; while at Home Cooks, locals become street food chefs for the day, sharing their best family recipes.
In need of some R&R? The expanded wellbeing zone offers a reinvigorating Riverside Sauna, with outdoor deep heat and cold dips to plunge into, while you take in views over the Thames. And if you're bringing the kids, there's plenty to keep them happy too. Big Fish Little Fish offer an hour-long taster of one of their legendary family rave sessions, and drop-in nature-inspired workshops for all ages are available at Woodland Tribe's adventure playground.
At the centre of it all is Meliora — named after the Latin word meliora, meaning "better things" — a large architectural sculpture by artistic duo Atelier Sisu, which gets its European premiere at Barking Riverside. Move through Meliora's abstract and interwoven curves, among dynamic lighting and a custom soundscape — which inspire reflection, empathy and collective cooperation for a better future.
Never been to Barking Riverside? The residential development has created thousands of new homes for east London, spanning an area of 443 acres — larger than Hyde Park! — on a brownfield site formerly occupied by Barking Power Station. It's easily accessible from central London via the recently extended Overground and River Bus services, and Emerge East is a fantastic opportunity to check out this rapidly-expanding part of the capital, and have a fun and free day out at the same time.
Emerge East takes place on Saturday 6 September 2025, 11am-9pm, and entry is free. Get your free tickets here, and follow Barking Riverside on Instagram to stay up to date with all the details as the full line-up is announced.
Meliora is an artwork by studio Atelier Sisu, presented by Creative Barking and Dagenham in partnership with Barking Riverside, with the support of Global Streets and funding from the Arts Council.
