Emerge East 2026

A celebration of community, creativity and nature, offering a full day of music, food, art, wellbeing and family-friendly activities.
About this Event

EMERGE EAST IS BACK!

The full 2026 programme is still to be announced, so sign up now to save your place and be among the first to know what’s coming to Barking Riverside this September.

What’s on?

The Barking Riverside Block Party is back following its hugely popular debut in 2025. The festival will once again take over the surrounding streets, with a dedicated stage hosting live music, local talent and high-energy performances throughout the day. Major DJ headliners and the wider lineup will be announced soon.

Much-loved Emerge East favourites will also return:

• The Home Cooks’ Taste of Barking Riverside, where residents become street food chefs for the day and serve up their favourite family recipes.

• The Riverside Sauna, offering outdoor heat, cold dips and views across the Thames. Session and separate booking details will be announced soon.

• The Emerging Makers’ Market, showcasing independent artists, designers, makers and traders from the local area.

Festivalgoers can also look forward to the premiere of a new large-scale interactive artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram and Pneuhaus, created especially for its debut at Emerge East this September. Commissioned by Creative Barking and Dagenham in partnership with Barking Riverside, with co-commissioning support from RHS Gardens and the University of Bristol, the installation is set to bring an entirely new experience to this year’s festival.

The full 2026 programme is still under wraps, with plenty more to be revealed. Coming to Emerge East? Sign up and we’ll keep you updated with the latest line-up, programme and festival announcements. Keep an eye on www.emergeeast.uk and follow @barking_riverside for more information.

Important information ahead of your visit

Barking Riverside is well connected by public transport:

🚌 EL1 and EL3 buses to Station Square.

🛥️ Uber Boat by Thames Clippers service to Barking Riverside Pier.

🚅 Overground Suffragette Line from Gospel Oak. Barking Riverside is a 7-minute train journey from Barking station which is connected to the District, Hammersmith & City and C2C lines. Barking Riverside is also a 22-minute train journey to Blackhorse Road station which is connected to the Victoria line.

Accessibility: Station Square is fully wheelchair accessible. Blue Badge parking is available at the Barking Riverside Project Office.

Pay-and-display parking is available approximately five minutes’ walk from Station Square. Find directions here: https://g.co/kgs/8qBLuNH

📋 T&Cs

By registering for this event, you give consent for you and all members of your party to be photographed and filmed. Images and footage may be used in marketing by Barking Riverside Limited (BRL) and its partners across platforms including social media, websites, press, hoarding and other marketing materials. Your image may be used for up to five years and may remain on BRL’s marketing channels after this period.

In the event of adverse weather conditions, activities may be moved, changed or cancelled.

🖊️ GDPR

Your data will be stored by event organiser Barking Riverside Limited (BRL) for five years. It will be used for internal reporting, including measuring where guests travel from. You may also be contacted about this event and future events at Barking Riverside.

For any questions, email [email protected], or message us on Facebook at @BarkingRiversideLondon or Instagram at @barking_riverside.