FREE drop-in workshops
Riverside Redemption: Tools of a seed-sower
Get hands on with Cella Collective to create clay seed-sewing tools, learn how to make portable seed pots, using local materials and pre-designed moulds.
As part of this creative process you will use various clay colours and site-specific items like rubble and plants for unique designs, giving you a piece of Barking Riverside to take home.
Once completed, your pots will be sent off to be fired and can be collected at a later date.
Timings: Sessions start on the hour, every hour, from 1.00am - 6.00pm
Location: Station Square
Step free access
Accessible for all ages
Supported by
This fun activity takes shape in the form of a bubble workshop, involving testing out bubble tricks, creating bubbles using your hands and even a bubble immersive experience for your little ones, including the opportunity for your kids to get inside a huge bubble.
Location: Project Office
Step free access
Accessible for all ages
BubblyHeaven
Messages and Memory Flags
Join artist Lucy Grainge for a celebratory flag-making workshop inspired by the urban and natural landscape of Barking Riverside. Create your own flag using surplus screen-printed fabrics designed by Lucy. Get inspired by the surrounding landscape of Barking Riverside as you collage, cut, and design your flag.
This workshop offers a chance to reflect on what you love about Barking Riverside and the significance of nature in your life. Lucy will guide participants in adding personal messages and memories to their flags. Wave your unique creation proudly at the festival and take it home to enjoy.
Celebrating Barking Riverside and its beautiful natural landscape, this workshop highlights the importance of these wild green spaces in London where nature thrives undisturbed.
Timings: 11.00am - 6.00pm
Location: Station Square
Step free access
Accessible for all ages
The Wildlife & Wellbeing Trail designed by Create London encourages you to journey through a unique ecosystem, discovering the endangered, protected and often hidden wildlife of Barking Riverside. Look out for the sculptural markers in the landscape, designed by Channel Architecture to guide you through the 5km trail, and listen to two sound artworks made by artist Joseph June Bond and Barking Riverside residents.
The trail takes you to Oystercatcher Park, home to endangered and protected species, as well as the Thames Foreshore, where you can see seals sunbathe on the shoreline while overlooking the historical trade and transport route for London. Responding to the area’s histories and unique wildlife, the trail's permanent signage encourages residents and visitors to know and love these ecological areas.
This trail is self led and you can start or end at any point on the route.
Timings: Self-led, open all day
Step free access
Accessible for all ages
Location: Barking Riverside
Wildlife and Wellbeing Trail
Windmills of Barking Riverside
Children and families are invited to build a Windmill with the masters of constructive play, Woodland Tribe. Based on the ideas of bauspielplatz (build-play-ground) in Germany, Woodland Tribe with families all over the UK to co-construct play structures and create sculptures of their dreams using hammers, saws, nails and a huge quantity of wood.
Over the course of the day and with the support of the skilled Woodland Tribe team, children will be given the freedom to build a one off, unique windmill.
Location: Station Square
Step free access
Accessible for all ages
Timings:
11am-11.45am
12pm-12.45pm
1pm-1.45pm
2.15pm-3pm
3pm-3.45pm
3.45pm-4.30pm
Timings:
11am - Outdoor show
12noon - Kids go inside bubble activity indoors
1pm - Outdoor show
3pm - Kids go inside bubble activity indoors
4pm - Outdoor show
Riverside Mini Massage
Hemingway Design will transform a giant sandpit into a play-and-build area of endless possibilities, this free drop-in workshop allows children to create a landscape that mimics the surrounding area.
Giant wooden shapes and unique construction materials will represent the Thames and the industrial buildings visible around them. Access to elements like logs, stones, and plants to build habitats, rivers, and forests, as well as materials like bricks, pipes, and construction toys to create an urban landscape with buildings, roads, and bridges.
Timings: 11am - 7pm
Location: Project Office
Accessible for all ages
SandScape
Barking based, HEAL studio are bringing their highly trained therapists to offer mini 10 minute shoulder massages to release and relax.
Timings: 12.00pm - 6.00pm
Location: Project Office
Step free access
Accessible for 18+
An immersive experience connecting you back to your own natural energetic rhythm through Sound Meditation.
Vibration is felt through the body, as you are bathed by the sounds of the gong.
Incredibly effective in rebalancing the body through a relaxing experience to help us feel more grounded.
Please note, if you suffer from low/high blood pressure, cardiac irregularities, epilepsy and/or carry a pacemaker please ensure that you are cleared for the practices offered at this event by your medical professional. Those who are in the first trimester of pregnancy are not advised to take part in this event
Timings: 1.00 - 2.00pm
3.00 - 4.00pm
Location: Project Office
Accessible for 18+
Gong Bath
The Poetry Takeaway
At The Poetry Takeaway you’ll find a talented and diverse team of poets who will carefully craft a free personalised poem just for you to take home.
Timings: 12.00pm -4.00pm
Location: L&Q Showhome - Flat 4, Easterling Mansions, 2 Fielders Crescent IG11 0AZ - find it using What 3 Words here.
Accessible for all ages
Kindly supported by
WanderWild Forest School's Autumnal workshop
Families will have the opportunity to engage in an Autumnal Crafts Workshop, which will include making an autumnal hanging mobile and a wooden cookie-man!
In this hands-on workshop children will learn how to safely use tools such as a palm drill and bow saw and decorate their creations with seasonal natural materials.
Forest School offers families a unique educational experience using the outdoor environment. Children develop confidence, understand how to assess risk and enjoy healthier lifestyles through improvement in their physical and mental wellbeing.
Timings: 10:30am - 12:30pm
Location: Wander Wild Forest School - Barking Food Forest
Accessible for all ages (Children must be accompanied by an adult)
Green Roof Shelters & tour of yard with John Little
Green Roof Shelters Ltd brings together some of the foremost experts in green roofs planted for biodiversity, designing habitat creation, and low maintenance native planting, alongside designers experienced in producing buildings, structures, and retrofit products that enhance our environment.
Take in a tour of the Green Roof Shelters yard located at Barking Riverside with co founder John Little. Learn how the shelters are fabricated and planted for wildlife, and the role different plants play in nurturing biodiversity. You can also see a Green Roof Shelter installed on Station Square.
John Little has been active in challenging how we deal with landscape design especially on highways and new developments. He argues that we must invest in gardeners rather than more infrastructure. Since starting the Grass Roof Company in 1998 he has designed and built over 400 small green-roof buildings, combining deep biodiverse green-roofs with walls of breeding and hibernation space.
Timings: 1.00pm- 6.00pm
Location: Wander Wild Forest School - 100 River Rd, IG11 0DS
Accessible for all ages
Join Artfix for a creative painting workshop where even your dogs can have a go at painting a canvas! Discover what Artfix is all about at The Wilds and take the opportunity to get hands-on with painting.
Artfix are based in The Wilds. As a social enterprise, Artfix is a social enterprise that builds communities through the power of creativity. The spaces run by artfix operate as one-stop platforms, empowering everyone to share their creative ideas with the world. From conception to execution, artfix is the combination of a café, learning center, workspace, and venue, emulating the creative process in four steps – meet, learn, work, show.
Timings: 11.00am - 6.00pm
Location: Station Square
Accessible for all ages
artFix creative Canvas painting
Nail Art Workshop with The Illustrated Nail
The Illustrated Nail is the creation of illustrator and nail artist Sophie Harris-Greenslade. She has been at the forefront of the nail art scene for 14 years with her multi-layered, beautifully executed designs.
Sophie will be hosting a nail art workshop, showcasing some of her designs and teaching some nail art techniques so that you can create your own fashion forward nail art creations.
Timings: 4-5pm
Location: Project Office
Age restrictions: 10+
Join Acre Landscapes, the team behind Barking Riverside's Station Square landscaping for an autumnal plant display workshop. You'll learn about an Autumn/Winter planting pallette, different themes and species plus you'll get to take your creation home to brighten it up as the nights draw in!
Timings: 11:00am - 1:30pm and 2:30 -5:00pm
Location: Station Square
Accessible for all ages
Autumnal Planting Display Workshop
Pullums Street Crew Performance
Pullums Street Crew recently won 1st place at the UDO Street Dance competition and will be performing their award winning piece at Emerge East 2024! Don't miss this brilliant performance by this crew of talented young people from the local area
Timings: 2:30 - 2:45pm
Location: Station Square
Accessible to all ages
Barking Food Forest is a community gardening project that benefits local children, young people, families and wider residents of all ages. To celebrate the recently granted planning permission, everyone is invited to learn about the project, explore the garden, view plans and catch up on recent progress at Barking Food Forest.
After a tour of the garden, join us at the begininings of a Japanese Garden where you can have a go at planting and learn all about Japenese Gardens and their benefites.
Timings: 11:00-11:30 Garden Tour & Project Update
11:30-13:00 Planting Activity - Creating a Japanese Style Garden
Location: Barking Food Forest
Accessible for all ages
Garden tour of Barking Food Forest and planting a Japanese Style Garden workshop
Nature Stage Hosted by London National Park City
Did you know Londoners have successfully campaigned to become the first National Park City in the world? Join the London National Park City team on the Nature Stage and explore more about what that could mean here in Barking Riverside. From floating garden barges to recovering nature spaces, the possibilities are endless.
London National Park City are working with partners in Barking & Dagenham to support local residents to become 'Rangers' and boost our connection to nature in the borough.
After successfully campaigning for London to become the first National Park City in the world, we are now looking to support the wonderful people making London greener, healthier and wilder in their local area. Volunteers have played a huge part in championing local green features like Footpath 47, Ripple Nature Reserve and the Ripple Greenway.
Timings: 11:00am - 7:00pm
Location: Station Square
Accessible for all ages
