Whats On This Week in Hackney

What’s On This Week in Hackney: 30 March–5 April 2026

The best things to do in Hackney, Dalston, Stoke Newington, Haggerston, London Fields, Clapton, Homerton, Hackney Central, Hackney Wick and Kingsland Road

Looking for the best Hackney events this week? This guide covers theatre, live music, club nights, comedy, family-friendly plans, markets, brunch, Sunday roasts, rooftop drinks and hidden gems across East London from Monday 30 March to Sunday 5 April 2026. I prioritised official venue calendars and strong primary listings, then added the best bars, restaurants and market plans around them.

This week is especially strong for live music and nightlife. The biggest anchors are Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s four-night run at EartH, a new April programme at Oslo, ongoing theatre at Arcola, family and market plans over the weekend, plus a busy run of club nights at Colour Factory, Night Tales, Basing House, Village Underground, Dalston Superstore, GROW and MOTH Club.

Quick shortlist

If you only do a few things this week, make it Unknown Mortal Orchestra at EartH on 30 March to 2 April, Jazz Jam with Stratos at GROW on Thursday 2 April, 30 Years of Playaz at Night Tales on Thursday 2 April, Easter Everywhere at MOTH Club on Friday 3 April, After Caposile: London at Village Underground on Saturday 4 April, Krush at Basing House on Saturday 4 April, and 13Bedar Bank Holiday Sunday with Persian Love at Colour Factory on Sunday 5 April. For daytime, your safest weekend wins are Broadway Market, Columbia Road Flower Market, Victoria Park Market, and Hackney City Farm.

Monday 30 March

🎶 Live music

Unknown Mortal Orchestra — EartH Theatre, Dalston

Time: 7pm–11pm

Price: £40.90 on See Tickets listing

This is the cleanest headline event of the week. EartH confirms the first of four London dates here, all built around longer-format performances. Special notes: seated/live-venue feel rather than club night.

🌈 LGBTQ+ / community

SCRAPBOOKING + ZINE MAKING: Manos Queer x TAC — Dalston Superstore, Dalston

Time: listed for Monday 30 March

Price: check venue

This is a good example of why Dalston Superstore is more than just a late-night venue. It gives the week a proper creative, community-led Monday start. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.

🎭 Theatre

Recall. Digest. Embrace. — Arcola Theatre, Dalston

Dates: previous week ended 28 March, so this is not running this week.

What is running instead: Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise begins at Arcola on 2 April, while Iphigenia and other spring-season shows are also featured in the theatre’s spring programme. For the exact 30 March–1 April gap, Arcola’s listings are lighter between productions, so the strongest verified Arcola dates in this guide begin from Thursday.

🍸 Good Monday drinks

For a quieter start to the week, the best style-led bar picks are Equal Parts, Three Sheets, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Brilliant Corners, Ridley Road Market Bar and Dona. I could not verify dated event-specific listings for each of them this week, so I’m treating these as trusted venue recommendations, not ticketed events. Equal Parts still has the strongest recent reputation boost, thanks to Time Out naming it London’s best bar in 2025.

Tuesday 31 March

🎶 Live music

Unknown Mortal Orchestra — EartH Theatre, Dalston

Time: 7pm–11pm

Price: ticketed

Night two of the EartH run. This is one of the best verified Tuesday gigs in East London, and a very easy recommendation if you want a proper show without weekend crush.

🎸 Venue to keep on your radar

Oslo, Hackney Central moves into a new April run from Wednesday 1 April with listings that include Focus On You, £5 Cocktail Thursdays, Afters, and The Shooting Gallery across early April. That means Tuesday is better used as a build-up night for the rest of the week, rather than a headline Oslo date.

🎭 Theatre

There is no big Hackney Empire headliner in this exact week window surfaced from the official calendar, which starts prominently advertising Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa: The Paradise Gothic Tour from 15 April onward. So for this specific week, music, bars and markets are stronger than Hackney Empire for a day-by-day guide.

🍽️ Dinner after

For a Tuesday date night, the smartest nearby food picks remain Casa Fofō for the splurge, Oren for a lower-key but excellent dinner, and Calong if you want Stoke Newington over Dalston. These are not weekly event listings, but they are among the strongest Michelin-backed or Michelin-recognised options in the area.

Wednesday 1 April

🎶 Live music

Unknown Mortal Orchestra — EartH Theatre, Dalston

Time: 7pm–11pm

Price: ticketed

Night three of the run. This is the best big live-music booking on Wednesday.

🎸 Live music / smaller-room option

FOCUS ON YOU — Oslo, Hackney Central

Time: Wednesday 1 April

Price: check venue

Oslo’s April calendar confirms this for Wednesday, making it the strongest smaller-room alternative to EartH that night.

😂 Comedy

Hackney Comedy Club — Wednesdays @ Hackney Comedy Club

Time: 8pm

Price: from £4 in listings

This is the clearest recurring stand-up option I could verify for this exact week. Good if you want something more social and less music-led on Wednesday.

🍺 Pubs & bars

Pub Quiz — Hackney Church Brew Co, Hackney Central

Time: 7.30pm

Price: £2 entry, £3 on themed nights

This is still one of the simplest midweek group plans in Hackney. Beer, trivia and a lively local crowd make it an easy plug-and-play Wednesday plan.

Thursday 2 April

🎭 Theatre

Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise — Arcola Theatre, Dalston

Dates: 2 April–2 May 2026

Price: ticketed

This is Arcola’s main new play opening during your requested week. It gives the guide a proper theatre anchor from Thursday onward.

🎶 Live music

Unknown Mortal Orchestra — EartH Theatre, Dalston

Time: 7pm–11pm

Price: ticketed

Final night of the EartH run. If you miss Monday to Wednesday, Thursday is your last chance this week.

The Shooting Gallery — Oslo, Hackney Central

Time: Thursday 2 April

Price: check venue

Oslo’s official calendar confirms this, alongside its Thursday Afters and £5 Cocktail Thursdays. So Oslo becomes one of the best all-in-one Thursday venues if you want a gig, drinks and later dancing in one spot.

🎷 Jazz / canalside plan

Jazz Jam with Stratos — GROW, Hackney Wick

Time: 7pm–11pm

Price: usually free entry

Still one of the best-value music plans in East London. It is ideal if you want canal-side atmosphere, a looser crowd and a more relaxed night than Dalston’s bigger venues.

🪩 Nightlife

30 Years of Playaz: DJ Hype, Original Sin, Taxman, Tyke, Objectiv & more — Night Tales

Time: 6pm–3am

Price: ticketed

This is one of the biggest Thursday dance events in the guide. If you want drum & bass energy before the weekend even starts, this is the clearest choice.

Friday 3 April

🎶 Live music

Easter Everywhere w/ Barbican Estate + School Disco + more — MOTH Club, Hackney

Time: 7pm

Price: ticketed

A strong Friday gig in one of Hackney’s most loved smaller venues. Great if you want live music with real character rather than a huge main-room venue.

🪩 Club nights / nightlife

KYSO & Percy Mingle: Special Guest, Tim Reaper b2b Peverelist, Skala, Peshay, Janaway, Mio — Village Underground

Time: 11pm–5am

Price: ticketed

Village Underground’s own events page shows this as the major Friday late-night booking. This is one of the best heavier club nights of the week across the wider East London patch.

Mayro, Dowden — Basing House

Time: 10pm

Price: ticketed

I found this Friday Basing House booking through event listings rather than the venue’s own event page, so treat it as verified but slightly less primary than Saturday’s Krush listing. Still, it gives Basing House a relevant Friday mention in this week’s guide.

🌈 LGBTQ+ / nightlife

Dalston Superstore is still one of the best queer venues in the guide, but the strongest directly surfaced named events for your exact week are Monday’s scrapbook/zine session, Sunday’s drag brunch, and Sunday night’s Seven Kevins. Friday is still a good night to go there, but I do not want to invent a specific named listing I could not verify.

🍷 Bars for Friday drinks

For cocktails and late-night bar hopping, the strongest names are Three Sheets, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Sager + Wilde, Brilliant Corners, Ridley Road Market Bar, Dona, Corrochio’s, Silk Stockings, High Water, 40FT Dalston, White Post and Bruno. I could not verify dated special events for each one, so these are curated venue picks, not ticketed listings.

Saturday 4 April

🛍️ Markets & daytime plans

Broadway Market — London Fields

Time: 9am–5pm

Price: free entry

Still one of the best Saturday plans in East London. It is ideal for coffee, brunch, browsing and easing into the evening.

Hackney City Farm — Haggerston

Time: daytime

Price: free to visit

One of the easiest family-friendly and low-cost stops in the area. It works well paired with Columbia Road, Haggerston Park or a slow lunch nearby.

Mini Farmers Club — Hackney City Farm

Time: 10.30am–12.30pm

Age: 8–12

A very clear family-specific activity if you want something more structured than just a farm visit.

🎭 Theatre

Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise — Arcola Theatre

Saturday gives you the cleanest weekend slot to catch Arcola’s new play. This is the best pure theatre recommendation in Hackney this week.

🪩 Clubs & nightlife

Krush — Basing House

Time: 10pm–4am

Price: ticketed

A strong house-led late-night option around the Kingsland Road / Shoreditch edge. Good if you want something intimate and dance-focused.

After Caposile: London — Village Underground

Time: 11pm–5am

Price: ticketed

This is one of the best verified Saturday club events in the guide. It feels like the cleanest “proper big night out” choice of the weekend.

Club Sweetness – The Easter Special 2026 — Colours Hoxton

Time: 2pm–10pm

Price: ticketed

This gives your guide a daytime-to-evening queer-friendly / party-adjacent option in Hoxton. It is a good wildcard choice for people who want party energy without waiting until midnight.

DEEPDIG: Grace Sands // Fannar — GROW, Hackney Wick

Time: 7pm–2am

Price: £5/£7 advance, free before 9pm, £10 on the door

This is one of the best-value Saturday nights in the guide. Great for people who want a more intimate Hackney Wick vibe than the bigger Dalston rooms.

Digger’s Paradise Day into Night at Crate Brewery — Hackney Wick

Time: 1pm–9pm

Price: free tickets on RA / ticketed reservation style

A very good Saturday day-party pick by the canal. It adds Crate Brewery to the guide in a way that is actually time-specific and useful.

Sunday 5 April

🌸 Markets & Sunday wandering

Columbia Road Flower Market — near Haggerston / Hoxton

Time: official sources show 8am–2pm or 8am–3ish

Price: free entry

One of the best Sunday rituals in East London. Go early for fewer crowds and better stems, or later for possible deals.

Broadway Market — London Fields

Time: 10am–5pm according to Time Out and Hackney Council

Price: free entry

A very easy Sunday plan if you want brunch, coffee and a browse without overcommitting.

Victoria Park Market — Victoria Park

Time: generally 10am–4pm

Price: free entry

This remains one of the strongest easy Sunday food-market plans in East London, though the borough tender notice means April 2026 is a transition point for the operator. I would still treat it as a solid market plan, but check on the day if you want absolute certainty.

👨‍👩‍👧 Family-friendly

Hackney City Farm is still one of the best easy family day-out options in the borough, especially when paired with Haggerston Park or a market visit. For a more structured family event this week, Saturday’s Mini Farmers Club is the clearest option I found.

🎶 Live music / day-to-night

Journeyss with Jordss – Day Party — Night Tales

Time: 4pm–10pm

Price: ticketed

A very good Sunday if you want party energy before the late-night crowd lands.

13Bedar Bank Holiday Sunday with Persian Love — Colour Factory

Time: 5pm–11.59pm

Price: ticketed

One of the strongest Sunday specials in the guide. It also gives the weekend a proper bank-holiday feel rather than a quiet fade-out.

A Free Easter Bank Holiday Party — Night Tales

Time: 10pm–3am

Price: free / ticketed reservation

If you want the weekend to finish properly, this is one of the cleanest verified Sunday late-night listings in East London.

🌈 LGBTQ+ / brunch / Sunday chaos

Drag Brunch with A Man To Pet — Dalston Superstore

Time: Sunday 5 April

Price: check venue

One of the strongest Sunday daytime picks in the guide if you want brunch with performance energy. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.

SEVEN KEVINS: The Stairway to Kevin — Dalston Superstore

Time: Sunday 5 April

Price: check venue

A very Dalston way to end the week. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.

Do! You! (with Charlie Bones all night long) — MOTH Club

Time: 11pm–3am

Price: ticketed

A strong alternative if Night Tales is not your thing and you want a late Sunday with more cult-club energy.

Best theatres to know this week

For pure theatre, Arcola is the strongest venue in Hackney this week because its April programme clearly begins with Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise from 2 April. Hackney Empire does not surface a comparably strong official run inside this exact week window, so it is less central for 30 March to 5 April than it was in previous weeks. Oslo is not really a theatre anchor for this week; it works better as a live-music and nightlife venue.

Best live music venues this week

EartH is the clear live-music winner thanks to Unknown Mortal Orchestra running from 30 March to 2 April. After that, Oslo becomes the easiest reliable venue for smaller gigs and Thursday drink-plus-dance plans, while MOTH Club offers a stronger boutique Friday feel. GROW wins on value and vibe.

Best nightlife venues this week

For the strongest Hackney nightlife this week, focus on Night Tales, Village Underground, Basing House, Colour Factory, Dalston Superstore, GROW, MOTH Club, Oslo, and Crate Brewery for day-into-night energy. Pickle Factory is harder this week: its own site currently shows no populated event listings, and Songkick surfaces 0 upcoming concerts, so I cannot responsibly add a specific Pickle Factory event for this exact date range.

Best bars, rooftops and hidden gems

The strongest bar names in this guide are Equal Parts, Three Sheets, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Brilliant Corners, Ridley Road Market Bar, Dona, Sager + Wilde, Corrochio’s, High Water, 40FT Dalston, Silk Stockings, White Post, Bruno, and Barge East. For rooftops, Netil360 remains a go-to for skyline drinks. For waterside atmosphere and a more destination feel, Barge East is one of the strongest Hackney Wick recommendations. These are curated venue picks rather than dated ticketed events unless otherwise noted above.

Best brunch, roast, vegan and local food picks

For markets and casual food, Broadway Market, Victoria Park Market and Columbia Road are still the easiest Sunday and weekend winners. For a scenic lunch or roast, Barge East explicitly promotes its Sunday roast, including vegetarian and vegan options. For a canal-side Saturday, Crate Brewery is boosted this week by its Digger’s Paradise Day into Night party.

Dog-friendly and family-friendly ideas

The easiest flexible dog-friendly and family-friendly options this week are Broadway Market, Columbia Road Flower Market, Hackney City Farm, and a canal walk around Hackney Wick or London Fields. Barge East is also a good food-led stop because its venue positioning and menus make it a natural Sunday lunch choice, and Hackney City Farm remains the clearest dedicated family destination.

Places to stay

For visitors, the most practical bases remain Hackney Road, Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, and the wider Dalston / London Fields fringe. I did not run a fresh hotel-price comparison here, so treat this as area guidance rather than a live cheapest-rate recommendation.

Best of the week

Theatre: Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise at Arcola.

Live music: Unknown Mortal Orchestra at EartH.

Nightlife: 30 Years of Playaz at Night Tales, After Caposile at Village Underground, and Krush at Basing House.

Sunday: Columbia Road Flower Market, Journeyss with Jordss at Night Tales, then 13Bedar at Colour Factory.