What’s On in Hackney this week : 13–19 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 East London guide covers Monday 13 April to Sunday 19 April 2026 and pulls together the standout plans across theatre, live music, club nights, comedy, LGBTQ+ events, family-friendly days out, markets, bars, brunch spots and hidden gems. This week is especially strong for Hackney Empire, Arcola Theatre, EartH, Oslo, Colour Factory, Dalston Superstore and the usual East London market circuit.
The headline bookings are easy to spot. Hackney Empire has Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa: The Paradise Gothic Tour on Wednesday 15 April, Reel To Reel: Songs on Screen on Saturday 18 April, and Lena Dunham: Famesick twice on Sunday 19 April. Arcola is still running Dear Jack, Dear Louise through 2 May, while EartH is part of NTS 15 and clearly surfaces Yves on Friday 17 April and The Commons on Sunday 19 April.
What’s On in Hackney this week Quick shortlist
If you only book a few things, make it Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa at Hackney Empire on 15 April, Yves (NTS 15) at EartH on 17 April, Reel To Reel: Songs on Screen at Hackney Empire on 18 April, Lena Dunham: Famesick on 19 April, Colour Factory’s Saturday late slot, and KHOLE Sundays! Karaoke Party at Dalston Superstore. For daytime, your safest weekend wins are Broadway Market, Columbia Road Flower Market, Victoria Park Market, and Hackney City Farm.
Monday 13 April
Theatre & culture
Dear Jack, Dear Louise — Arcola Theatre, Dalston
Time: 3pm & 7.30pm
Price: £15–£39
This remains the strongest pure theatre booking in Hackney at the start of the week. It is a warm wartime love story told through letters, and it is one of the easiest culture recommendations in Dalston right now. Notes: booking recommended.
Music / creative nights
ORII JAM — Colour Factory, Hackney Wick
Time: 8pm–11.30pm
Price: ticketed
One of the best Monday creative picks in East London. Colour Factory describes it as a jam session built to connect musicians and artists in a curated sonic space.
LGBTQ+ / community
VINYL BITCH: OPEN DECKS — Dalston Superstore, Dalston
Time: Monday listing
Price: check venue
A strong Monday community-led event and a good reminder that Dalston Superstore is not just a Friday or Saturday venue. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.
Bars
For a lower-key Monday drink, the strongest venue picks are Equal Parts, Three Sheets, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Brilliant Corners, Ridley Road Market Bar, Dona and Sager + Wilde. I could not verify dated special events for each one this week, so these are curated venue recommendations rather than ticketed listings.
Tuesday 14 April
Live music
GRETEL — Oslo, Hackney Central
Time: Tuesday listing
Price: check venue
Oslo’s April calendar confirms Gretel for Tuesday 14 April, making it the cleanest verified smaller-room gig in Hackney that night.
LGBTQ+ / social
ART DATING CLUB — Dalston Superstore
Time: Tuesday listing
Price: check venue
A very good social pick if you want something more relaxed than a club night. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.
Theatre
Dear Jack, Dear Louise — Arcola Theatre
Still the best theatre option on Tuesday if you want a proper sit-down show in Dalston.
Dinner after
For Tuesday dinner, the strongest nearby choices remain Oren, Calong, Casa Fofō and the broader London Fields / Dalston food circuit. I did not run a fresh restaurant search here, so treat those as trusted area picks rather than this week’s “new opening” list.
Wednesday 15 April
Must-see comedy
Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa: The Paradise Gothic Tour — Hackney Empire, Hackney Central
Time: 8pm
Price: ticketed
This is the clearest headline booking in Hackney on Wednesday. Hackney Empire describes it as a darkly funny new hour about immigration, capitalism and tech culture.
Theatre
Dear Jack, Dear Louise — Arcola Theatre
A strong alternative if you want theatre over comedy. The production continues in Studio 1 with the same 3pm and 7.30pm pattern.
LGBTQ+ / film / social
Monthly Mix + Mingle — Dalston Superstore
Time: Wednesday listing
Price: check venue
A low-pressure midweek social if you want queer community energy without a full late-night commitment. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.
TRANSMISSIONS PRESENTS: THE ROAST OF EMILIA PEREZ WITH DANIELLE JAMES + VANILLA PARKER BALLS — Dalston Superstore
Time: Wednesday listing
Price: check venue
One of the more distinctive midweek culture listings in the guide. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.
BodySwap — Dalston Superstore
Time: Wednesday listing
Price: check venue
A classic Superstore midweek option if you want something nightlife-adjacent later in the evening. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.
Pubs & bars
Pub Quiz — Hackney Church Brew Co, Hackney Central
Time: weekly Wednesday format
Price: usually low-cost entry
Hackney Church Brew Co remains one of the easiest group plans in the borough. I am including it as a reliable weekly fixture rather than a specially listed one-off.
Thursday 16 April
Live music
SAULTS — Oslo, Hackney Central
Time: Thursday listing
Price: check venue
Oslo’s April listings clearly surface Saults on Thursday 16 April, making it one of the strongest smaller-room Thursday gigs in the guide.
LGBTQ+ / nightlife
BodyCon — Dalston Superstore
Time: Thursday listing
Price: check venue
One of the clearer verified Thursday late-night picks in Dalston. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.
Rooftop / after-work
Netil360 — London Fields
Netil360 remains one of the best rooftops in the wider Hackney guide for skyline drinks and a pre-party start, though I did not find a named dated event for 16 April that was strong enough to list as a headline. Its value this week is still as a venue recommendation.
Canalside music
GROW, Hackney Wick continues to be one of the area’s best all-round venues for jazz, DJs and community-led programming. I found the venue calendar and surrounding pages, but not a single clearly surfaced named 16 April listing strong enough to cite as a standalone event here, so I’m keeping GROW as a venue recommendation for Thursday rather than inventing a specific booking.
Friday 17 April
Live music
Yves (NTS 15) — EartH Hall, Dalston
Time: 6pm–10pm
Price: ticketed, sold out / waiting list in listings
One of the biggest music bookings in Hackney this week. It is part of NTS 15, which runs across London from 13–19 April. Age: 16+, with under-18s accompanied by an adult according to secondary ticket listings.
LGBTQ+ / nightlife
BLEDI PARADISE — Dalston Superstore
Time: Friday listing
Price: check venue
This is the clearest Friday Superstore party I could verify for your requested week. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.
Other nightlife venues worth knowing
For Friday late-night energy beyond the explicitly surfaced listings, the venues still most worth watching are Colour Factory, Village Underground, Basing House, MOTH Club, Night Tales and Brilliant Corners. I did not find enough clean, date-specific official listings for each one to name every event here, so I am keeping them as venue recommendations rather than overstating certainty.
Bars
For a more bar-led Friday, focus on Three Sheets, Equal Parts, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Ridley Road Market Bar, Silk Stockings, Corrochio’s, High Water, 40FT Dalston, White Post and Barge East. These are curated venue picks rather than dated events.
Saturday 18 April
Live music / choir / performance
Reel To Reel: Songs on Screen — Hackney Empire, Hackney Central
Time: 8pm
Price: £15–£30
Running time: approximately 2 hours, including interval
This is one of the strongest Saturday night culture bookings in the whole guide. Expect live performances of film and TV songs by London City Voices.
Theatre
Dear Jack, Dear Louise — Arcola Theatre
Still one of the safest Saturday theatre recommendations in Dalston, with the same 3pm and 7.30pm structure.
Live music
ML Buch, TLF Trio, great area (NTS 15) — EartH
Time: 7pm–11pm
Price: ticketed
A strong Saturday EartH booking linked to the NTS 15 week. Good if you want something leftfield and musically curious rather than a straight club night.
Markets & daytime
Broadway Market — London Fields
Time: Saturday 9am–5pm
Price: free entry
Still one of the best Saturday plans in East London for food, coffee, shopping and people-watching.
Hackney City Farm — Haggerston
A very easy family stop and one of the borough’s best low-cost daytime options.
Nightlife
Colour Factory clearly has an active Saturday late-night listing on its official page for 18 April, but the snippet did not expose the event name in the returned result. It is still one of the strongest Hackney Wick nightlife venues to keep on your radar that night.
Sunday 19 April
Must-see live event / talk
Lena Dunham: Famesick — Hackney Empire
Times: 1pm hosted by Monica Heisey, 7pm hosted by Dolly Alderton
Price: £39.99–£79.99
Age guidance: 18+
This is one of the week’s biggest headline events in Hackney. It is the cleanest Sunday marquee booking in the guide.
Live music / comedy-adjacent
The Commons — EartH
Time: 7.30pm–11pm
Price: ticketed
One of the most interesting Sunday EartH listings of the week, with names including Ivo Graham and Stewart Lee surfaced in the event snippet.
Live music
ROVV x TWLV x MELOH — Oslo, Hackney Central
Time: 7.30pm–11pm
Price: £33
A very solid Sunday live music option if you want a smaller room than Hackney Empire or EartH. Age: 16+, with under-18s accompanied by an adult, according to the venue page snippet.
LGBTQ+ / nightlife
KHOLE SUNDAYS! KARAOKE PARTY — Dalston Superstore
Time: Sunday listing
Price: free entry
This remains one of the best queer Sunday nights in East London. LGBTQ+ friendly: yes.
Markets & daytime plans
Columbia Road Flower Market — near Haggerston / Hoxton edge
Time: typically 8am–2pm or 3ish
Price: free entry
One of the best Sunday rituals in East London. Go early for the best stems and fewer crowds.
Broadway Market — London Fields
Time: Sunday 10am–5pm
Price: free entry
A reliable Sunday brunch-and-browse plan.
Victoria Park Market — Victoria Park
Time: Sunday 10am–4pm
Price: free entry
One of the easiest Sunday food market plans near Hackney.
Hackney Right To Grow Mass Plant Out Day — community event
Best venues to know this week
Hackney Empire is your biggest headline venue this week thanks to Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa, Reel To Reel, and Lena Dunham: Famesick. Arcola is the strongest pure-theatre anchor thanks to Dear Jack, Dear Louise continuing through this week. EartH is the most exciting music venue because of its NTS 15 links and its Friday-to-Sunday run. Oslo is one of the easiest all-rounders for smaller-room gigs through the week.
Best nightlife venues this week
For the strongest Hackney nightlife this week, focus on Colour Factory, Dalston Superstore, EartH, Oslo, Village Underground, Basing House, MOTH Club, Night Tales and the usual London Fields / Dalston bar circuit. I found enough evidence to confidently include some named listings at Dalston Superstore and Colour Factory, but not enough clean official snippets to confidently name every event at every venue from 13–19 April, so several of these remain venue recommendations rather than exact dated picks.
Best bars, brunch and Sunday plans
For cocktails and later drinks, the strongest names remain Equal Parts, Three Sheets, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Brilliant Corners, Ridley Road Market Bar, Dona, Sager + Wilde, Corrochio’s, Silk Stockings, 40FT Dalston, High Water, White Post and Barge East. For daytime food and casual weekend wandering, the easiest formula is still Broadway Market, Columbia Road Flower Market, and Victoria Park Market.
Dog-friendly and family-friendly ideas
The easiest flexible dog-friendly or family-friendly options this week are Broadway Market, Columbia Road Flower Market, Victoria Park Market, Hackney City Farm, and a canal walk through Hackney Wick or London Fields. For something more community-led, Hackney Right To Grow Mass Plant Out Day adds a useful Sunday outdoor option.
Best of the week
Best theatre: Dear Jack, Dear Louise at Arcola Theatre.
Best comedy / live talk: Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa and Lena Dunham: Famesick at Hackney Empire.
Best live music: Yves (NTS 15) at EartH, plus ROVV x TWLV x MELOH at Oslo.
Best Sunday: Columbia Road Flower Market, Victoria Park Market, KHOLE Sundays and Lena Dunham: Famesick.
What’s On in Hackney this week Updated: 13th April 2026
Editorial research statement: Compiled using primary sources (official venue/market sites) and trusted London listings for operating hours and recurring weekly programming. Where line-ups change daily (clubs, live music rooms), readers should use linked venue “What’s On” pages to confirm exact listings before heading out.
Local authority positioning: Islington Local Guide covers North & East London with a neighbourhood-first lens—prioritising walkable plans, independent venues, community spaces, and places locals actually return to.
Submit an event: Venues and organisers can submit verified event details (date/time, access info, ticket link) for inclusion in next week’s guide.
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