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Hackney Peace Carnival Mural 40 Year Anniversary Celebration

The Hackney Peace Carnival Mural celebrates its 40th anniversary on Sunday 28 September, with a street party on Ashwin St and events and activities in and around Dalston Curve Garden and across the road in Hackney Archives.

This much-loved public artwork was designed by muralist Ray Walker and painted by Anna Walker and Mick Jones and Sunday’s ‘Peace in Colour: 40 Years in the Community’ event has been curated by Roland Walker, the son of Ray and Anna.

We’re delighted to be hosting a number of very special events at the Garden on Sunday. Details are listed below. Check out the full day’s programme on the ‘Love Hackney’ website.

1.30 – 2pm: Holly Walker
Ray Walker’s granddaughter Holly will be kicking off the afternoon with a live acoustic set on our stage.

2-3pm: Al May and the Muralistas
Al May, who is depicted in the Mural, will ‘step off the wall’ and into the Garden for a special performance with ‘The Muralistas’, including some of the original members of the Chat’s Palace ‘Arkestra’. Their set will include a song written by the late Jah Globe, well-known community activist and saxophonist, also immortalised in the Mural.

2-3pm: Children’s workshop with artists Paul and Linda Butler
Paul Butler painted the Cable Street Mural with Ray Walker in the 1980s and in 2014 he and his wife Linda restored the Hackney Peace Carnival Mural to its former vibrant glory. They will be running a free creative workshop for children. Places are limited and children must be accompanied by an adult.

Sunday’s celebrations will also mark the unveiling of the Garden’s ‘This Is Hackney’ installation, in the window of Dalston CLR James Library. We have been creatively exploring the Mural in workshops with our ‘Tuesday Group’ for older people, with young people and with children from Holy Trinity Primary School, thanks to funding from ‘Cultural Hackney’. One hundred individual lovingly crafted and incredibly detailed models, or ‘3D self portraits’ made in these workshops will all be united together, on display, in a miniature re-imagined ‘peace carnival scene’.

Carve a pumpkin for our Pumpkin Lantern Festival

Saturday 26 October 12noon – 5pm

Sunday 27 October 12noon – 3pm

This year, for the first time since 2019, we are returning to holding our ‘Community Pumpkin Carving Weekend’ in the Garden! This is a community event that takes place at the Garden, when people of all ages are invited to carve a pumpkin, to be lit up every night as part of our Dalston Pumpkin Lantern Festival. Please read on to find out all the details you need to know if you want to take part.

Carving sessions take place at the Garden on Saturday 26 October from 12 noon, until last admission at 5pm and Sunday 27 October from 12 noon, until last admission at 3pm. Please note, we may have to finish carving sessions earlier than these times if the pumpkins run out, so we recommend you come early to avoid disappointment.

Carving sessions are open to everyone – adults, young people, and children of all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times at a ratio of one adult to a maximum of two children.

As we provide all of the pumpkins which we buy from a farmer, we ask for a donation to cover their costs. We recommend £3-5 per participant. We also provide and manage all of the knives and tools for the carving sessions to keep everyone safe so please don’t bring your own!

We don’t take bookings for sessions- they are ‘first come, first served’. You have to sign up to take part and we recommend you do that as soon as you arrive to the Garden. We’ll direct you to the area where you choose your pumpkin, we’ll ask for a donation and we’ll allocate you space on a “carving table”. Please be aware you might have to queue to sign up.

When you arrive at your carving table, our team of volunteers will be there to help children and families and anyone else who needs assistance with carving. Children will still need to be accompanied by their adult at all times. There will also be some tables designated for “independent carvers”, these are for adults or young people only. We recommend you spend no more than an hour carving, this means that as many people as possible will get to take part.

Each carving table accommodates 6 people, supported by members of our volunteer team. Please note, if you come as a group, we cannot guarantee that you will be seated together.

Because this is a community arts event created by the Garden and Hackney residents, all of the carved pumpkins stay at the Garden to be lit up every night, along with hundreds of others!

We will invite everyone who carves a pumpkin at the Garden to a preview light up night on Sunday 27 October, between 6 and 8pm. Light Up Nights will then continue all week from Monday 28 October, for as long as the pumpkins last! If you want to see your pumpkin lit up, we recommend you come earlier in the week.

If you are unable to come to the Community Pumpkin Carving Weekend but you would still like to carve a pumpkin to be part of our display you can carve at home and drop your creation to us. We will add it into the display to be lit up with all the others, but please remember once it’s here it has to stay here!

We hope that you make it along!