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Dalston Pumpkin Lantern Festival 2018

It’s time for our annual Dalston Pumpkin Lantern Festival! Once again we are inviting children, young people and adults to help transform hundreds of pumpkins into weird and wonderful creations to be all lit up together throughout the Garden every night. Last year we had over 700 pumpkin lanterns filling every corner of the Garden and it really was spectacular!

Free pumpkin carving sessions will take place on Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 October.

Everyone is welcome to carve a pumpkin – adults, young people and children (as long as they are accompanied by an adult).

Here are some of the things you need to know to help plan your visit on the carving weekend.

It’s free to take part in the carving sessions, but we do ask for donations to cover the cost of the pumpkins which we source from a farmer.

Pumpkin carving sessions take place on:
Saturday 20 October, 12 noon – 5pm (the final carving sessions start at 4.30pm)
Sunday 21 October, 12 noon – 4pm (the final carving sessions start at 3pm)

All of the carved pumpkins stay in the Garden to come alive every night when they are all lit up throughout the Garden for the Lantern light-ups!

Adults, children and young people who carve a pumpkin over the weekend will be given a ticket for the first Lantern light-up, on Sunday 21 October, 6-8pm before it opens to everyone else.

Our hard-working team of volunteers are happy to work with younger children to help them create their lanterns, and anyone else who needs assistance with carving, but we ask that parents and carers stay at the carving table with their children. Children must be accompanied by parents or carers at all times.

This year once again we will have Pumpkin lantern light-ups all week from the evening of Sunday 21 to Sunday 28 October.

Urban Symphony street performance

Thursday 13 September 2018, 6.30pm – 7.15pm

The #Artskickers Urban Symphony, brought young aspiring performers from the East London boroughs, accompanied by London’s pop up ‘Street Orchestra’, on tour to six East London locations on one special day earlier this year. We were overwhelmed and moved by the energy, talent and positivity of the young performers when they entertained a packed audience at the Garden.

You can see a selection of photos of the Urban Symphony and read more about the #Artskickers on our blog.

We are delighted that the young performers and Street Orchestra will return to perform the Urban Symphony on the evening of the #Artskickers Awards, Thursday 13 September, for everyone to enjoy. The performance will take place outside the Garden in front of the Peace Mural from 6.30pm – 7.15pm and everyone is welcome. We hope you can come along to cheer them on and help celebrate these brilliant young #artskickers of East London!

The awards ceremony is for an invited audience of #Artskickers nominees. The Garden will close at 5pm that evening so that we can prepare to host this celebration of all their hard work! We will be open again, as normal, at 11am on Friday 14 September.