When it comes to festivals, it can seem like Hackney has it all: celebrations of music, film, dance and food. But a festival for fixing things? As of 21 November, the borough has that too.

Billed as Hackney’s first ‘festival of fixing’, The Big Fix aims to promote the idea of fixing items rather than throwing them away. Organised by Hackney Fixers, the free drop-in event at St Mark’s Dalston, will feature experts in every aspect of ‘fixing’, who will run workshops, answer questions and stage demonstrations.

Organiser James Diamond said: “We are going to fill the place with as much fixing activity as we can, and have fun doing it.”

Workshops include a chair repair surgery with The School of Stuff; a patching up clothes class with Broadway Market business Fabrications; and a bicycle MOT with the Hackney Bike Workshop. Restart Party will examine any malfunctioning gadgets. The Council’s recycling team has also signed up to answer questions about wasteprevention and re-use.

Local company Sugru will demonstrate their mouldable DIY fixing product developed in the borough and now taking the world by storm.

From making moth deterrents to crafting things from rubbish, there’s something for everything and everyone.

Organiser Friederike Hanisch, said:

“We’re excited to see so many different local repairing initiatives joining us for the Big Fix and looking forward to enthusing many more people with the joys of repair.”