London’s first dive bar festival is coming to Hackney

Hackney Altfest, London’s first dive bar festival, will take over Mare Street, Morning Lane and Lower Clapton Road on Monday 4 May to Sunday 10 May. The week-long festival brings together talks, tastings, live music and late-night DJ sets, celebrating some of Hackney’s best alternative venues, including The Absinthe Parlour at The Last Tuesday Society, Blondies, Easy8, Helgi’s, Rasputin’s, Saint Monday, The Moon Temple, Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and You Call the Shots. Plus, a chance to win prizes with the festival stamp card by collecting stamps from all eight venues before the end of the festival. Full programme details here.

The festival is part of a wider programme backed by Hackney Council, with events running through April and May, aiming to bring more people into neighbourhood centres. At Netil House, Alterist will launch a pop-up upcycled fashion marketplace that will showcase emerging designers, sustainable makers and hands-on workshops. Grow Studios in Hackney Wick will host events centered around seeds, worms and music, including a canalside day of live music, plant and seed swaps, and a wormery building workshop. 

Arbeit Studios will run a series of artist-led workshops exploring reusing and making circular at The Loop and Trowbridge Gardens in Hackney Wick. Mill Co Studios at Woodberry Down will host community dance, quilting and yoga events, alongside coffee giveaways with Batch Baby. In Stoke Newington, the Stokey Spring Trail, brings together more than 20 businesses, where visitors can pick up a map, kite and stickers as they go, with prizes up for grabs. On Lower Clapton Road, Palms Limited will launch a new loyalty scheme that supports local causes and encourages people to shop local. 

Seven projects across the borough have each received up to £5,000 through the Local Area Activation Fund, a targeted small grants programme run by Hackney Council. The events reflect the diversity of Hackney’s high streets, from established hubs to emerging neighbourhood centres.

Allison Crawbuck, Director of The Absinthe Parlour at The Last Tuesday Society, says: “Hackney Altfest celebrates the creativity and grit of our local independent scene. Across eight venues over one week, the festival is an invitation to explore everything from absinthe parlours and curiosity cabinets to dive bars, metal breweries, witchcraft emporiums, and packed-out gigs. By bringing this raw energy together, the festival builds on our sense of community and connects new audiences to the authentic, independent bars and alternative venues.” 

“We are driving essential footfall back into the heart of our high streets and growing the alt community rooted here. By connecting our borough’s best alternative venues, we aren’t just throwing a party — we are fueling the DIY spirit and creative energy that make our corner of Hackney so special.” 

For the full listings, event details and updates, visit: 

Hackney Council website, Facebook, Instagram and Love Hackney