Hackney is a top contender for having London’s most esoteric nightlife scene. Now, Hackney Altfest, a new festival arriving this May, will celebrate the borough’s buzz, mapping its dive bars and alternative venues across a week-long programme from Monday May 4 to Sunday May 10.
Nine venues will nod to dive bar culture’s roots in the metal and punk music scenes, with a line-up of events. And unlike on a self-guided bar crawl, Altfest-goers can pick up “festival cards” from any participating venue through the week; be one of the first 50 punters to get a stamp from every bar and you’ll earn a free LA-style taco with any drink on the Wednesday or Thursday at Easy 8. Enter your completed card in a draw by May 10 to win a range of prizes and experiences from the venues.
“By connecting our borough’s best alternative venues, we aren’t just throwing a party – we are fuelling the DIY spirit and creative energy that make our corner of Hackney so special,” said Allison Crawbuck, director of The Absinthe Parlour at The Last Tuesday Society, in a statement. The parlour will run a series of events across the week, including absinthe drink-and-draw sessions, tarot readings and a tasting evening with absinthe distillery Devil’s Botany.
The festival opens at The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities with a talk exploring vampiric folklore and psychological interpretation. Tuesday will see Saint Monday brewery host an instalment of its Heavy Metal Film Club with a screening of Motörhead’s 2004 concert DVD Stage Fright, and later in the week it’ll have a late-night brewery tour.
Drinks will be flowing deep into the evenings with long happy hours at venues like rock’n’roll hangout Blondies, which will pour £4 pints into the wee hours on Wednesday. And good-time bar You Call the Shots is doing £8 highballs during its late-night emo DJ set on the Thursday. Other venues taking part are Helgi’s, Rasputin’s and The Moon Temple.
The festival is part of a wider spring programme of markets and music supported by Hackney Council, which runs through April and May to bring crowds to high streets.
Hackney Altfest runs from May 4–10.
