The Land of Kings: Dalston Festival

Dalston's very own Glasto

This is a local festival with a difference; no bunting in sight, just some of Dalston’s finest talent back for Land of Kings’ second year. An eclectic mix of art, music, theatre and “food fit for a King”, Dalston’s very own mini-festival takes place on Friday 23rd April. Spread across a number of venues all within a few minutes of each other, the night kicks off at 7pm and goes on well into the early hours of Saturday morning. All you need to do is buy a wrist-band and get ready to do some exploring.

Last year’s festival saw almost two thousand revellers bounce from venue to venue, bringing a carnival-like atmosphere to Kingsland high street and Stoke Newington. There are over fifteen venues this year, ranging from the well-known Barden’s Boudoir to some more mysterious venues, such as the curiously titled “Dungeon of Discoveries”, a post-war bunker turned into an interactive art space for the night. Festival organiser, Nick Griffiths, says that the festival has garnered a reputation for its orginal use of space. Last year and this year’s hub was in the Dalston Boy’s club, where festival-goers can enjoy cabaret, comedy and cocktails.

Here’s a taster of what’s on offer:

Theatre

The Arcola theatre will showcase Skip Theatre – a quirky drama collective who specialise in site-performance and can be expected to use the converted factory to the most creative and engaging effect. Expect a night of interactive performance, music and dance.

Music

The music is as diverse as the festival – ranging from hip-hop influenced jazz a la Speaker’s Corner Quartet to disco, funk and deep house from the likes of Faze Action and Bill Brewster. There will be DJ sets from The Horrors, Tayo and Little Boots among many, many others.

Art

Local design studio Patternity will be presenting their exhibition at the Print House on Friday. The show is a celebration of patterns and cultures, displaying work from local artists who have used “the cultural melting pot of their home neighbourhood as inspiration” say organisers. The exhibition will run until May 7th.

Taktal, a collective of designers and visual artists will be taking over the Dungeon of Discoveries and hosting a night of interactive installations in the festival’s most underground venue.

Food

Dalston is home to a large Turkish community and boasts a huge number of quality restaurants. Many of these establishments will be offering discounts to those wearing a festival wristband, but if you do feel like splashing out and tucking into a royal feast there are special tickets on offer which entitle you to a three-course banquet cooked up by The Rebel Dining Society.

This is just a sampler – if you want to find out more about the programme and the venues check the Land of Kings website.

Tickets are available at ticketweb.co.uk