Creative Barking & Dagenham

Creative Barking & Dagenham Creative Barking and Dagenham (CBD) is about local people choosing, creating and taking part in brilliant art experiences in the borough.

We are part of Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme (CPP). At the heart of our programme is an open and growing network of local residents. The network plays an active role in all our activities and events.

A free creative day out in Greenwich Park! 🌳🔭Our ballot is now open!Barking & Dagenham families - come and join us for a...
14/07/2026

A free creative day out in Greenwich Park! 🌳🔭

Our ballot is now open!

Barking & Dagenham families - come and join us for a fun-filled day of making, exploring and discovering new things in Greenwich Park on Wednesday 5 August.

It’s a chance to enjoy a brilliant day out together, meet other local families and make new friends. Whether you’re getting stuck into activities, relaxing with a picnic or exploring the park, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to connect, have fun and spend time together as a community. ❤️

We’ll visit the Royal Observatory to see Luke Jerram’s incredible Mirror Moon installation, where you can get up close to the Moon and even touch it! 🌙

The fun doesn’t stop there! 🎨🌿 At The Royal Parks’ Summer Nature Roadshow, you can get creative with wild crafts, follow the nature detective trail, explore the mini museum, play games and discover more about the natural world.

Bring a picnic, find a cosy spot in the park and enjoy the day your way. 🧺

Want to join us? Enter the ballot now - it closes at 11:59pm on Tuesday 21 July.

🎟️ Enter via the link in our bio.

We had to re-live it. 🎨 A full weekend of free community arts in Barking and Dagenham, full of smiles, creativity and co...
17/06/2026

We had to re-live it. 🎨 A full weekend of free community arts in Barking and Dagenham, full of smiles, creativity and connection.

Imagine Galleon Weekender was two days at the Galleon Arts Centre, free and open to all. Saturday was Create Together Day, families making, singing and creating side by side, kids laughing and parents joining in. Sunday was Vim Creates x Jus Jammin, a day of live drawing, dance, music and food, the energy radiating through the building, young to old. Decided by local people, delivered by local creatives. Swipe through and live it again with us. ❤️

Here’s everyone who made it happen:

🎭 Puppet shows and making: Indigo Moon Theatre brought a beautiful puppetry performance, with a hands-on puppet making workshop led by

🎶 Community singing: Richard (), Ali and Suzy.

🧵 Fashion and textiles: Nicola Jane Reid and friends.

VimCreates, led by in collaboration with Jus Jammin, led by .the.producer, delivering:

✏️ Live drawing and live dancers: The whole room drawing dancers in motion and sharing it in their own way.

🎤 Live band and DJ sets, with DJ Ceasar Wayne and . Dance acts by: , .iam, Oto, Gary Clarke and Surprise Jakande

🎨 Live caricature: Morris Thompson, drawing people in the most brilliant of ways.

🎙️ Studio sessions: Izzy & Dylan, giving kids the chance to play instruments, learn and express themselves.

🌱 Food and connection: Almudena Segura and , both days running, every dish and flavour made with care and love you could taste.

Thank you to the Imagine Galleon Together Citizens Panel for commissioning the weekend, with support from Citizens in Power, Galleon Arts Centre and . Big thanks too to the project supporters Arts Council England and Barking and Dagenham Council.

Made for the community, by the community. Follow us so you don’t miss the next one. ❤️

📍 Galleon Arts Centre, Barking & Dagenham Galleon Arts Centre

11/06/2026

Free live music, dance and art in Barking, East London? Day two of the Imagine Galleon Weekender delivered. 🎤

Sunday at the Galleon Arts Centre was Vim Creates x Jus' Jammin, and the energy radiated through the building from top to bottom, young to old. An afternoon of community, talent and pure vibes in Barking and Dagenham.

Here's what went down:

🕺 Live drawing and dance with Vim Creates, delivered by Sammy. Everyone in the room drawing dancers in motion, capturing the movement and sharing it in their own way. Real talent on both sides of the sketchbook. Plus drawing and dance workshops for people of all ages.

🎶 Jus' Jammin, led by Marcel. Absurdly talented DJs and musicians bringing a whole vibe, making this a perfect collaboration of live music and dance.

🎨 Live caricature by Morris Thompson with people drawn in the most brilliant ways.

🎙️Studio sessions, giving kids the chance to play instruments, learn and express themselves.

🌱 Free plant based food throughout from Almu and Nice bunch cic Legends, both days running.

A perfect wrap on the full weekend. If you're searching for what's on in Barking and Dagenham, this is it. Follow us for the next one.

📍 Galleon Arts Centre, Barking & Dagenham Galleon Arts Centre



Thank you to the Imagine Galleon Together Citizens Panel for commissioning these activities, and to Citizens in Power, Galleon Arts Centre and cultural partnership group BD for their support of the panel. Special thanks also to the Imagine Galleon Together project supporters, Arts Council England and Barking and Dagenham Council.

09/06/2026

This is what a free family arts day in Barking and Dagenham looks like. 🧵

Day one of the Imagine Galleon Weekender was Create Together Day, and the Galleon Arts Centre was buzzing from the first session to the last. Creativity and expression for all ages. Kids laughing, parents getting stuck in, and a whole community discovering puppetry, singing, textiles and making together. The kind of day you wish you could live over and over.

Huge thanks to the artists who made Saturday unforgettable:

🎭 A beautiful puppetry performance from Indigo Moon Theatre Invited to the Borough by , who led a post show hands-on puppet making workshop. ✂️

🎶 Community singing with Richard (), Ali & Suzy

🧵 Fashion & textiles with and friends

🍲 Imagine Galleon Food with and Nice bunch cic - every dish, drink and flavour made with care and love you could actually taste.

With thanks to the Imagine Galleon Together Citizens Panel for commissioning the activities with support from Citizens in Power, Galleon Arts Centre and . Also big thanks to Imagine Galleon Together project supporters: & .

05/06/2026

That’s a wrap on the Imagine Galleon Weekender. ❤️

Thank you, Barking and Dagenham. Two days of creativity, connection and community at the Galleon Arts Centre, and honestly? It was heartwarming. Kids getting creative, parents joining in. Dancers, drawing, puppets, live music, singing and the kind of food you can taste the love in.

A special shoutout to our Imagine Galleon Together Citizens Panel. This was the first time the panel chose the creative team, and look what they made happen. Every act, every workshop, every smile across the weekend was down to them and our local artists. Decided by local people, delivered by local creatives. That’s the whole point.

The kind of weekend you wish you could live over and over. There’s more coming.

📍 Galleon Arts Centre, Barking & Dagenham

With thanks to .event .and.sound , , and the whole creativebarkingdagenham team.

05/06/2026

A film, screened in the place where it was made. 🌱

That was Dagenham Farm Open Day. Daeccanhaam, a hand-made short film by local artist Abel Holsborough, six months in the making with the farm's staff and volunteers, shown right where it all happened. Then Melek Erdal in conversation with Abel, and a lunch cooked from produce grown a few steps away.

The perfect close to our Our Creative Communities Commission series.

Thank you to everyone who came, and to Growing Communities for sharing the farm with us. ❤️

📍 Dagenham Farm, Barking & Dagenham

With thanks to Arts Council England

It's not too late. Walk ups are welcome today!A full day of local talent at Galleon Arts Centre, Barking.Come and experi...
31/05/2026

It's not too late. Walk ups are welcome today!

A full day of local talent at Galleon Arts Centre, Barking.

Come and experience drawing, dance, music, live caricature and delicious plant based food. Local artists, local energy, completely free.

No booking. No cost. Just fun.

Galleon Arts Centre, Boundary Road, Barking IG11 7JR.

1-4pm is for all ages. 5pm onwards, suitable for 11+.
If you've been looking for free things to do in Barking this weekend, free arts events in East London, or somewhere to take older kids and teenagers that actually has something going on, this is where you want to be.

Today is the day. Walk ups are welcome. Come along any time!The Imagine Galleon Weekender is happening right now at Gall...
30/05/2026

Today is the day. Walk ups are welcome. Come along any time!
The Imagine Galleon Weekender is happening right now at Galleon Arts Centre in Barking and there's still space for you.
Today is family day. Puppet shows and puppet making, community singing, fashion and textiles, plant based food and a full day of creative activity that's completely free and open to everyone.
The kind of Saturday where you walk in not knowing what to expect and end up staying for all of it.
No booking needed. Just show up.
Galleon Arts Centre, Boundary Road, Barking IG11 7JR.
If you've been looking for free things to do in Barking today, free family events in East London, or just a proper community day out that doesn't cost anything, this is it. Come as you are.

29/05/2026

This weekend, the Galleon Arts Centre comes alive. 🎨

Imagine Galleon Weekender is two free days of art, music and making - right on your doorstep in Barking and Dagenham. No ticket price, no catch. Just turn up and join in.

Saturday 30 May - Create Together Day, a free, family-friendly day of creativity for all ages. Puppet shows, puppet-making, community singing, t-shirt art, weaving and a community feast. Drop in morning or afternoon.

Sunday 31 May - Vim Creates x Jus’ Jammin, an afternoon of drawing, dance and studio sessions that rolls into an evening showcase of local talent - live drawing, live dancers, a live band and a freestyle jam.

Free. All welcome. Made for the community, by the community.

Come make something, hear something, be part of something.

📍 Galleon Arts Centre, Barking & Dagenham

🎟️ Grab your free tickets on Eventbrite - link in bio.

EastLondon FreeFamilyFun WhatsOnLondon FamilyDayOut CreativeBarkingAndDagenham

Your weekend is already planned. You just don't know it yet.The Imagine Galleon Together Weekender is two full days at G...
28/05/2026

Your weekend is already planned. You just don't know it yet.

The Imagine Galleon Together Weekender is two full days at Galleon Arts Centre and it's completely free.

Saturday 30th May is family day from 10:30am. Puppet shows, workshops, community singing, crafts and food. The kind of day where you show up for one thing and end up staying for all of it.

Sunday 31st May belongs to local talent. An afternoon of workshops from 1pm, open to all ages, with an 11+ evening from 5pm to round the whole thing off.

One building. One weekend. Completely different energy each day. Come for Saturday. Come for Sunday. Come for both.

Galleon Arts Centre, Boundary Road, Barking IG11 7JR.

Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May.

There will be some walk in spaces available, but to guarantee entry we recommend reserving a free ticket in advance to make sure you can get in on the day. Tickets are available on our website: https://ow.ly/EYAX50Z4Rzr

If you can no longer make it, please cancel your ticket so someone else can have the space.

If you've been looking for free things to do in Barking this May bank holiday, free family events in East London, or a proper local weekend out that doesn't cost a thing, this is it.

Galleon Arts Centre

Address

The Boathouse Studios, The Malthouse, 62-76 Abbey Road
Barking
IG117BT

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