FEATURE: East Bank
The Reimagining of East London
https://ayoungishperspective.co.uk/2025/04/25/feature-east-bank/
By Elspeth Chapman
There’s a cultural shift happening in East London. One that’s much bigger than just a pop-up event or another overpriced artisan coffee shop. It’s called East Bank, and it’s being built in the heart of Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Its aim is to create a world-class creative district that centres culture, community and innovation. Tamsin Ace, Director of East Bank, notes “all the East Bank Partners have been working in East London for the last ten years to build spaces that are authentic, relevant and accessible”.
Initially designed as a long-term legacy project from the 2012 Olympics, East Bank is quickly becoming one of London’s newest cultural developments. With the help of a £600 million investment from The Mayor of London, Justine Simmons OBE (Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries) and Tamsin Ace (Director of East Bank) East Bank is developing into a creative hive. Not only is East Bank about drawing tourists and industry elites in, but it’s also a space for young creatives. With a creative economy worth over £50 billion a year, and 1 in every 5 jobs being creative, this space in East London marks a step towards a more creative culturally driven city.
Sadler’s Wells East: A New Stage for Dance
The newly open Sadler’s Wells East brings a new chapter to one of London’s most celebrated dance institutions. With a flexible, 550 seat theatre, free daily activities and two pioneering schools, it’s open all day to everyone.
Accessibility is at its core, the open rehearsal spaces and public performance area show that Sadler’s Wells East is a space where movement, learning, and community collide. The Dance Floor, an open performance space in the building’s foyer, it holds regular showcases of local artists and community groups. It’s informal and lively.
London College of Fashion: The new hotspot for Fashion.
Now based at East Bank, London College of Fashion brings over a century of creative leadership into a bold new chapter. For the first time, all 6,500 students and 1,000 staff are united in one campus, creating a vibrant and collaborative site. With the first three floors open to the public, LCF have honoured the accessibility of their cultural institution.
The college is also home to the Fashion Innovation Agency, led by tech trailblazer Matthew Drinkwater, their work explores how emerging technologies are transforming the way fashion is made, shown, and experienced. By blending creativity and cutting-edge tech, LCF at East Bank isn’t just teaching fashion, it’s helping position East London as a global centre for fashion innovation and education.
BBC Music Studios: Sound and Discovery.
Arriving in late 2026 / early 2027, the BBC Music Studios will relocate to East Bank. Here they will host the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, as well provide space for recording and broadcasting music. The new facilities are designed to open doors to both established musicians and new artists too.
V&A East – A New Kind of Museum Experience
Opening in two stages, the V&A East Storehouse (May 2025) and the V&A East Museum (2026) promises to make one of the UK’s most historic institutions more open, more interactive, and more relevant than ever.
In spring 2026, the V&A East Museum will open their galleries, event spaces, and its first major exhibition: ‘The Music is Black: A British Story’, set to be a celebration of 125 years of Black British music.
The museum will work closely with other East Bank institutions, including BBC, Sadler’s Wells East, and LCF, to deliver a programme of collaborative events and exhibitions.
Looking ahead: East Bank’s future.
For young people looking to build a career in the arts, for communities who’ve long been underserved by major cultural institutions, and for anyone interested in what the future of creativity looks like, look no further… East Bank is setting the stage.
This long-term investment in culture, community, and creativity is a rare example of what happens when world-class institutions are built not just within the community, but with it in mind.
