Social landlord Poplar Harca is once more taking time off its “day job” of running the 9,000 properties it owns in the area and is attempting to transform Chrisp Street Market into the seaside for the day. The event will be held on Saturday, 7th September, from noon till 7pm – a day which does not so much mark the end of summer as remind us we are well and truly in that autumn, back to school mood.
Harca promises that it will bring a bit of beach life to E14, with donkey rides, a pop up beach, fairground rides, beach games and a swimming pool. Photographs of previous festivals (example above) do not bring out this seaside aspect of the seaside day, but perhaps there will be more seaside this year.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy the very much less traditional seaside activities of the “spoken word” (as opposed to unspoken word?), poetry, comedy, craft workshops and face painting, plus live music from Brassroots, Royal Sounds and Zydeco Stew. Food, which we are advised will be “delicious”, will be provided by Bite, the street food collective, which promises a range of quality food traders offering international cuisine. Prices range from £1.50 for a small dish to £5 for a main dish. While this leaves a day at the free Chrisp Street festival a whole lot cheaper than a trip to the traditional seaside, it will still be a challenge for local families to join in the eating on offer.
Poplar Harca has recently been building and refurbishing homes for sale to raise funds to cross subsidise its other activities. Nonetheless, the Chrisp Street Festival has been financially supported by Council Tax payers across the borough in the form of additional financial assistance from Tower Hamlets Council. So don’t see this as an E14 event: flock down to Chrisp Street market on 7th September and enjoy the day your taxes have paid for.
•There is a little more information about the Festival on the Chrisp Street website, http://www.chrispstreet.org.uk/