The borough’s largest free festival returns this weekend – and everyone is invited to join in the family-friendly fun.
The One Borough Festival, which is now in its seventh year, attracts thousands of revellers to Parsloes Park to enjoy a day of live music and performances from a host of household names.
Returning to celebrate their 20th anniversary, Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) will have their own dedicated stage and the musicians from their very own LMHR Collective will once again thrill crowds as they continue to promote unity through music to tackle bigotry and hostility.
The One Borough Festival is one of the highlights of our annual free events programme and continues to provide exciting entertainment year-after-year for our residents to enjoy household names on their doorstep
This year’s event takes place on Saturday 23 July and features headliners British acid jazz legends, Incognito and ska band The Beat, whose 1980s hit ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’ reached number four in the charts and was ranked by the NME as one of the tracks of the year.
Also taking to the stage will be long-standing London grime artist Manga Saint Hilare, jazz musician and poet Alabaster Deplume and Basil Gabbidon from the roots reggae band, Steel Pulse.
Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, Councillor Darren Rodwell, said: “The One Borough Festival is one of the highlights of our annual free events programme and continues to provide exciting entertainment year-after-year for our residents to enjoy household names on their doorstep.
“There’s something for everyone and we’re delighted to be able to celebrate 20 years of the work of Love Music Hate Racism. Through the years, our events have shown how thousands of people can come together, regardless of their background, to have fun and create lasting memories.”
Away from the music there’s plenty to see and do, with festivalgoers able to enjoy high adrenaline acts, join in creative workshops, or enjoy a range of rides and attractions suitable for all ages. People can also take a trip down memory lane as the festival will celebrate another special anniversary as the council mark 70 years since the first Dagenham Town Show. The popular ‘Thrills and Spills’ arena this year is dedicated to the town show and local artist Matty May will be joining with his ‘Talk of the Town…Show’ and share residents favourite memories.
Love Music Hate Racism National Organiser, Alex Losardo said: “We are honoured to return to Parsloes Park after such a fantastic festival last year. Now more than ever we feel that the message of our campaign needs to be heard loud and clear. We have more in common than different and nothing shows that more than the music we listen to. We are proud to celebrate our 20th year with such an exciting line-up of artists and look forward to the next 20 years.”
The One Borough Festival takes place on Saturday 23 July between 11am and 9.30pm. Entry is free – no tickets are required.
The event is just one of a number of free festivities taking place throughout the summer. Visit lbbd.gov.uk/summer-of-festivals to find out more.