Paradise Gardens is a new annual event held in Victoria Park East London over the two days of the May Spring Bank Holiday.

Initially produced as the finale of Fusion East, a three year arts and cultural programme in the London Boroughs’ of Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham, funded by the Arts Council’s Urban Cultural Programme. Billed as a 21st Century Pleasure Garden – the Festival drew inspiration from the great Victorian pleasure gardens concept, with a thoroughly modern interpretation. Victoria Park was entirely appropriate venue for the festival, hailing from the same heritage.

This was no ordinary event – fusing artforms and communities with ease, the Festival featured a spectacular finale show, Les Commandos Percu from France, London’s finest urban Circus – Bassline, who have now toured extensively around the UK, a music programme which travelled from Europe to Africa and Asia, a design tent featuring the finest Hoxton and Hackney artisans, cutting edge instillation artists Illumina as well as carnivalists, street artists and around 40,000 residents of the best part of London – the East.

To top it off, the festival featured a vibrant market which fused the colourful chic of Glastonbury and Womad with the local vibrancy of South Asian and Caribbean eating. Carter’s Steam Fair – possibly the most beautiful fairground in Britain, added some old school fairground burlesque glitz to the proceedings.

Paradise Gardens is a truly modern take on the community and family festival which embraces all the verve and vibrancy that is present in the east of London. As we look towards the Olympics in 2012, and the Cultural Festival which will take place in the heart of East London, we believe that Paradise Gardens has all the ingredients necessary to truly reflect the creativity and diversity and of our great city.

Victoria Park

Victoria Park, one of the oldest parks in London, was originally created for ordinary people to use – truly The People’s Park. It is a veritable oasis within busy East London and an ideal spot in which to while away a summer’s day. Fringed by the Regents and Hertford Union Canal it stretches towards Hackney and provides a scenic route across East London. Large ponds and Victorian tea rooms create an atmosphere reminiscent of Regents Park. [read more on the History of Victoria Park]

The park is East London’s premier festival venue with a long proud history of hosting large scale events: in the modern era, Group F, the people responsible for the Paris Millennium night fireworks, the award-winning Lovebox Weekender with Groove Armada, Mylo and the wonderful Lost Vagueness and Time Out’s “best fireworks of the year” which saw 20,000 people irreverently cheering the burning of Parliament.

The park sits on the border of Tower Hamlets and Hackney Boroughs. It is managed by Tower Hamlets Council, who are leading on the development of Paradise Gardens, working in partnership with arts producers and consultants, Remarkable Productions.