Event at the arts and community centre and Bartlett Park takes inspiration from the history of the Lansbury Estate
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In 1951, tens of thousands of people poured into east London to visit the Lansbury Estate.
While the attractions on the South Bank and Battersea have perhaps had the most enduring impact as the government sought to generate a sense of recovery and progress in the wake of the Second World War, Poplar played a significant role as the site of the Live Architecture Exhibition.
Built on a bomb-ravaged tract of land between East India Dock Road, the Limehouse Cut canal and what’s now the DLR to the east, the estate was planned around the idea that it should contain everything people living there needed.
As a result, new churches, schools, shops, a covered market, pubs, open spaces and an old people’s home all linked by footpaths to promote walking, were created.
Three quarters of a century ago, these were new ideas and people flocked to see the likes of Chrisp Street Market, St Mary And Joseph’s Catholic Church and Trinity Independent Chapel (now the Calvary Charismatic Baptist Church).
It’s the 75th anniversary of this influx that provides the theme for this year’s Poplar Picnic – Festival Of Britain, set to take place on August 8, 2026, in Bartlett Park and at Poplar Union.
The event, presented in partnership with Poplar HARCA, will be the culmination of a summer of activities at the arts and community centre, celebrating the history of the festival and its impact on the area.
“Poplar Picnic really serves as an open day for us – we want to make everything as approachable as possible and free wherever we can,” said Paolo Florentini, director of programming at Poplar Union, who has been working with the organisation for a decade.
“It’s showcasing what we do and it’s an opportunity for us to expand out of our venue onto the streets, the park and the canal.
“It’s bringing people here, making sure they know that they have access to this space and the opportunities it provides.
“Each year it’s a big deal for us – we’re a small team, but we are able to manage this because we’re really passionate about what we’re doing.”
a flavour of 1951 at Poplar Picnic
This year’s event is set to feature street food, a craft market, children’s fairground rides, a games corner for kids, arts and crafts activities, face painting, paddleboarding, bubbles, candy floss and clowns on stilts.
Placing a flavour of 1951 at the very heart of the event, there will also be a recreation of the Rosie Lee Tea Tent and the Lansbury Estate’s show home.
“The refreshment space will be run by a local artist, featuring tea and cakes,” said Paolo.
“There will also be poets, recordings and a display of local history including stories for local groups about the Festival Of Britain.
“We’ll also have an artist who will be inviting people to get involved in making a structure based on the installations on the South Bank in the early 1950s.
“The idea is to remind people what the festival was about – creativity, rebuilding after the war and a positive attitude about the future.
“From August 8 people will also be able to visit the show home – a recreation of a 1951 living room, which will be in place at Poplar Union until late September.
“The Lansbury Estate has endured long after the festival ended – the clocktower and some of the local churches were a part of it.
“People don’t always realise they’re living in the middle of history, an exhibit that 86,000 people came to see.
“We’ll have four actors in the show home space and visitors will be able to watch them going about their lives in the living room.
“We’ve been buying lots of small things from eBay, like 50s chairs, toys, books and magazines, textiles, just to recreate the space.
“It will be completely transformed with period wallpaper and flooring.
“The question for us is how you respond positively to something that’s so far in the past? For me it’s about displaying spaces and welcoming communities.
“Then we can approach the past in a way that’s playful and becomes part of the story around Poplar.
“It has a wonderful history to maintain and to share with the diverse groups that live in this area today.”
bringing the community together
Kaltrina Pashtriku, communications and engagement manager at Poplar Union added: “This picnic brings everyone together.
“Sometimes people might not speak to their neighbours because they come from different backgrounds or feel unsafe to do so.
“But, at the picnic, everyone attending can feel free to enjoy themselves, have fun and maybe talk to somebody they don’t usually speak to.
“We are all humans, we can integrate and there is so much in Poplar that we want people to be proud of.
“With Poplar Picnic, we are celebrating the past, but also the future. I want the community to come out and really enjoy this area.”
young voices supported
Another facet to the picnic will be a space organised and curated by a group of young producers, engaged to help shape the festival and the events leading up to it.
“Inside we will be hosting an event involving 10 young adults who will run a series of different activities around the space,” said Paolo.
“They’re aged between 15 and 17 and the idea of the project is to give them an understanding of the complexity of delivering an event.
“They’re learning about things like working with artists, finances and health and safety assessments.
“It’s a complex project, because we generally don’t work with teenagers, but it is important for them to be involved in such an environment.
“Our hope is that we can collaborate with them again in the future.
“As part of this, they’re being mentored by singer songwriter Greentea Peng who has been working with Poplar Union for some time now.
“Her contribution is mostly around teaching them to create a space and what’s involved with that.
“She’s been very supportive in making sure that they understand timing, ensuring the stage is full and the need to plan for what happens if an artist doesn’t turn up or something else unexpected happens – all the minor details you need to consider to make an event successful.”
key details: Poplar Picnic – Festival Of Britain
Poplar Picnic – Festival Of Britain is set to take place on August 8, 2026, at Poplar Union and in Bartlett Park from 11am-5pm.
The event is free to visit and suitable for the whole family. There’s no need to book
You can find full details of the event and other happenings at Poplar Union via this link
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