The East End Canal Festival is on Saturday 16th and Sun 17th July 2022 beside the Art Pavilion, just north of the Green Bridge at Mile End. The event and activities are all free and take place between 11am and 5pm.
There will be boat trips, five art workshops for all ages, an exhibition on canal heritage along with film shows on a boat. There will be another exhibition of art inspired by the canal, along with stalls, tea and cakes and more.
The canal opened in 1820, the celebration had to be delayed because of Covid – but now it’s here! Just head off down to Mile End Park, near Clinton Road E3 4QL, on Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
The event is organised by Regent’s Canal Heritage (full programme here). You’ll also find the history along with lots of old photos on their website.
A short history of the Regent’s Canal
The Grand Junction Canal reached Paddington in 1801. A labyrinth of canals across the Midlands fed into it to transport manufactured goods down to London. What was missing was a canal to take them to London’s docks to be exported. That’s what the Regent’s Canal was designed to do. It opened in 1820. What we now call Limehouse Basin was built as the Regent’s Canal Dock.
