• Free creative, hands-on workshops for 12–17-year-olds who live or study in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest 

• Delivered across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s East Bank cultural quarter 

• Partners include BBC Music Studios, Sadler's Wells East, UAL's London College of Fashion, UCL, V&A East and ABBA Voyage 

Hundreds of young people across east London are gearing up to attend East Summer School’s creative skills programme at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, taking place from Monday 27 July until Friday 07 August. The free initiative brings world-leading institutions together with grassroots creative, cultural and educational organisations to provide engaging experiences that inspire, empower and ignite curiosity. East Summer School is a collaborative programme led by London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). Delivered across East Bank institutions and other partner organisations at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the 2026 programme is supported by the East End Community Foundation.

Partners include BBC Music Studios, Sadler's Wells East, UAL's London College of Fashion, UCL, V&A East, ABBA Voyage, East London Dance, Skate Cabal, Class Of Your Own and X7eaven. Each will support participants to develop sought after creative skills that apply to industries spanning fashion, broadcasting, performance, design, innovation and more. 

The programme is open to young people aged 12–17 who live or study in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest. They will get a chance to attend hands-on workshops that explore fashion design and storytelling; documentary-making and urban design; visual and fine art; and dance and performance. Programme examples include designing flood-resilient neighbourhood maps at UCL, inclusive dance classes at Sadler’s Wells East, discovering the history of fashion through archives at UAL's London College of Fashion, creating content for BBC’s Asian Network, curating artistic displays at V&A East Museum & Storehouse, and going backstage at ABBA Voyage to learn about lighting, audio and production. 

East Summer School is a programme within East Ed, an LLDC initiative that connects schools, educators and young people with East Bank partners, universities, employers, and creative organisations on and around the Park. It builds on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s Inclusive Talent programme, providing pathways into the creative industries and strengthening one of the capital’s key growth sectors through the emerging talent shaping east London's future. 

Shazia Hussain, CEO at London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “We can’t wait to welcome the next cohort of East Summer School participants to the Park this week as we continue to leverage our assets and partnerships to open up more opportunities within the creative industries. Skills for the future are developing at pace so we want to make sure children and young people from east London don’t miss out, and that Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park institutions can help prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. Creating opportunities and raising ambitions are central to the programme and are a brilliant example of the work we’re doing to accelerate inclusive growth for east Londoners through free, hands-on opportunities for young people across the four Growth Boroughs.” 

Tracey Walsh, Chief Executive of East End Community Foundation (EECF), said: "EECF is delighted to support this initiative for the second year running, empowering the next generation of local talent. Our £50,000 contribution towards the East Summer School forms part of our wider investment in holiday provision across Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham. East Summer School enables young people across east London to access world-class creative skills, free of charge. We cannot wait to see these young creatives thrive as they dive into inspiring workshops covering fashion, film, and urban design to fine art and dance."  

Tamsin Ace, Director of East Bank, said: “East Summer School provides a perfect opportunity – both for young people to gain hands-on career insights into the creative industries, and for East Bank’s partner institutions to continue its longstanding work with LLDC to forge and strengthen their connections with local talent. By coming together to provide immersive, practical and inspiring experiences for this emerging creative generation, I hope we can help young people imagine themselves in creative careers in these institutions, and offer them a stepping stone towards that future." 

More than 300 young people attended 24 East Summer School workshops in 2025. This year participants will be able to choose one activity per week between Monday 27 July and Friday 7 August. 

The programme will culminate in a showcase event at the ArcelorMittal Orbit where participants will get to display or perform what they have created. It will be a chance for parents, carers and wider stakeholders to witness East Summer School’s impact, hear from the participants and meet representatives from Park institutions.  

Find out more about East Summer School here.  

-ENDS- 

Notes to Editors 

For more information, hi-res images and interview requests please contact press@queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk.