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London · Venue

Grow Hackney

A canalside, artist-built grassroots venue in Hackney Wick for jazz, DJs and global sounds.

Upcoming shows
29
Capacity
250
Address
98C Wallis Road, E9 5LN London
Phone
020 8510 1757
Next show
Fri, 9 Oct 2026
Official siteDirections
Grow Hackney in London

About Grow Hackney

Grow Hackney is a 250-capacity grassroots music venue, bar and kitchen in London’s Hackney Wick. Its defining feature is the setting: an artist-built conversion of a former canalside factory on the River Lea, with the live room connected to a garden terrace, greenhouse and mezzanine. The scale suits close-range sets, while the spread of spaces gives a gig night the feel of an all-evening hangout beside the water.

Factory roots and a pandemic reset

The venue grew from Grow Studios, an artist-and-maker workspace founded by two Hackney Wick locals in 2007. The site had earlier lives as part of a Victorian sweet factory, then a leather-goods and belt manufacturer, followed by a sausage factory and cold store. Grow opened for one-off events in 2014, beginning with programmes including a Latin American and African encounter with percussionist Williams Cumberbatch; weekend opening followed in 2015. That origin still shapes its operation: a self-organised cultural space built through shared skills and reuse of the existing industrial fabric.

March 16, 2020 brought a full closure during the pandemic. Grow returned with support from the Cultural Recovery Fund and Music Venue Trust, first developing its online Grow at Home programme and later presenting outdoor live events when public-health rules allowed. In 2018, it had already expanded its gathering spaces with a canalside greenhouse assembled from recycled bus shelters, a practical detail that still sets the room apart from a conventional black-box club.

How the room works now

Grow books an eclectic, community-led programme centred on emerging artists, local crews and international collaborators. Jazz, DJ sets and global sounds sit comfortably beside workshops, cultural gatherings and occasional art activity, matching the venue’s electronic, Latin and R&B-facing calendar. For shows, expect indoor seating near the bar and stage, plus mezzanine viewing, a heated covered greenhouse and mostly covered canalside terrace tables. The room functions best for listeners who value movement between performance space, drinks and outdoor air as part of the night.

Sources

  1. Grow Hackney | Canalside Bar, Kitchen & Live Music in Hackney Wick — Grow Hackney
  2. Grow Hackney Timeline | History of Our Canalside Venue — Grow Hackney
  3. Who we are — Grow Studios
  4. Grow Hackney | Venue Hire — Canvas Events
  5. FAQs | Plan Your Visit to Grow Hackney — Grow Hackney
  6. About Grow Hackney | Independent Canalside Venue in Hackney Wick — Grow Hackney

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