Episode
Where to Go in 2026: East London's Olympic Park Has Transformed Into a Cultural Powerhouse
- Podcast
- Unpacked by Afar
- Published
- Jan 15, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1408
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Summary
It's a shiny new year, so this month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's Where to Go list: 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales to explore this year. Like East London, where a billion-pound investment has transformed the 2012 Olympic Park into a creative powerhouse. In this episode, host Aislyn Greene talks with Nick DeRenzo, Afar's editorial director of newsletters (sign up here!) and a self-described Londoner at heart. Nick makes the case for hopping on the Elizabeth line and devoting time to the East Bank cultural quarter, where you can order a David Bowie costume at the V&A East Storehouse, dine on Chinese-Texas barbecue on a canal barge, and sweat it out in a community sauna. Plan Your East London Getaway (First, explore our London travel guide.) Stay Moxy London Stratford for budget-friendly stays The Stratford, an Autograph Collection hotel The Gantry, a Curio Collection by Hilton property Eat and Drink Barge East, a restaurant on a canal barge Chinese-Texas-style Uncle Hon’s BBQ Badu Café, a Black-owned coffee shop run by a youth athletics nonprofit Snacks and drinks along Hackney Bridge, an incubator space in an old candy factory See and Do Explore Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the heart of the East Bank cultural quarter Visit the V&A East Storehouse to see 250,000 objects—and use the "Order an Object" program for a personalized curator experience Catch a show at Sadler's Wells East, dedicated to non-ballet dance Soak at Community Sauna Baths, a not-for-profit with Scandinavian vibes Dance at Coven, London's first permanent Black-owned queer venue since the 1970s Coming in 2026 V&A East museum dedicated to East London design opens April 2026 BBC Music Studios moving to the area in 2027 London College of Fa…