Thousands of people will head to Hackney this weekend for the ever-popular Hackney Moves festival of sport and wellbeing.
Taking place on Hackney Marshes, the free two-day event includes the sold-out Wizz Air Hackney Half Marathon, which will see 24,000 people running through the streets of Hackney on Sunday.
The race – now firmly established as London’s biggest and most-popular half marathon – takes in all the sights and sounds of Hackney, with thousands of local people lining a route which passes Broadway Market, the famous town hall, Hackney Wick, Hackney Picturehouse, Victoria Park, and the Hackney Empire.
The Wizz Air Hackney Half Marathon, however, is just one part of the wider Hackney Moves festival.
LimeLight Sports Club, which organises the half marathon, is committed to helping people get active and enjoy the physical, mental, and social benefits of sport and regular exercise – and not just those who can tackle a 13.1-mile run.
That is where Hackney Moves comes in. The free two-day event gives people the chance to try a wide range of different sports and activities and includes the climax of this year’s schools challenge, which has seen hundreds of local pupils walking and running their way to their own half marathon.
A free community 5k is also taking place, while the festival village on Hackney Marshes will host live music and entertainment from a host of local acts alongside taster sessions in sport and activities from groups including Strong Mums Club, Reggae Aerobics, Hulafit, Hackney Rugby Club, London Fields Cricket, and Hackney Women’s Football Club.
There will also be the chance for people to join free workshops covering subjects like British Sign Language, self-defence, and menopause nutrition, while experts from LimeLight race partners Runna will be on hand to share advice and tips on running.
Saturday’s line-up gets underway at 9am, with DJ Chrystilize taking to the main stage. Activities will then begin at 10.15am, with a Runna mobility class on the main stage, a Strong Mums Club legs and glutes class in the House of Fitness area, and a yoga class in the House of Wellbeing Zone.
The following day starts earlier, with DJ Jason Smythe on stage at 7am ahead of a half marathon warm-up at 8.10am. The Strong Mums Club will be back with another legs and glutes class in the House of Fitness, this time from 9.30am, while the House of Wellbeing kicks-off with a shesensu fitness class, complete with live drumming, from 9.30am.
Activities will run until 6pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday, and a full list of what is happening and when can be found on LimeLight Sports Club’s social media channels.
Craig Dews, CEO of LimeLight Sports Club, said: “Hackney Moves is not just a fantastic annual celebration of all the amazing things being done locally to help people get active, but it is also a great chance for local people of all ages and abilities to join together, enjoy a brilliant weekend, and hopefully try something new.”
