News and Events

It is an exciting time to be living in London, particularly for those of you who are avid party goers or work late night shifts. The night tube has officially opened on the Central and Victoria lines providing a 24 hour service on Fridays and Saturdays. There are many reasons to be positive about this, it will create more jobs, meaning that the economy gets a further boost whilst also meaning that you do not have to worry about rushing through the busy London stations only to have missed the last train by a few seconds.

With the night tube expected to be broadened to the Jubilee, the Northern and the Piccadilly line this autumn, it is fair to say getting around the city at night will be made a lot easier, opening up London in a whole new way to people, and will make the night just as alive and accessible as the day in this beautiful, busy city.

Perhaps one of the best things about the night tube is that ticket fares will be charged at the standard off peak price and day travelcards will be valid until 4.30 am of the next day of the date of your initial purchase meaning that travelling at night will not cost you an extravagant amount and is a much cheaper and more convenient alternative to getting a taxi.

The night tube is particularly exciting for Bethnal Green – as the central line is the only tube line available at the station – this means that people can now access the area 24/7 on Fridays and Saturdays. The added exposure is likely to mean an increased number of people visiting Bethnal Green at later hours of the night. The opening of the night tube could mean more businesses try and get a 24 hour license to stay open and maximise the potential revenue they could make.

-By Thufayel Ahmed

Although the Boishakhi Mela was delayed this year from the second week of May to the last day of July the celebration is very much not over. The Boishakhi Mela, if you are not familiar with it is the celebration of the Bangladeshi New Year, and the Mela is a carnival of Bangladeshi culture where the streets all the way from Bethnal Green to Brick Lane are very much immersed in Green and Red (the colours of Bangladesh) and drowned in a plethora of Bangladeshi culture – from music to dance to traditional clothing. The extravagant nature of the Mela is what makes it appealing to so many people. Just to signify how big an event the Boishakhi Mela is, one of the headline acts – Ayuub Bacchu & LRB have performed in one of the most notorious, if not the most notorious venues in the world and that of course is Madison Square Gardens. Not only have they performed in Madison Square Gardens but they were also the first Bangla rock act to play there, certainly quite a coup then for the Mela, and the people of Bethnal Green.

Although that coup is hardly surprising considering the Mela is the second largest street festival in the UK, in fact it attracts about 80,000 people from all over the UK and is the largest open air festival.

-By Thufayel Ahmed