East Bank
What is East Bank?
East Bank is the UK’s newest cultural quarter at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The place where everything happens; entertainment, inspiration and discovery and open to everyone who visits, lives and works in East London.
The Mayor of London has set out his £1.1 billion vision that represents the most significant single investment in London’s culture since the legacy of the 1851 Great Exhibition, and will shape the cultural life of the city for the 21st century and beyond.
Opening from autumn 2023, East Bank is a unique collaboration between cultural institutions, world leading universities and the people of the Olympic boroughs.
East Bank is made up of Sadler’s Wells East, BBC Music Studios and V&A East and V&A East Storehouse as well as a brand new University College London (UCL East) and University of the Arts London's London College of Fashion.
A powerhouse for innovation, creativity and learning in Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park, East Bank is rooted in the diverse communities of East London and is a reflection of the creative spirit and the legacy of the 2012 Games.
Stratford Waterfront
University of the Arts London: London College of Fashion will create a new campus for 6,500 students and staff with state-of-the-art facilities including public open spaces, galleries, library and archives.
Sadler’s Wells East will be a 550-seat theatre presenting the best dance from the UK and around the world, a choreographic centre and a hip-hop theatre academy with engagement programmes for artists, audiences and local communities.
The BBC Music Studios will build a new home for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC singers and rock and pop recording facilities with access to the public for performances.
V&A East will create a new museum to explore the V&A’s renowned collection, pioneering exhibitions, gallery displays and spaces for community-led projects.
UCL East
UCL East is a pioneering new campus in the south of the park in the largest single expansion since UCL was founded nearly 200 years ago.
The two buildings will include cutting-edge laboratories and research space, state-of-the-art teaching facilities, student accommodation and accessible public spaces. The campus space will break down conventional barriers across research, education, innovation and public engagement, and enable local collaborations with schools, charities and community organisations.
V&A East Storehouse
V&A East Storehouse is a unique new museum experience opening up the V&A collection to everyone. Go behind the scenes to make new discoveries, explore untold stories and share ideas.
The centre will be a purpose-built home for 250,000 objects, 350,000 books and 1,000 archives from the V&A’s collection of fashion, textiles, furniture, theater and performance, metalwork, ceramics, glass, sculpture, architecture, paintings and product design. Visitors will be invited on a behind-the-scenes journey that uncovers and demonstrates how and why objects are collected, how they are cared for, conserved and researched and how they help make sense of our past, present and future as part of exhibitions and public programmes.
East Bank impact report
The East Bank partners have been working with the community in east London since project planning began in 2015. Find out more about what we have achieved together,
Need a document on this page in an accessible format?
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of a PDF or other document on this page in a more accessible format, please get in touch via our online form and tell us which format you need.
It will also help us if you tell us which assistive technology you use. We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.