Celebrate Valentine's Day with 'Rich Mix presents: An East End Love Affair'

East End based Rich Mix continue their 13 part bite-sized Snapshots festival with its eighth instalment - 'Valentine's: An East End Love Affair'.  

With theatre, workshops, exhibitions, comedy, cabaret, music and market stalls, the eighth instalment of Snapshots will play with, meditate on, and celebrate the theme of love in its many forms. 

Throughout the day, the main space will be transformed into a buzzing market filled to the brim with independent designers, craft experts, food connoisseurs, book stalls and artisans selling tidbits and trinkets to pull at your heart and your purse strings. And when the night sets in, the Valentine's theme continues with a night of cabaret courtesy of The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club & Mr Mistress, featuring the hottest comedic and burlesque talent on the circuit.

Daytime activities will include children's arts and crafts workshops, storytelling, DJing Vicars, a Shoreditch treasure hunt, and the opportunity for visitors to contribute their wedding photos to the OLDNEWBORROWEDBLUE exhibition, which launched on the day of the Royal Wedding last year.

Meanwhile, upstairs at Rich Mix will showcase a number of new, exciting scratch performances. The first performance comes from MUJU’s community performance group exploring dating within the Muslim and Jewish communities.

Later in the day award winning Look Left Look Right will present The Love Project. Based on verbatim interviews with individuals such as Cora and Bill who live on the Kingsland Road, this show interlinks personal love stories that unite the East London community.

The third performance comes from Entries on Love who will investigate the meaning of love and the pressures we feel to find ‘the one’.

Rounding up the last of the scratch pieces is SID Productions with Bloody Love, which tells the story of 15 year old Joe Davies and the people he left behind when he was murdered on Christmas Eve 2010. Life is about growing up and suddenly reality hits, it is bloody and it is love.

By the end of the day, you will be feeling either loved up or loved out. So grab a drink and indulge in a night of pure fun and entertainment with cabaret from The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club and award winning burlesque from gender bending Mr Mistress. 

Back by popular demand, The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club returns from its sell-out run at The Old Vic Tunnels. Join love gurus Judy and Julian as they host a night of the hottest comedic and burlesque talent on the circuit – all giving their unique take on the baffling world of romance.

DIARY OF EVENTS

Snapshots Part 8. Valentine’s: An East End Love Affair.

OLDNEWBORROWEDBLUE
Wed 8 – Sun 19 Feb. Free.
Exhibition
A selection of photographs and stories from the biggest wedding album in the world. In association with Magic Me and The Photographers Gallery.

FESTIVAL DAY: Sat 18 Feb. 12pm – Till Late. Free.

East End Market
Love Craft? Hate the high street? Then come to this pop-up market filled to the brim with independent designers, craft experts, food connoisseurs, books and artisans selling tit bits and trinkets to pull at your purse strings. 12pm – 5pm. Free. Market Place

I Love London map with deep:black 
Share with us why you love London; what you do that helps to make it a city that other people love; and what you've seen other people do that really makes you love your city more. 12pm – 5pm. Free. Workshop.

Short films from Phil Maxwell
A selection of short films from East London photographer and visual artist Phil Maxwell. All films have been specially selected from Maxwell’s archive to explore the theme ‘East End Love Affair’. 12pm. Free. Films.

Guided Walk with John Eversley
Local historian, John Eversley, will lead this sideways look at Valentine’s Day looking at expressions of love and passion in Spitalfields from Queen Victoria’s wedding dress through to the early manufacture of chocolate. 12pm. £8. Walk.

XTC ‘Time is Love’
International video art exhibition curated by Kisito Assangni from an international selection of artists on the theme of love in hard times. 1pm. Free. Exhibition.

OLDNEWBORROWEDBLUE

Do you have a cherished picture of your Great Grandmother’s marriage ceremony? A wonderful story from when your Uncle’s tied the knot? A precious photo of yourself in your wedding attire on your mantelpiece? This is your chance to scan your picture and add to what is intended to become the biggest wedding album in the world. 1pm – 4pm. Exhibition.

MUJU: Interfaith Love piece (15 mins)
Exploring dating within the Muslim and Jewish communities. 1.30pm. Free. Scratch Theatre.

Free Family Workshop: Make Your Own Valentine Gift from Clay
Join artist Murude Mehmet to make your own homemade and handcrafted clay Valentine gift. Suitable for children aged 5 to 12 and their parents/carers. 1pm – 3pm. Free. Workshop.

Idea Store Storytelling
Come and listen to classic tales and exciting new stories, and explore the world of sound and rhyme through our interactive story time sessions. Let's bring to life the wonderful world of books through storytelling and music. Suitable for children aged 0-5 and their parents/carers. 2pm. Free. Storytelling.

Free Family Workshop: Crochet a Valentines Heart
The Create Place invite you to join their fantastic workshop where you can learn the techniques to make you very own crochet valentines heart. Suitable for ages 8 upwards to adults. 3pm – 5pm. Free. Workshop.

The Love Project 
Based on verbatim interviews with individuals living on the Kingsland Road, this show interlinks the personal love stories that unite the East London community. 4.30pm. Free. Scratch Theatre.

The Hunt 2012 
A treasure hunt and game around Shoreditch & Rich Mix. For lonely, broken or swollen hearts. Come play. 5pm – 8pm. Individuals £5 / EARLY BIRD OFFER - Group of 5 £15, Group of 10 £25. Workshop/Games 

Entries on Love 
Explores how we define love and the pressure we feel to find “the one”. 6pm. Free. Scratch Theatre.

Bloody Love
The story of 15 year old Joe Davies and the people he left behind when he was murdered on Christmas eve 2010. 8pm. Free. Scratch Theatre.

EVENING LINE-UP

The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club & Mr Mistress
Join The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club & Mr Mistress for a night of cabaret featuring the hottest comedic and burlesque talent on the circuit. 8pm. Free.
Comedy, Cabaret, Burlesque.

 For more information, visit www.richmix.org.uk.

Photo: Phil Maxwell

Find more Valentine's activities and events in our city-by-city 2012 Valentine's Guide