The event started as a 4-hour trial which was just dedicated to all things beauty to see how that took off. Now it’s more of a wellness festival which has something for everyone. So if you would like to take part in a workshop, we have numerous available, alternating them each time so we can offer something slightly different for everyone. It can range from Talking Therapies and “How To Grow Your Own Business”, to “How To Make Your Own Oud Diffuser” or a Gong Bath. It can also be something more physical as there’s lots of fitness classes as well as kids activities; from arts and crafts to kids boxing, a forest school to rugby. Anything you can imagine, we now try and have, so there’s something for everyone. In the space of a year, we have gone from 60 people attending to over 400 attendees at the last event throughout the day, which we feel is a great achievement!
The Christmas event coming up on the 16th December, will be a bit different as it’s got a Christmas focus. We’ve tried to keep as much as we can as per the other Eat.Drink.Be. events but it’s more Christmas orientated. We will have a “Make Your Own Christmas Wreaths” workshop, Sip & Paint (so if you’d like to have a Christmas night out locally you’re more than welcome!), “How To Start Your Own Business At Home”, plus all the usual beauty treatments. Additionally, there will be a Christmas market with local vendors as well as a bar with your usual Christmas faves!
Looking for festive menus and something for the kids? We also have Grounded cafe offering a special menu for the day and we’ll have other food vendors with their Christmas menus too! Also, there’s going to be a mega Santa’s Grotto where each child will get a toy and be able to spend time with Santa, as well as gingerbread men decorating and arts & crafts with Santa. There will also be some young entrepreneurs at the event too!
The plan for the future is to continue to grow and have as many local businesses as possible on board, which is the whole point of the event. All of the vendors are all within the Barking Riverside development or Barking itself, the furthest we’ve gone is Dagenham so it’s still within the borough. We’re focusing heavily on the Christmas event just now as it’s a really big one that’s going to round off the year, and you’ll see how much the events have grown within the first year, and hopefully we’ll be able to continue with four events per year!
So watch this space and in the meantime, see you at the Wilds on the 16th December, book now so you’re not disappointed!
By Kerri Clarke
Local resident
