London Fields

A somewhat hipster park in a hipster part of London. Based right by the cool market of Broadway and near some fab pubs this is nicely located park for all the reasons above. Even has a designated BBQ area to hold gatherings for friends.

A must-​visit when you’re in London. Fields of wild flowers in the city? Check. Friendly dogs running around leash-​free? Double check. We went to the outside food market near the field and it was an array of yummy foods from around the world.

In the mornings there have been times when mist fills the park, the street lights are still on, but slowly turn off one by one and you can believe that you are in a fairy tale. With perhaps Dumbledore controlling the lights. The fields have a BBQ area (get there early to get a spot) and are always clean by 10am.
I always think there is something reassuring about the enevitable cricket matches that are played on the pitch at the north end of the park. When men in white pads run after a small red ball you know that there can’t be too much wrong with the area.
The queue for the lido can get very long and I have never been there to see if it is worth it, but I can recommend the fields for a lazy summer afternoon or for an early morning run. (If you go often enough the local runners get to know you and are very friendly).

Un amplio parque con paseo para bicicletas y perritos, castillos para que los niños se desfoguen, un bar con terraza, un campo de cricket y una piscina (lido). Los árboles parecen tener bastante antigüedad, dado su enorme tamaño, y son los típicos de la foresta europea. Hay espacios de hierba y también para organizar barbacoas.
En general, me pareció un espacio verde agradable por el que pasear y que contribuye a las bonanzas del barrio, desembocando en la interesante calle de Broadway Market y el canal y en la estación de tren por el otro. Si viviera aquí, sería uno de mis sitios de referencia.

I had to see the famous London fields! So yes I cycled through and was impressed with the designated path for both cyclist and pedestrian’s. Theirs not much cycle parking about hence why I saw bicycles locked to the park rails!
I would definitely need a picnic mat in this field, its not lawn mowed grass I’m afraid!
I do like the fact that Broadway Market is next door and also like the fact its young London and not tourist filled.
Look forward to attending again, because I was only cycling through.

My only compliant with most of the parks in the world is their lack of access to food when you are the hungry. If you are the hungry, and you are in the park, then you have to eat the food you have brought with you. Hopefully you have brought a good picnic. If you have not, you may remain the hungry for the rest of the day.
And that is sad.
But fear not, the hungry people, I have a solution: London Fields! It is a beautiful park with lots of things to see and to do. There are the BBQ grills and the ping pong and the swimming lidos and the fun. But most of all, there is one thing that sets it off from every other of the green spaces in London.
The Broadway Market!
The Broadway Market is right next to the park and it has trader after trader of delicious eats and drinks and things to see and buy and also eat. Did I mention eat? Because it has the eats.
There is also classic pubs and stores and corner shops and anything else you need. Right next to the park. A park with everything and then more things? That’s a park for me.
Take that, the hungry. You are the hungry no more!

One of the only parks around here where you’re allowed BBQs — but make sure you sit in the right bit (follow the scent of smokey sausage).
If you’re not on a BBQ vibe, grab some tinnies and a pizza from Franco Mancos or a delicious snack from broadway market. Many a great sunny weekend had there.

Now that the weather is finally getting better it’s finally time to go out in the sun and have some great barbecues. For those of us not lucky enough to have a massive garden (whoever does in London what job do you have to afford that) all the massive parks are our best bet. While you can have a picnic at any one you like, London Fields actually allows you to bring a barbecue, I recommend getting a cheap disposable one, and start cooking. If you are coming from Hackney Central you are going to pass by Iceland so make sure to get all your food items from there and you’re all set up. There’s also an off licence next to the bbq area of the park for some extra drinks.
So just bring over everything you need and get the barbie going. You’ll have a great day out in the park and a delicious meal. Make sure to take some photos to remember the day and then do it all over again!

Hipsters unite on London Fields…
It’s a nice sized park right above Broadway market. If the weather is even remotely compelling — you’ll see lots of people taking to picnics and day drinking.
A really nice place to sit and enjoy a sunny day with friends. From ping pong to BBQs you’ll find lots to do on a nice day. Check out the lido which opens up once it’s nice in the spring/​summer.

It’s hipster central.
It’s a tiny park if you want a more intimate experience with your fellow Londoners!

Do come here if you like:
–Hipsters
–Hipsters BBQing
–Hipsters BBQing even more fiercely on days when the weather forecast predicts sun, but it’s actually grey and cloudy and horrible outside
–Hipsters sitting on the grass amongst the leafy, green trees
–Broadway Market being nearby, full of… hipsters
–Hipsters DJing ad-​hoc while rolling around their computer and speakers on a trolley and live-​mixing as they go (yes, this actually happened)
–The lido, open during the summer and really fun!
–A cute little playground
–Nice running/​biking trails
Do not come here if you like:
–Not hipsters.

So what’s the story here, I lived around the corner to this park 5 years ago, and it certainly wasn’t cool then. In fact, it wasn’t a great place to walk around at night if you wanted to keep your wallet.
And now, super cool. I came here last weekend during the 2 day summer and it was like glastonbury. People and parties everywhere.
Typical… Hackney gets cool when I move to South London.

I can see why everyone loves this park. It is fantastic for people watching, and it’s next to Broadway market when you need more drinks/​a bite to eat.
However last weekend in the sun there was almost no space in the ‘bbq triangle’ where folks come to sit, drink and cook meat on their disposable barbecues. It was a pleasant afternoon… but I think I’m just not cool enough for this kind of squished-​in fun. I prefer a little more space and quietness for afternoons relaxing in a park.
If you like to wade through skinny jeans and pretty dresses, this must be the best place in east London to people watch on a sunny day.

Hello summer! This is officially my back garden now… Mmmmm SUN!

East side near the cricket pitch is families and frisbees; Picnics and pub on the park pints; cyclists and cricketers, playgrounds and prams. Wonderful…
West side near Lansdowne Drive feels like a music festival on sunny days, the atmosphere is great. They now say that this is the only place to have BBQs although it doesn’t seem to be stopping people over on the other side.
I love London Fields, it’s a small park with something for everyone. Please respect it, they provide large bins to use during the summer so pick up your rubbish (including your butts please)

Ping pong! In a park! 5 stars.
Oh, you want some more? (Nay, you need more? Doubtful.)
For those demanding colour-​commentators out there:
On London’s most beautiful day of the year, I was so thankful to lay out a blanket, grab some fresh nibbles from Broadway Market across the street, pick up a bottle of white from the nearby off license, and waste about two hours doing… nothing! It was divine.
The children were out in force, as were the dirty smelly bikers, as were the hippies, the cyclists, the budding musicians, the love-​birds, the twats, the yummy mummies, and I simply sat back and enjoyed the diversity that makes London, specifically *this* part of London, so utterly fabulous. The only thing missing were the tourists. (Read: Enjoy it while this park remains off the beaten track of a Lonely Planet guide.)

London Fields is such an… interesting place. Despite living in the west side and having to travel a b*tch of a mile to get there, I still do it because it’s just such a nice yet outrageous place at the same time.
It’s got a bunch of recreational things built in like previous reviews mention (ping pong, cricket, lido, etc), but I think the greatest thing about London Fields is people watching. It’s like hipsterville mixed in with families/​kids, and you gotta have the dogs. I’ve seen a live family band, people doing cocain (yeah, mid afternoon), drunken hipsters doing (failing and painful looking) bmx tricks, cute kids dancing/​raging to music, etc. Calling it a park would be an understatement. It’s a place of entertainment and relaxation. Doesn’t hurt that it’s right next to the awesome Broadway market, where you can pick up some beers/​disposable grill from the offie and just hang out with your sausages out all day.

If your an open minded creative, London Fields is one of the greatest places to hang out in the summer.
From two years of experience, I have gotten to know there are certain areas, for certain genre of social groups.
The area nearer London Fields Pub (and Hackney Central) is for the more chilled out people, you’ll find families, picnics and hippies strumming guitars
The Area nearest Broadway market is more for the screaming Shoreditch fashion socialites. The area can be rammed in summer evenings and it can be quite a funny people watching/​spotting …
With london Fields Lido, this park has a scene for everyone…

I find myself inordinately attached to London Fields. It’s a pretty fuss-​free little green with a delightfully alien shape (it recalls either the park at Versailles or a UFO landing pattern) which manages to charm in its simplicity.
When I first moved here I was convinced that it was literally a football pitch and steered altogether clear of it. Not that I don’t like watching packs of virile young men at play. Au contraire. I just could not conceive of it as a destination.
What a delightful surprise then to learn upon my first pass-​through exactly how free-​format London Fields is. It plays out more like a large communal backyard.
In warmer weather all green patches are open season for lounging and occasionally carousing. The boulevards are given to promenades and passing through. No one seems in much of a hurry. The odd frisbee game breaks out. Children laugh. Children smile. Do they know that they’re in Hackney?
More than anything I love how flat it is. If (rather, when) I find myself fatiguing of the preening wankers on the curbs of Broadway Market I simply walk my beer a few coy yards into the Fields and resume. Not quite ‘getting back to nature’, but certainly a nice little break from scene consciousness.

I’ve been visiting London Fields for years, and I have never seen any trouble there. You are more likely to experience a near-​miss from a cyclist than anything else (especially if you walk in the cycle lanes). Travelling in any park at night is dodgy, and this park is no exception.
The tennis courts are quite good. And, although the park itself is comparatively small and very flat, it is a great place to stroll or cycle through. It owes much of its popularity to its close proximity to many cool local areas, such as Broadway Market, Hackney and Dalston.

I am fortunate enough to live close by this park. Every season shows beautifully in London Fields, possibly because it is so vast, and the trees line the walkways.
The best thing about the park is the ping pong table. Apparently outdoor tables are popular in other European cities, but this is the first one I have seen in London. Weather permitting, there is usually a good group of players down at the table. Be warned though, there is a pretty high standard of play.
The best thing you could possible do is a grab some quality food and coffee from Broadway Market, and sit down on a bench amongst the leaves.