Activities, events and filming
Tents, marquees or gazebos are not permitted in our parks, except as part of an approved event.
In the case of adverse weather, pop up gazebos and similar structures / outdoor furniture can cause serious injury or damage.
We welcome applications for large and small events that encourage cultural cohesion and exposure to new experiences in Hackney.
See holding events in parks for more information.
Barbecues are not allowed in any of Hackney’s parks.
No. The River Lea that runs next to Hackney Marshes is valuable wildlife habitat.
Birds nest all along the river, and walking down the banks and swimming in the river destroys valuable habitat and food sources for the birds and other wildlife.
The River Lea also suffers from a number of pollution streams including raw sewage from misconnected plumbing and diffuse pollution from roads and agriculture higher up in the catchment.
Anyone swimming in the river may be at risk of catching Leptospirosis (Weil’s Disease) through contact with rat urine, E. coli and Gastroenteritis.
See Rivers Trust: Is My River Fit to Swim In? for more information.
The flying of recreational drones is not permitted in any of Hackney’s parks.
If you wish to film using a drone, please see filming in Hackney.
Metal detecting in Hackney’s parks is not allowed. The activity’s nature involves disturbing or digging up areas to assess potential finds, which we cannot support.
If you want to run a personal training service in our parks, you don’t currently need a license to trade. Please make sure you don’t cause any damage to the parks, and please choose quieter parks and times of day to operate.
You should have a risk assessment in place. You are not permitted to play music during your session.
Public toilets in parks are open from 9am to 4pm.
The car park at Hackney Marshes is linked to the operation of the Hackney Marshes Centre.
GLL staff in the centre are responsible for opening and closing the car park and monitoring its use. The Hackney Marshes car park is currently open seven days a week.
The Mabley Green car park is only open when the Mabley Green football pitches are booked.
Page updated on: 30 October 2023