BASSTONE PLAYGROUND by Linett Kamala
13 and 14 June 2026, 12-5pm at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Overview
BASSTONE PLAYGROUND by Linett Kamala is a welcoming family art installation offering a musical, playful environment with moments of communal dance and calm. Hidden speakers play dub, low-fi, and chilled instrumentals curated by the artist, while attendees take part in interactive sound and light art.
BASSTONE PLAYGROUND is split into three areas offering ‘Performance’, ‘Play’, and ‘Peace’. At the centre of the installation will be BASSTONE MAYPOLE, the world’s first LED and sound maypole which premiered at the Light Up Kilburn Festival in February 2026 (pictured above).
This installation was commissioned for The Music is Black Festival from East Bank by the Culture Within Newham Children's Board of local 8-11 year-olds, and will open on 13 and 14 June 2026.
Programme
Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June 2026, 12-5pm
12 – 1pm: DJ Set & Performances
1 – 1.30pm: Maypole Dance Session
1.30 – 2pm: Chill Time
2 – 2.30pm: Maypole Dance Session
2.30 – 3.30pm: DJ Set & Performances
3.30 – 4pm: Chill Time
4 – 4.30pm: Maypole Dance Session
4.30 – 5pm: DJ Set & Performances
See map on the right for how to find BASSTONE PLAYGROUND and the other festival stages during the weekend.
Fancy getting involved?
Budding young DJs and MCs are invited to step up and try out their skills during Open Decks sessions. Find out more here.
About The Music is Black Festival
The Music is Black Festival is a celebration of sound, culture, and community across an eight-month series of events. BASSTONE PLAYGROUND will be available to visit during ‘The Music is Ours’ weekend (13 and 14 June 2026), which celebrates London's soundsystem legacy in the birthplace of grime.
Join for line-up full of east London and the UK's finest artists and MCs. Saturday 13 June will be curated by grime legend Footsie, and Sunday 14 June will feature music curated by double MOBO award-winning artist YolanDa Brown OBE DL, and Soul Mama.
Explore the programme for ‘The Music is Ours’ weekend on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park website.
About the artist
Linett Kamala is an interdisciplinary artist, DJ, educator and carnivalist born in London who works across a range of media including paintings, installation, murals and DJ soundscapes.
Kamala is known as the ‘Sound System Queen’, credited as one of the first female DJs to perform at the Notting Hill Carnival on a static sound system in the early 1980s at the age of 15.
Learn more about Linett Kamala in this recent article published in The Guardian.
About the Children’s Board
Children aged 8-11 were given the opportunity to choose what kind of artwork they would like to commission on behalf of Culture Within Newham.
The Children’s Board said they were looking for a ‘play zone’ that was also ‘a relaxing space’ where ‘you can express your feelings through singing or dancing… and if it gets too loud you can chill out in our quiet area with fun activities’.
After working for months to refine their brief and vision, the children met with multiple artists who pitched their vision – and BASSTONE PLAYGROUND by Linett Kamala was selected.
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