With Hackney now London’s most happening of districts, I intend to bring you a weekly round-up of the region’s fun goings-on.

In a borough that’s brimming with a sumptuously surreptitious party scene, I will endeavour to scour the streets of Hackney, Dalston, Stoke Newington and beyond in my mission to uncover the area’s coolest hangouts.

Hailing from Newcastle, a bonafide party city with its own fair share of up-and-coming areas, Hackney for me is the perfect home from home. A relative newcomer, I’ll be making London’s East End my very own one stop shop of where’s hot and where’s not.

But first, a recap of my favourite summertime exploits, where two venues made for taking in the rays and basking in the bygone heat wave ensured my first summer in Hackney was simply sizzling.

Alfresco Prosecco

The Dalston Roof Park: Just off the hustle and bustle of Kingsland Road, atop a seemingly never-ending stairwell, lies Dalston Roof Park. Offering a stunning, city scape panorama, this oasis of cool, with its astro turf flooring, miniature furniture and cute picket fences transports punters to a serene, green, floating garden in the heart of the borough.

With Prosecco the drink of choice for many, the atmosphere was convivial, heightened by the balmy summer weather. The DJ doled out offerings of rambunctious house music and until the rain heralded my exit, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in London.

London Fields: Continuing my alfresco theme, London Fields became a regular midsummer fixture. Pitching up late afternoon on my first visit, I expected to see a scattering of twenty somethings, equipped with disposable bbqs. How wrong I was.

More akin to a mini festival with a mood to match, the grassy parkland housed a typically diverse Hackney crowd sitting side by side and taking in the tunes generously provided by a string of obliging DJs. For an organic, do it yourself summer go-to, London Fields takes some beating!

So readers, a snifter of what’s to come but expect a decidedly more autumnal feel. Hackney is at the helm of the East End’s trailblazing social scene and I hereby promise to uncover the people and places that make it tick, week in, week out.