WHAT? V&A East Museum

WHERE? 107 Carpenters Road, Stratford, London E20 2AR

WHEN? Now ongoing. Free to view

WHY GO? To lap up culture. Just a short walk away from the V&A East Storehouse, launched to great acclaim a year ago, the brand new V&A East Museum has just opened and it packs a powerful punch for its artistic architecture alone.

Expect rotating exhibitions, commissioned installations, lectures and events for creatives to carve out ideas, plus a stylish Jikoni café.

With displays of everything from art and architecture to fashion and furniture, the free galleries document ‘Why We Make’ introduces some 500 objects, representing contemporary culture over the years.

Newly acquired exhibits like Molly Goddard’s iconic 2020 Daria dress, as worn by Beyoncé, and Yinka Ilori’s early Captain Hook armchair (2015), will excite younger visitors.

The first major exhibition, The Music is Black: A British Story, speaks to music fans across the ages and explores how Black British music has shaped our culture from 1900 ragtime, jazz, reggae and hip hop to present-day mixed genres.

Serious music nerds will appreciate retro instruments on display like Winifred Atwell’s ‘other piano’ and Joan Armatrading’s guitar.

This nostalgic exhibition captures the joy of music — you may even spot someone you know in one of many images snapped at concerts like the celebrated 2012 London Olympics, which is ironically now home to the museum itself.