Getting to London and the LUL Campus

NIME 2026 will take place in London!

Please note when you are booking your travel and accommodation that the programme will take place at Loughborough University’s London Campus (LUL) on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London.

(Important!) Be careful that you book your travel and accommodation for London and not for Loughborough, which is another city in the UK about 1.5 hours from London.


Venues

Day Programme: Loughborough University London (LUL)

Loughborough University London is located in the Here East innovation hub in the north of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East London. The campus sits in the former broadcast centre of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Campus address:
Here East, 3 Lesney Avenue
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
London E20 3BS

Here is a visitor guide to Loughborough University London.


Evening Programme: Rich Mix

Rich Mix is an East London charity and multi-arts centre that brings diverse communities together to create, share, and experience contemporary culture through film, performance, and creative programmes.

Venue address:
35-47 Bethnal Grn Rd,
London E1 6LA

Please note that a shuttle has been organised for conference attendees’ travel between the LUL campus and Rich Mix on each day of the main conference programme. The costs of this shuttle are included in registration. More information will be communicated to attendees nearer the conference.


Accessibility

An Accessibility FAQ page will soon be available. If you have any concerns or questions about accessibility, please contact the Accessibility Chairs, Hugh Aynsley and Mathew Dalgleish, at accessibility@nime2026.org.


Transport

For international attendees:

If you will need an invitation letter for a visit visa to the UK or for funding purposes, please see the NIME registration guidelines.

The most common ways to arrive in London from international destinations are by flight, rail, or coach. Most travellers arrive via major airports such as Heathrow Airport (LHR), Gatwick Airport (LGW) or Stansted Airport (STN), or by the Eurostar train to London St Pancras station. Visitors from other hubs in Europe may also find it convenient or cheap to travel to London Luton (LTN). The closest airport to the LUL campus and East London is London City Airport (LCY), which serves small carriers from Europe as well and has direct Docklands Light Rail (DLR) links to Stratford and other London Underground connections.

  • From Heathrow, you can take the Elizabeth line to Stratford, and walk or take a short bus from there. You can tap in or buy an oyster card to use on the Elizabeth line and other trains.
  • From Gatwick, you can take the Thameslink to any of the central London stops (e.g. Farringdon, London Bridge) and then transfer to a bus or underground train.
  • From Stansted, there are options for the Stansted Express, with a bus or train transfer once you are in London, or a National Express Coach, including the A9 arriving directly to Stratford.
  • From Luton, the East Midlands Railway will take you to St Pancras for a transfer, or the Thameslink will take you to an Overground train transfer.

From these airports, central London can be reached by train, Underground, coach, or taxi, with journey times typically ranging from 30 minutes to just over an hour depending on the airport. International rail services such as the Eurostar also connect London to major European cities, arriving at St Pancras International in central London:

  • From St Pancras, the easiest connection is to take the Southeastern High Speed rail one stop (8 min) to Stratford International for £7 or make an Underground connection between the Hammersmith & City line to the Central Line at Mile End to Stratford Station. You can then take the Here East shuttle, walk, or cycle to the LUL campus at Here East (see below for local guidance).

You can find more information on getting to East London and the LUL campus here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/international/locations/london/location/

For all attendees:

Please note that you will need either a contactless bank card or an Oyster card for public transportation within London. For information on where to get an Oyster card, please ask a station attendant on arrival at the airport or London train station, or see here.

Transport for London (TfL) has an online accessible journey planner which can help with step-free access and wheelchair accessible routes. See TfL’s “Plan an accessible journey” guide.

The nearest train stations to our campus are:

  • Hackney Wick overground station (10 minute walk)
  • Stratford International Station (30 minute walk)

In the mild June weather, we also recommend cycling! The Olympic Park and Shoreditch areas have accessible bike lanes. Popular companies like Santander, Lime and Forest have bike rental schemes and docking stations outside both LUL and Rich Mix. Please see TfL’s Safe Cycling routes.

If you are coming from Stratford International, you can also make use of the Here East shuttle; the cost per ride is £1.50, but we will provide a free access code to participants wishing to take the shuttle. More information will be sent to attendees closer to the conference dates.


Accommodation

There are many accommodation options in London in walking proximity to both LUL and Rich Mix, as well as around central London and within quick access by public transport. Below are some recommendations for affordable hotels, but please feel free to choose accommodation that best suits your needs and budget.

Near LUL in Stratford:

Near Rich Mix in Shoreditch:


Food and Drink

Lunch will be provided on the main conference days (24-26 June). Attendees are on their own for dinner each day and for lunch on the workshop day (23 June).

There are many options for food and drink at Here East and nearby in Stratford. The Here East Campus offerings can be found here.

Just about any kind of cuisine can be found in London. The Olympic Park and Stratford area generally have a variety of options. Nearby the evening programme at Rich Mix is the world-famous Brick Lane. The Shoreditch area also has many options for an evening out before the music programme, as described in this travel guide.


Climate

Late June in London can be mild to warm and very comfortable, with daytime temperatures around 18–22°C and cooler evenings near 11–13°C. The sun sets very late in the day, around 9:20 pm, so there is plenty of time to enjoy the evenings after the day programme.

As always with London, although we hope it will be sunny, you should be prepared for some rain. The rain in London in June tends to be very light and random/sporadic, so it can be easily avoided (most Londoners will just wait for 10 minutes for the weather to change) or handled by bringing a coat or hat. Light layers work best: bring t-shirts, a light jacket or sweater for evenings, comfortable shoes, and a small umbrella or waterproof jacket for occasional showers.


Location: About London, LUL, Rich Mix, and Imperial

London is a city that hardly needs introduction: the capital of England and the United Kingdom, Greater London is home to nearly 9 million and stands out for its mix of history and modern culture, world-famous landmarks, theatres, and museums (most of which are free to visit!), all connected by an extensive and easy-to-use public transport network.

NIME was previously hosted in London in 2014 at Goldsmiths University and we’re excited to welcome you to LUL in East London. London’s East End is known for its vibrant mix of open parkland and canals, local markets, and strong community feel. The areas around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and nearby Victoria Park offer wide green spaces for relaxation and events, while markets like Brick Lane Market and Columbia Road Flower Market (open Sundays) reflect the area’s diversity, with street food, vintage goods, and independent traders creating a lively, welcoming atmosphere.

Loughborough University London

Loughborough University London (LUL) is a top 10 UK university, focused on connecting academic study with real-world experience. As a postgraduate and research-intensive School, the university is a community that aims to push the boundaries of knowledge and disciplines to tackle complex global challenges.

LUL was one of the first institutions on the Olympic Park at the Here East campus; the leading sports research and studies university in the world, Loughborough was invited to establish a campus on the park after the Olympics were hosted in London in 2012. The LUL campus opened in 2015 and, operating as a single school within Loughborough University, brings together five research institutes around a strongly interdisciplinary focus. Building on Loughborough University’s strengths in research, creativity, and entrepreneurship, it provides a diverse and collaborative community where students benefit from close links with academic experts and industry leaders to support personal growth and career development.

Rich Mix

Rich Mix is a local community arts venue and charity in Shoreditch, central-east London, about 3.5 miles from the LUL campus. It is central and easy to access via transport, and it is fully wheelchair accessible. The venue has two main performance/concert spaces on different levels of the building, plus other rooms suitable for receptions or breakout spaces. They also have a small bar that’s open to the public and can set up a private bar specifically for our events.

The Rich Mix team describes the space as “East London’s home for culture and creativity.” The venue is well-known and an excellent example of the community ethos in East London. In 2023-24, the venue hosted nearly 115,000 audiences across their programmes, including over 260 live events (music, spoken word, theatre, dance, talks, and exhibitions) working with over 900 artists and creatives. The venue also has a lively cinema scene and held over 3000 screenings, including film festivals, during this year. They are also home to 31 creative and charitable businesses, another link to the wider creative community in London.

Imperial College London

The optional post-conference NIME Open Day will take place at Imperial, London’s world-leading university for science, technology, engineering, mathematics and business. Imperial was ranked #1 in Europe and #2 worldwide in the 2026 QS World University Rankings.

The NIME Open Day will take place in the Dyson School of Design Engineering, the 10th and newest engineering department at Imperial and the home of the Augmented Instruments Lab. The Dyson School of Design Engineering is located in the South Kensington area of west London, near the Royal Albert Hall, Science Museum, V&A Museum, Natural History Museum, Hyde Park and many other popular destinations.