Bicycle Film Festival in Bethnal Green

Both bike and film were invented in the mid-19th century, both use spinning wheels, and both have a thriving independent scene. So it was only a matter of time before someone got the idea to combine the two, and that someone was San Francisco-born cyclist Brendt Barbur. Begun in 2001 in New York, the Bicycle Film Festival is now a global event, touring 15 cities, from Australia to Europe via Japan. It came to London for the first time in 2005, and it's coming back this year with several days of screenings, art shows, parties, races, and even a bike-polo championship. Watch out for the British team scoring mind-blowing goals on the Sunday afternoon.

The screenings present a wide variety of short films, documentaries and medium-length fictions. From a report on the invention of mountain biking in California in the 1970s to helmet camera footage of illegal bicycle courier races, the subject can be literally anything. As long it's bicycles. Showing atRich Mix on Bethnal Green Road, the Festival will bring a air of Amsterdam to the East End (except not the drugs and things), with the rest of the events happening nearby. Even if you do not own a state-of-the-art Japanese fixed-gear bike, bring out your rusty chopper and join the ride.