Residents who give back to their community are set to be rewarded with tickets to an arts and culture festival to celebrate the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park opening.

%image(15299151, type="article-full", alt="Ted Hughes' "The Iron Man" will be a main attraction at the festival.")

The Open East Festival, created by The Barbican and community partners Create London, will entertain visitors next month with music from around the globe; children’s theatre; the Real Food Festival featuring 70 international cuisines; the Ten Mile Beer Festival showcasing the wares of local breweries; shopping at the Urban Bazaar and the Art Car Boot Fair; outdoor games; and local talent from Theatre Royal Stratford East, and Discover Children’s Story Centre.

There will also be a colossal iron puppet - taller than a double-decker bus - wading through the crowds and organisers are keeping details about a “spectacular finale” under wraps to save the surprise.

Hadrian Garrad, director of Create London, described the festival as “an unusual mix of being both affordable and completely brilliant - one of the best family days out in London this summer in a new part of the city with world-class food, art, theatre, dance, and music.”

Newham Council has teamed up with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) to offer 1,000 free tickets to residents who may not normally have access to cultural events.

A Newham Council spokesperson said: “We want to give these tickets to young people and hard-working residents on low incomes who give something back to the community and so we will be offering these tickets to people who volunteer, who are involved in a sports club, or part of the neighbourhood sports programme.”

Tickets will also be given to residents seeking a job with the Workplace job brokerage scheme, and to those who pay their council tax by Direct Debit.

Priority tickets for east London residents - available at £9.50 for adults, £6 for children, and free for under fives - will be available on Friday May 31 from www.ticketmaster.co.uk/openeastfestival before they go on general sale on Monday June 3.

The Open East Festival will take place at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, E20, on July 27 and 28.