Liverpool’s multi-award-winning Black and minority arts festival BlackFest returns this September with a programme spanning music, theatre, film, visual arts, spoken word and poetry — and a powerful message of anti-racism at its heart.
Founded in Liverpool in 2018, BlackFest was created to shine a light on Black and minority creatives and provide artists with opportunities to develop and showcase their work. Its annual combined-arts festival brings performances, exhibitions, workshops and conversations into both established cultural venues and community spaces. This year, BlackFest is also extending its reach beyond Liverpool, with events taking place in London, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham.
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BlackFest 2026 programme
The programme begins with the BlackFest Festival Launch at Granby Market, Liverpool, on 5th September, 10am–3pm, featuring live performances and DJ Tahja. Independent Film follows at Upcycle LDN Hub in Brixton, London, on 21st September, 6pm–late, with Avidity by Dove Ross-Williams, February Light by Aninwa Buachie and Kwame Dawes, and Killer Collective by Daniel Hippolyte and Leon Lopez.
Liverpool’s Shakespeare North Playhouse then hosts three Theatre – New Works evenings. On 24th September, 7–10pm, the programme features MD Productions, Janoma, Loisha and Mariam Abood, with new writing and performances exploring race, gender, queerness, relationships and friendships.
On 25th September, 7–10pm, Daniel Hippolyte, Jason Johnston Lynch, Sarah Levine and John Cotham present short performances from Black writers and comedians. On 26th September, 7–10pm, Chase Johnston Lynch, Friends, Chelsey, Sarah Gaia Tree and Mariam Jama present experimental performance pieces exploring grief, relationships, dystopias and Black history.
On 25th September, 8–10pm, 1990s pop act Cleopatra perform at The Tung Auditorium in Liverpool, with stunning vocalist Hayli Kincade opening the show. KingFast performs at The Tung Auditorium on 30th September, 1–3pm, bringing his mix of looped guitar, soulful pop and live songwriting to the festival. The Belfast-born singer and guitarist is based in Liverpool. Also on 30th September, 6–9pm, BlackFest launches its Visual Arts programme at Granby Winter Garden in Liverpool, featuring Ayobami, Nina Edge, Faith Bebbington, Alena and Jazz Gittens.
Visual artist Ayobami leads a workshop at Granby Winter Garden on 7th October, 11am–2pm, exploring multidisciplinary approaches incorporating floral and abstract work, acrylic blends and expressive ink hatching. Yammmree + DJ Nay Maxwell takes over Liverpool’s Palm House on 11th October, 1–4pm, for a family-friendly afternoon of stalls, arts and crafts.
Later that day, Awakened ft. Kelechi Okafor runs at the Palm House from 6pm until late, bringing together writing, performance, culture and conversation. On 14th October, 11am–2pm, Alena Kudera hosts a Visual Arts Workshop at Granby Winter Garden examining textile sustainability, identity and the stories carried by everyday materials.
BlackFest travels to Manchester for Proclamation: Spoken Word Poetry, at Contact Theatre in October, 7–10pm, featuring Liverpool Citizen of Honour poet Levi Tafari alongside Aichai, Mariam, Loisha, Sarah Levine, Mariam Abood, Clif, Clio, Alexis and Malcolm.
Artist, designer, maker, grower, writer, speaker and teacher Nina Edge leads another Visual Arts Workshop at Granby Winter Garden on 21th October, 11am–2pm. The festival heads south-west for Bristol Rhythms Night at Jam Jar, Bristol, on 28th October, 5.30pm–late. Billed as “From Liverpool to Bristol with Love”, the line-up features Bluboy, Mina, Rafaela, Moyah, Remee, KingFast and Malik Al Nasir.
Finally, BlackFest 2026 Ultimate Black Arts Celebration takes place at Centrala in Digbeth, Birmingham, on 30th October, 6–11pm, bringing fashion, music and poetry together with Tayameaca Hughes and Ayan Aden.
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At a time when its organisers believe anti-racist cultural work has become increasingly urgent, the festival aims not only to celebrate Black creativity but to create conversations between artists, communities and cultural institutions and challenge a status quo that can leave marginalised communities under-represented.
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Creative Director Jubeda Khatun says: “The rise in racism — particularly the hostility increasingly visible and amplified through social media — makes it more important than ever to create spaces in which Black and minority artists can be seen, heard and supported. For BlackFest, that means arts and culture can be both a celebration and a means of confronting prejudice.”
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Among the highlights will be Awakened featuring Kelechi Okafor, taking place at Liverpool’s Palm House on 11th October from 6pm until late. The British-Nigerian writer, actor, podcaster and political commentator has been a prominent voice in the public conversation surrounding Arday. The BlackFest event will bring literature, culture and conversation together, giving audiences an opportunity to engage with some of the wider questions raised by his story.
Kelechi Okafor has been particularly vocal about the recent case of Jason Arday — the Black academic who sadly died following allegations of racism. Okafor’s appearance reflects the broader ethos behind this year’s programme: using art not simply as entertainment but as a starting point for difficult and necessary conversations about race, representation, belonging and power. The evening will be opened by stunning vocalist Hayli Kincade, with a choir chaired by Dr Rebecca Loy.
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Jubeda Khatun says: “While BlackFest has grown since its launch eight years ago, our underlying purpose remains consistent: addressing a crucial gap in the cultural life of Liverpool and beyond. Our approach deliberately crosses boundaries between major venues and grassroots spaces. A theatre, concert hall or established arts organisation can sit within the same programme as a market, community garden or independent creative space.”
She continues: “That model is intended to do more than provide a stage. BlackFest seeks to develop artists, build relationships between cultural institutions and communities and encourage active conversations and collaborations capable of challenging established ways of working. Expanding into London, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham in 2026 takes that ambition beyond Liverpool while retaining the community-led principles on which the festival was founded.”
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Against a backdrop of heightened concern about racism both online and offline, this year’s dedication to Jason Arday makes the festival’s message particularly pointed: Black creativity should not merely be accommodated within Britain’s cultural landscape, but valued, protected, invested in and heard.
BlackFest 2026 / Various Venues / 5th September — 30th October
