2026 - Line up of Events

Join us as we officially launch BlackFest 2026 with a vibrant day celebrating Black art, culture, creativity and community at Granby Market.
The launch brings together artists, creatives, local businesses and communities for live performances, music and creativity. Come along with friends and family, explore the market, connect with local creatives and celebrate incredible talent from Liverpool and beyond.
Featuring: Batalamersey | MD Productions | Janoma | Chelsey | Loisha | Alexis | Jaqson | Sarah Levine | Sarah Arizona | Mina | Rafaela | Clif | Bluboy | Emmy | LeeTz | Remée | Medy | Clio | DJ Tahja
Celebrate Black art. Celebrate culture. Celebrate community. Celebrate BlackFest 2026.

BlackFest Presents: Comedy & Short Experimental Performances
Join BlackFest for an exciting evening of comedy, stand-up and short performances celebrating Black writers, comedians and emerging creative talent.
Featuring:
Daniel Hippolyte Carmichael – Host & Comedian. A comedian, writer and actor with more than a decade of experience.
Jaqson Johnston-Lynch – Stand-up comedian bringing his dry sense of humour and distinctive comedic style.
Sarah Levine – One of Liverpool’s rising comedy talents, bringing sharp, fearless and honest comedy to the stage.
John Cotham – Poet & Musician, combining poetry, music and storytelling.
Come and support new writing and emerging performers while enjoying an evening of comedy and creative performance.

Join BlackFest and The Tung Auditorium for an exciting lunchtime concert featuring KingFast.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Belfast, KingFast brings together influences from his diverse roots. He has performed at Liverpool Sound City, LIMF, Deva Fest, Nantwich Jazz Festival and Elderflower Fields Festival.
His music has received radio support from Radio City and BBC Merseyside, alongside performances and recognition across the UK.
This concert forms part of the Yoko Ono Lennon Lunchtime Concert Series, supported by Yoko Ono Lennon via Spirit Foundations.
Tickets are free, but booking is required.
This follows the simpler programme-entry approach used in the 2024 brochure, where each event is introduced with its practical details and then the programme/artists.

Join BlackFest for an afternoon of plant-based food, arts, crafts, handmade products, music and community.
Enjoy plant-based goodness from Yammtree, discovering new flavours and indigenous ingredients while enjoying healthy and delicious dishes.
The afternoon will also feature an arts and crafts table with visual artist Layla Gibiliru, a unique handmade market and soulful music from local DJ Shanay Maxwell.
Featuring: Yammtree | Layla Gibiliru | Handmade Market | DJ Shanay Maxwell.
Activities are suitable for all ages.

Join visual artist, writer and urban design activist Nina Edge for a creative workshop exploring art, materials, community and public creativity.
Nina's multidisciplinary practice spans radical textiles, ceramics, street performance, public art, short films and sculpture. Her practice developed alongside the political Black British Art movement of the 1980s.
Nina has worked extensively with communities, with collaborative projects including Princes Park Health Centre and Granby Winter Garden in Liverpool and West Close in Cardiff Bay.
The workshop offers an opportunity to explore Nina's creative practice and engage with visual art, materials and community-led creativity.

Join BlackFest 26 in London for an evening celebrating independent Black filmmakers, writers, actors and storytellers.
Experience a curated selection of short films exploring mental health, love, identity, relationships and Black diasporic experiences. The evening will bring audiences and creatives together through powerful and thought-provoking independent filmmaking.
Featured Films:
AVIDITY (2021) – By Dove Ross-Williams, directed by Paul O’Cara. A UK drama exploring the challenges of living with mental health difficulties and encouraging more open conversations around mental health.
FEBRUARY LIGHT (2024) – Written by Kwame Dawes, directed and produced by Anniwaa Buachie. Shot in Ghana, this short film explores love, personal growth, tenderness and the emotional experiences of a Black couple.
KILLER COLLECTIVE – Written by Daniel Hippolyte and directed by Leon Lopez.
More films to be announced.

BlackFest 2026 presents a special live performance from iconic British pop group Cleopatra in partnership with The Tung Auditorium.
Sisters Cleopatra Higgins and Yonah Higgins return to the stage for an evening of powerful vocals, timeless hits and live music celebrating the legacy of one of the UK’s pioneering Black British girl groups.
Formed in Manchester, Cleopatra achieved mainstream chart success in the late 1990s with songs including Cleopatra’s Theme, Life Ain’t Easy and A Touch of Love.
Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating groundbreaking Black British music as part of BlackFest 2026

Join BlackFest 2026 for the launch of our Visual Arts programme, bringing artists, creatives and audiences together for an evening celebrating Black visual art and creative expression.
The evening will feature a special live piano performance from Jazz Gittens alongside a panel discussion with artists taking part in the BlackFest 2026 Visual Arts programme.
Hear directly from participating artists about their creative practices, inspirations, experiences and the stories behind their work. Nina Edge | Ayobami | Alena | Faith Bebbington
Featuring: Jazz Gittens – Piano + BlackFest 2026 Visual Artists Panel.

Join BlackFest 2026 for an inspiring evening of literature, culture, conversation and ideas with British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist Kelechi Okafor.
Kelechi is a writer, presenter, actor and political commentator and the creator of the acclaimed Say Your Mind podcast. Her work spans literature, media, performance and political commentary, exploring Black identity, systemic injustice and the experiences of Black communities.
Awakened invites audiences into an evening of thought-provoking conversation, storytelling and reflection celebrating Black creativity, literature, identity and lived experience.

Join BlackFest for the 8th year of our iconic Rhythms Night, this year heading to Bristol for an evening of soulful R&B, acoustic music, live performance and creative conversation.
Featuring four versatile artists from the BlackFest music programme:
Mina – Paris-born, Liverpool-based singer-songwriter blending Alternative Pop, Folk, Soft Rock and Soul.
KingFast – Kingston-born, Belfast-raised and Liverpool-based artist bringing his diverse musical roots to an energetic live performance.
Rafaela – Queer mixed-race artist fusing reggae, soul and jazz while drawing on Portuguese and Angolan roots and a distinctly Liverpool spirit.
Bluboy – Rapper, singer-songwriter and guitarist bringing his distinctive sound and versatile performance style.
The evening will also feature an industry panel bringing together music professionals for conversation around creativity, performance and the music industry.
Featuring: Mina | KingFast | Rafaela | Bluboy + Industry Panel.

BlackFest 2026 comes to Shakespeare North Playhouse for an evening celebrating Black artists, creativity, new writing and performance.
Experience short experimental performances from the BlackFest Creatives Collective featuring Black writers, playwrights, musicians and performers.
Featuring:
MD Productions – Miguel Doforo, presenting a performance as part of MD Productions.
Mariam Jama – My Friend Fiona, a three-hander exploring grief, AI therapy and dystopia.
Janoma Omena – Nigerian spoken word artist exploring queerness, young adulthood, women’s reproductive health and migration.
Loisha – Brit-tish, a one-woman play exploring Black British identity and the question of whether Britain is truly home.
Mariam Abood AKA Emmy – Freniemies, exploring friendship, conflict and relationships.

Join the BlackFest Creatives Collective for an evening of experimental theatre, storytelling, music and new writing exploring heritage, family history, grief and the legacy of Motown.
Featuring:
Chelsey Emery – An experimental theatre piece
Sarah Abusin – A showcase of the true story, “Jailbird’, about incarcerated women in Dubai.
Chase Johnston Lynch & Friends – Presenting creative works exploring Black excellence and historical figures.
Janoma Omena – Nigerian spoken word artist exploring queerness, young adulthood, women’s reproductive health and migration.
Come and support exciting new writing, heritage stories and emerging Black creative talent.

Join multidisciplinary artist Ayobami for a creative workshop exploring floral artwork, expressive abstraction, colour and ink.
Ayobami specialises in floral artwork and expressive abstract pieces, combining vivid colours and darker tones with abstract acrylic blends and expressive ink hatching.
Participants will explore different approaches to colour, mark-making and the expressive possibilities of visual art while learning more about Ayobami's creative practice.

Join artist, designer and maker Alena Kudera for a creative workshop exploring textiles, sustainability, identity and material storytelling.
Alena transforms discarded and unwanted garments, textiles and objects through craftsmanship and creative reinvention. Her practice explores clothing as a language and the body as a canvas, bringing together folk motifs, sensory patterns and sculpture.
The workshop will explore creative approaches to materials alongside ideas around sustainability, identity, circularity and giving discarded materials new life and value.

One Pass. Every Event. Every City.
Experience the full BlackFest 2026 journey across the UK, bringing together an exciting programme of Black artists, creatives and communities through music, poetry, theatre, film, dance, fashion, visual arts, food, panels, workshops and community events.
BlackFest 2026 travels from Liverpool to London, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham, continuing our mission to celebrate, cultivate and nurture Black artists and communities.
Festival highlights include the Granby Market Launch, London Independent Film Screening, Shakespeare North Playhouse performances, Cleopatra Live, KingFast, the Visual Arts programme, Awakened ft. Kelechi Okafor, Poetry Manchester, Bristol Rhythms Night and the Ultimate Black Arts Showcase Celebration in Birmingham.
One Pass • Every Event • Every City
Support Black Artists. Celebrate Black Culture. Experience BlackFest 2026.