The night was opened up by the first Black Lord Mayor Anna Rothery giving an inspiring speech about our city and the communities she has been representing for years describing the festival being a monumental moment in the history of Liverpool. We hope that we can leave a legacy of the first Black Arts Festival in the UK born at the heart of Liverpool
The line-up included community performances, varied artists and entertainment to bring everybody together to celebrate the multicultural city we live in. Performances came from Wavertree Community Gospel Choir led by Hayli, StagedKaos, showcasing a performance piece ‘Mabida – He lives in you.’ A celebration of song and dance inspired by the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela.
Performers: Local artist Ni (Jazz singer) Viv (RnB/ Soul singer), Mike Egbe (spoken word) Benji (Reggae singer) Patrick Graham (Short poetry) and comedy sketches with Merv Jones, with our youngest performer, Lucianna also taking to the stage.
Once performances had taken place, DJ Mervyn Lynch kept us on our feet as the celebration continued into the night. As we love to support local food was also provided by local business Raggas Caribbean. The evening was filled with community spirit and everyone rejoiced at BlackFest Celebration Night with most people commenting they didn’t want it to end!