2024 - Line up of Events

Join us for a day of networking, creativity and celebration of Black art, businesses and culture!
We are presenting our opening at Granby Market - Liverpool's most original and friendly community market, run entirely by volunteers is open on the first Saturday of every month from 10am to 3pm, showcasing the talents, spirit and diversity of the community. It has become a much loved event for local residents as well as the wider L8 region, attracting crowds from across the city. Our festival could not have been launched in a better venue or space.
We're delighted to welcome back artists from our collective as well as some new emerging artists giving you a flavour of what to expect for BF24!
Acts include Bluboy, Kingfast, Lu, Angela, Fauzia, Shak, Betty Salvan, Conduit, D Rebal, John, Remee, Leetz, Satin Beige, Fauzia, Man LikeMally, Nazeem, dance, poetry, music and DJ set from DJSoulfultiz
Featuring: Wavertree Community Gospel Choir led by award winning Hayli + Katumba drumming

A varied programme of works for violin and piano by Beethoven, Coleridge-Taylor, and Amy Beach

Join us in another rendition of our iconic Riddims Night 2024 celebrating local artists CopDat, Immidish, Nazeem and ManlikeMally with DJ PAPU RAF Founder of Choplife + Finite band. With panel– discussion followed our our lit artists of 24.

Heather Tomlinson is a Liverpool artist, skilled in theatre, singing, and street dance. Beginning at just 15 with a role on Channel 4’s Brookside, Heather refined her skills at Liverpool Theatre School and more recently at Kingdom Drama School in London.

Cara Walker is a visual artist dedicated to cultural liberation and the advocacy of creativity, with a particular focus on amplifying the Black voice.

Her workshop - The Clean slate – her exhibition will be discussion led looking at portraiture and the exhibition developed from a 3 month artist residency at the Wales Millennium Centre. Through avenues like poetry, visual arts and storytelling, explore the Black identity through a historical Welsh lens, focusing on the duality of being Welsh and Black whilst also uncovering the hidden history of Wales’ connection to the Slave trade. S

This Solo Visual Arts Exhibition is part of our Granby Artist Residency Featuring Oke Ugonna

Come on a poetic journey with us at our BlackFest 2024 spoken word poetry night!
Our spoken word poetry night will feature an exceptional line up of emerging and established poets and spoken word artists.
Featuring Spoken Word artists: Shak Introspection, Lucia (Lustraction), Angela Burnell, and Fauzia Adetokunbo Agbonhin.

Malik set about tracing his ancestry through his father Reginald Watsons line back to the sugar cane fields of Demerara in British Guiana. He uncovered a new epic tale of enslavement and colonialism of British Empire. He is researching this history for a PhD in history at University of Cambridge.

Join Kassessa Gandara a self-taught visual artist from Angola. He creates different concepts and translates them into different artistic expressions, through live events, stages, exhibitions, digital prints, sculpture and painted mediums.

He will be sharing his practice part discussion led on your creative identity, processes in he diaspora, inspiration. With an arts workshop.

Join BlackFest for another sustainable cooking workshop with Michelle Odwyer – Bay Tree Cooking.
Explore our roots and tap into ancestral wisdom during this eco-friendly cooking workshop.

Meet Award winning Author Ashleigh Nugent!
Ashleigh is a writer, performer and director at RiseUp. Ashleigh’s debut novel LOCKS was signed to Picador Books in 2021. LOCKS has already received outstanding comments from literary heavyweights such as Raymond Antrobus and Derek Owusu and has been described by legendary screenwriter Jimmy McGovern as “Irreverent, authentic, and utterly enthralling. ‘’A wonderful book.''

Courtney Pine returns to The Tung Auditorium in his 60th birthday year with his award-winning show, House of Legends

4 visual artists will display their work on exhibition at the Smithdown social arts hub.
Meet the line up:
Cara Walker is a visual artist dedicated to cultural liberation and the advocacy of creativity, with a particular focus on amplifying the Black voice.
Ridwa Horreh is an aspiring artist and PhD student passionately focused on exploring Black femininity through her ongoing artistic project.

Ridwa Horreh - Reclaiming Black Femininity: An Exploration of Identity, Beauty, and Empowerment.

Ridwa is a student at the University of Nottingham's Cultural, Media, and Visual Studies Department. As a passionate photographer, Ridwa has collaborated with social media influencers, an experience that sparked her interest in exploring identity and representation.

BlackFest Fashion Fest Finale features various local and UK national designers, models, poets and musicians. It is the first time we are collaborating with FutureYard an award-winning music venue in Birkenhead. We are going over the water to bring BlackFest to the Wirral.