It’s Windrush Day on Saturday, which recognises and celebrates the enormous contribution that Caribbean migrants and their families have made to the UK in the seven decades since their arrival.
It marks the day in 1948 when the HMT Empire Windrush, the first ship of Caribbean migrant workers, arrived at Tilbury Harbour in Essex, Windrush Day only really came to prominence in 2018, when the government announced it would support the commemorative day with a grant of up to £500,000 for events.
“It will keep their legacy alive for future generations, ensuring that we all celebrate the diversity of Britain’s history,” said the communities minister, Lord Bourne, at the time. Between 1948 and 1971, around 500,000 people migrated to Britain from the Caribbean.
Here are just some of the ways of celebrating Windrush Day 2024 in London.
Performances and parties
Windrush Block Party
Bernie Grant Arts Centre – a multi-art form venue in Tottenham focused on giving space to artists from diverse backgrounds and practises – is hosting its open-air annual block party. There will be live music, DJ sets, spoken word performances, local food vendors and creative displays at the all-day affair.
Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, June 22; ticketsource.co.uk
Windrush Day 2024
Royal Museums Greenwich once again partners with the Caribbean Social Forum to put on this day of talks, games, workshops, art exhibitions, music and spoken word performances. Highlights include seeing British-Jamaican writer Jeremiah Brown and MC and poet Rawz share some of their work, eating delicious food from Infinite Caribbean Cuisine, Lalu Catering and Global Vegan Bakery, and discovering the collection of artists-in-residence Griffi and Rosie.
Royal Museums Greenwich, June 22; rmg.co.uk
Hackney’s Windrush Generations Festival 2024
There are many events taking place across Hackney to celebrate Windrush Day, from an exhibition and documentary about West Indian music and its influence on UK sound, to a series of workshops based on Caribbean Arts, a family afternoon full of music, and an evening where three Windrush entrepreneurs tell their incredible success stories.
Various locations and times; lovehackney.uk
Island Rhythms: A Windrush Showcase with Carroll Thompson
Singer Carroll Thompson is not the only stellar act on this jam-packed bill: there will also be a dance performance by Step & Praise Performing Arts, a speech by Newham’s mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and a Benjamin Zephaniah tribute from actor and poet Russeni Fisher.
East Ham Town Hall, June 22; eventbrite.co.uk
Lambeth Council’s celebrations
Lambeth Council are celebrating Windrush Day across the entire weekend with an afternoon full of storytelling, performances and family activities on Saturday, and the return of the beloved annual Big Caribbean Lunch on the Sunday.
Windrush Square, Brixton, June 22 to 23; love.lambeth.gov.uk
Waltham Forest Windrush Festival
Head to Fellowship Square at Waltham Forest Town Hall for a day full of family fun: festivities begin with a Windrush Day flag-raising ceremony and end with “Windrush-inspired performances” developed by kids from local schools. Throughout the day there’ll be lots of music: a percussion workshop, steel pan music, African music, dancing and drumming and various performances including from a gospel choir.
Fellowship Square, Waltham Forest Town Hall, June 22; walthamforest.gov.uk
Connections and New Views Festivals at the National Theatre
This annual nationwide youth theatre festival, now in its 29th year, invites 10 youth theatre and school groups from across the country to perform new plays at the National Theatre’s Dorfman Theatre. The final programme is always full of hilarious and moving pieces fizzing with ideas. Concluding this year’s festival is Mojisola Adebayo‘s Wind/Rush Generation(s), performed by the Make Sense Theatre Company from Ealing.
Dorfman Theatre, June 25 to 29
Exhibitions and film
Windrush Caribbean Film Festival
This film festival celebrates Black British cinema in all its glory, particularly shining a light on the contributions of the Windrush generation. While the festival takes place across the country, with many of the films available to watch online, in London there are screenings at Brixton’s Ritzy cinema and outdoors at Windrush Square. Expect several series of illuminating shorts, running along themes including turmoil and tranquillity, and music.
Various locations and online, to June 30; windrushfilmfestival.com
Ronan McKenzie: What I Thought I Knew
Featuring the works of emerging and established Black artists, this exhibition at Bernie Grant Arts Centre has been curated by multidisciplinary artist Ronan Mckenzie who is best known for her gorgeous photographs celebrating the Black experience. This exhibition continues this exploration, reflecting on familial archives and oral histories.
Bernie Grant Arts Centre, to August 31; berniegrantcentre.co.uk
Ties That Bind: Reflections on Black Life, Surviving Hostile Environments, and Mental Health
This mixed-media exhibition, made in partnership with UCL, is a space for reflection on Black mental health in the wake of the Windrush scandal. In photographs, spoken word, poetry and collages, artists ask questions about Black experiences and trauma, promoting the power and necessity of joy.
