Jazz legend Courtney Pine will headline Liverpool’s multi-award-winning black arts and diversity festival. Now in its 7th year, BlackFest, the month-long celebration of black arts and cultural diversity in Liverpool, will feature music, spoken word, visual arts, theatre, workshops, cooking, and more.
The festival, acclaimed as one of the city’s most innovative showcases, aims to educate, empower, and improve equality in the arts. The recent riots underscore the festival’s critical need, and it will showcase a unique show, Race Religion Riots, by multi-award-winning author, poet, and academic Malik Al Nasir.
The launch party at Granby Market on Saturday 7th September from 10am will feature a day of networking, creativity and celebration of Black art, businesses and culture. Acts will include Bluboy, Kingfast, Lu, Angela, Fauzia, Shak, Betty Salvan, Conduit, D Rebal, John, Remee, Leetz, Satin Beige, Fauzia, Man Like Mally, Nazeem, DJSoulfultiz, Wavertree Community Gospel Choir Hayli and Katumba drumming.
On Wednesday 25 September at The Tung Auditorium at 1pm, acclaimed violinist Elodie Chousmer-Howelles and pianist Stella Marie Lorenz will be performing a classical music showcase. This is followed by a spoken word night at Hope Street Theatre on Thursday 26th September featuring Shak Introspection, Lucia (Lustraction), Angela Burnell and Fauzia Adetokunbo Agbonhin.
On Friday 27th September from 7.30pm, one of the world’s leading jazz musicians, Courtney Pine, will be gracing The Tung Auditorium. This award-winning show, House of Legends, celebrates the influence and contributions to the UK from the many varied people of the Caribbean and the re-release of Courtney’s ground breaking debut album Journey To The Urge Within. Group concessions available.
On Saturday 28th September from 6pm at District, the exciting Riddims night will feature supremely talented local artists CopDat, Immidish, Nazeem and ManlikeMally with DJ PAPU RAF Founder of Choplife + Finite band. Some of the best local musicians, rappers, RnB artists and DJs will be performing on the night — giving opportunities to young musicians.
Meanwhile, on Thursday 17th October at The Capstone Theatre, actress and singer Heather Tomlinson will be performing her “Endless Crescendo” — a poignant exploration of identity, acceptance, and the complexities of navigating the intersectionality of race and heritage.
Throughout the month there will be a series of visual arts exhibitions and workshops featuring the likes of Oke Ugonna, Kassessa Gandara, Cara Walker, Ridwa Horreh and Mary Jasmine. Meanwhile, on Tuesday 24th September at Granby Street Market there’ll be a Book To Film discussion with multi-award winning local author Ashleigh and Panel Member Yasmin Ali.
On Thursday 24th October from 10am at Sefton Park Palm House, Michelle Odwyer from Bay Tree Cooking will be delivering a sustainable cooking workshop. On Wednesday 30th October from 2pm at Futureyard, BlackFest Fashion Fest Finale features various local and national fashion designers, models, poets and musicians in what promises to be a fantastic event.
It was feared that the festival might not happen this year in light of the recent riots, but the team are determined to restore the hope in the city that Black Arts and Culture is welcome having on one of the oldest Black Communities in Liverpool.
On Sunday 29th September from 1pm at Granby Winter Garden, Liverpool’s award-winning author, poet and academic, Malik Al Nasir, will deliver a powerful Race Religion Riots talk that will educate and enlighten unpacking intersectional racism being both Black and Muslim and how his lived experience has shaped his life and now a prolific academic and policy maker advocate for Black Academia.
BlackFest’s Creative Director Jubeda Khatun said:
“We created BlackFest to not only shine a light on black arts in Merseyside and bridge the gap, but also to celebrate joy as a resistance, educate and empower. BlackFest is an integral platform to the cultural calendar in promoting the rich vibrant city we. We’re now in our 7th year of BlackFest and we’re very proud to have won an award and recognition for our work.”
“This year it is a great honour to welcome House of Legends Jazz Tour with Courtney Pine marking his 60th birthday at The Tung Auditorium, and we cannot wait to celebrate all the local and Northwest Black artists taking part in BlackFest 2024.”
“We’re really excited about this year’s showcase, it could not have come at a more needed time when we are seeing all the right-wing violence towards Black, Brown, Muslim, Migrant, Asylum and Refugee communities making many of us feeling unsafe in our own homes and in the UK. We must stand in solidarity decolonising the world we live in where such disparities have been the norm for many of us.”
“We are even more committed to what we’re doing. There is much to unlearn and relearn about colonial infrastructure and how it seeks to divide us. We are stronger together! Black Arts is for everyone, and Black Culture has given so much to society we need to support future generations who continue to inspire change on the platform and beyond. COME CELEBRATE BLACK ARTS WITH US AND THE VIBRANT MULTICULTURAL LIVERPOOL WE KNOW AND LOVE!”
You can check out what’s on throughout the festival and tickets here.
