Waltham Forest Windrush Festival
Windrush Festival returns to Fellowship Square at Waltham Forest Town Hall for its third year. The festival marks Windrush Day, an opportunity to celebrate and honour the Windrush generation, and all they have contributed to Waltham Forest and beyond.
We are partnering with a host of local community groups, schools and local businesses to showcase the very best in Afro-Caribbean culture, history and food. We have an exciting programme of performances, dancing, music, exhibitions, arts and craft activities, games, inflatables and much more.
All activities are free!
Stage programme 22 June 2024
Windrush Day Flag-Raising Ceremony from 11am to 11:10am
A Windrush Day flag-raising ceremony in Fellowship Square.
Mission Grove School Performance from 11:10am to 11:25am
Performance from Mission Grove School.
Singing with the ACEA from 11:25am to 11:55am
Members of the Afro-Caribbean Elders Association will sing songs rehearsed at their singing groups.
Big Creative Academy Performance from 11:55am to 12:10pm
Mbilla Arts, in partnership with Alison Ray Dance Company, have been working with Big Creative Academy in Walthamstow exploring African music, dancing and drumming.
This special performance will see students perform the dances developed throughout these workshops.
Project Zero Talent Show from 12:15pm to 12:45pm
Project Zero are bringing the boroughs youth to the square, with performances including dancing and singing!
African Drumming and Dancing (NICO) from 12:45pm to 1:25pm
Afro-Caribbean folklore songs, performed using traditional musical instruments and dancing with passion. As we focus on remediation of the past and building a future of hope and prosperity, these songs shall create a kaleidoscopic of steadfastness, courage, love and resilience.
Harry Hughes' Junior Steelband from 1:25pm to 1:55pm
Live sessions of steel pan music will bring the sounds of the Caribbean courtesy of the Waltham Forest Twinning Association.
Chair Exercise (ACEA) from 1:55pm to 2:25pm
Seated exercise session with the Afro-Caribbean Elders Association.
Emmanuel School Performance from 2:25pm to 2:40pm
Performance from Emmanuel School.
Harry Hughes' Junior Steelband from 2:40pm to 3:10pm
Live sessions of steel pan music will bring the sounds of the Caribbean courtesy of the Waltham Forest Twinning Association.
Gospel Concert (COGIC) from 3:10pm to 4:15pm
This performance gives homage to the music of the Churches which formed the sounds of British Gospel. Music and singing were and still are critical elements for expressing courage, resilience and hope.
Led by Mrs Jacqui Webb and The COGIC East London District Sunday School Choir, children can come forward to join the Children’s Gospel Choir and rock to a medley of classic inspirational spiritual songs.
Special Guest Performance by Lurine Cato MBE. And a free leaflet sharing a brief insight into the story of Waltham Forest Windrush generation residents and Churches' contribution to the growth of Gospel Music in Britain today.
Percussion Workshop (A.Xodus) from 4:15pm to 5pm
A special percussion workshop to honor the legacy of the Windrush generation Led by Artist/musician Ka Boukie.
With special guest internationally acclaimed jazz steel pianist and educator Marlon Hibbert we look at the rhythms that have shaped generations of black music culture in the UK. There will be congos, bongos, shakers and other percussion for all members of the community regardless of neurodiversity, or background because we’re stronger together.
Reggae Review Show from 5pm to 5:20pm
The House of La Touche sings songs from Delroy Murray's One Drop Reggae Review Show.
The Skills Within Schools Performance from 5:20pm to 6pm
The Skills Within alongside Mindfully Create will showcase student groups Windrush-inspired performances developed through their creative interactive workshops at local schools.
Stalls Programme
Afro-Caribbean Games and Workers Display
Afro-Caribbean Elders Association (ACEA) invite families, friends and the local community to celebrate the Windrush Generation and the contributions of the Afro-Caribbean community to culture in the UK.
There will be board games including dominos exercise sessions, Caribbean recipe cards, and an exhibit celebrating Afro-Caribbean workers throughout history.
African Exhibition
Writers and Actors Forum's exhibit will showcase inter-generational skills and knowledge and how different cultural, religious, and ancestral practices shaped the Afro-Caribbean people through history.
The display will include a mechanical cloth weaving loom, ancestral coral beads, masks, statues, and instruments.
Step into the Windrush Era
Waltham Forest Twinning Association presents this interactive exhibition displaying unique imagery of those who left the Caribbean islands for the UK during the Windrush era. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive art activities suitable for adults and children.
Heart of Carnival Masks and Movement Workshop
Join GB Carnival’s artists to make and decorate Windrush inspired hats, flags and masks, and find out how to get involved in the Leyton Más Carnival Parade and Fête.
Ludo Workshops
Presented by Two Twos Art CIC, this workshop will allow participants to explore culture and identity through the creation of Ludi/Ludo boards. Counters and dice are also provided so the board can be used at home. For ages 8 plus.
Paula's Preloved Emporium
This exciting homegrown project showcases Africa's global diaspora through pre-loved wares including jewellery designs, scented candles and books. The project aims to represent Windrush through the generations and enable an exchange of culture and sharing.
The Windrush Chronicles
Creative Engagement Services lead these interactive media sessions, bringing young people and senior citizens of Waltham Forest together to celebrate the Windrush generation's incredible story. Participants will interview local elders for a captivating series of filmed and recorded episodes to be shared across popular platforms.
Unheard Stories Exhibition
Age UK Waltham Forest presents this exhibition profiling the life stories of 15 Black elders living in Waltham Forest. Gathered as part of Windrush's 75th anniversary celebrations last year, these are the stories of Black people who came to Britain in the 1960s and 1970s from the Caribbean and other countries of the former British empire. They are stories of courage, resilience, triumphs, love, family, and, above all, lives of hard, hard work. They are stories of facing and overcoming racism and discrimination.
Foyer Activities
Film screening: Unknown Soldier
Alison Ray Dance Company presents Unknown Soldier, a film about Windrush Captain Johnny Smythe. The screening will be followed by a Q&A from the director of the Forgotten Generation.
LifeLong Audio: Memory Archives
The Skills Within, in partnership with LifeLong Audio, will encourage community cohesion and communication by making recordings of memories from the Windrush generation. Experiences will be shared live with visitors at the event and turned into visual and audio keepsakes online as part of the Waltham Forest Windrush celebration and beyond.
Windrush Freedom Walk
Local author and historian Peter Ashan will lead a Freedom Walk from Fellowship Square at 11:30am. The walk will look at the Afro-Caribbean community within Waltham Forest and present alternate stories from centuries past to the present day.
Food and Drink
We’ll have various local food vendors on the square, plus an ice cream van and rum cocktails on offer.
The Skills Within will also be launching their food truck project, empowering young people aged 16 to 25 to plan and prepare a menu. By using the Waltham Forest food network and local volunteers, including chefs and cooks, it reduces food waste while passing on sustainable food practices.
The initiative aims to educate youth on food variety, flavour, nutrition, local sourcing, and waste reduction, whilst providing employment, education, and training.
As well as a culinary attraction, the food truck aims to be a hub for cultural exchange and dialogue, where festival attendees can indulge in delicious dishes while learning about the stories and traditions behind them.
Additional activities
We’ll also have children’s games, face painting and inflatables on the square.
The whole community is invited to join in on celebrating the Windrush generation, so put on your most colourful party clothes, and we look forward to seeing you there!
Libraries programme
Age UK Waltham Forest will tour their Unheard Stories exhibition throughout Waltham Forest's libraries through to September, profiling the life stories of 15 black elders.
Who are the Windrush generation, what is Windrush day and why do Waltham Forest Council celebrate it?
Windrush Day marks the anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush in 1948, a ship which carried many passengers from the Caribbean to the UK.
The ship has become symbolic of the many Caribbean migrants who came to the UK to help rebuild our country following labour shortages post World War two.
We celebrate Windrush Day to recognise and thank them the Windrush generation and their families for the enormous contributions they have made to Britain during its recovery and ever since. Waltham Forest has a 25,000 strong Afro-Caribbean community that make up a valuable part of our cultural fabric – the Windrush festival will bring diverse communities together to honour the Windrush Generation and their legacy in Waltham Forest and beyond.