Honouring Our Communities – Black History Month 2026
This Black History Month, Croydon BME Forum and our partners are proud to celebrate and recognise 20 remarkable individuals and organisations who have made a positive and lasting contribution to Croydon and our communities.
Nominated by staff from across our partner organisations, those featured represent the very best of community leadership, service, creativity, education, health, culture and commitment to others.
Our special Black History Month 2026 – Honouring Our Communities booklet shares their stories, celebrates their achievements and recognises the difference they continue to make.
We invite you to discover their stories and join us in celebrating the people and organisations helping to make Croydon a stronger, more connected community.
Download our Black History Month 2026 – Honouring Our Communities Booklet
Celebrating our past • Honouring our present • Inspiring our future
HONOURING OUR COMMUNITIES
Join Croydon as we officially launch Croydon Black History Month 2026
Description:
Come together with our communities, partners and friends as we begin a month of *celebrating Black history, culture, heritage and the contributions of our communities across Croydon.
Date, time & venue: 
Thursday 1 October 2026
⏰ 6:00pm – 8:00pm*
📍 London South Bank University
HIGHWAY TO HEALTH
Take the Highway to Health and Wellbeing!
Description:
Journey with us for an informative and empowering Health & Wellbeing Day designed to
support, educate, empower and inspire our community.
Date, time & venue: Saturday, 3rd October 2026
⏰ 11:00am – 4:00pm
📍 Whitgift Centre outside of Superdry
Croydon Harvest featuring the Walnut Fair
Description:
This autumn, Croydon Harvest brings together music, movement and cultural
traditions from across the world for a free joyful weekend in the town centre.
Come and enjoy powerful live performances from artists whose music and dance
carry stories of heritage, community and belonging.
Date, time & venue: Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October 2026
12:00pm – 5:00pm
The Queen’s Gardens, Katharine Street, High Street and Croydon Clocktower
Legacy & Hope Concert – Pegasus Opera Company
Description:
Date, time & venue: Thursday 8 October 2026
⏰ 7:30pm – 9:30pm
📍 Braithwaite Hall, Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX
Croydon BME Forum and Croydon Talking Therapy – Joint Sip and Paint Event
Description:
Croydon Talking Therapy will introduce their service and provide a stress bucket template for participants to explore the different factors currently impacting their lives. Participants will then create an art piece representing their coping mechanisms and strategies for managing stress.
Date, time & venue: Thursday 8th October 2026 11:00am – 1:00pm The Wellness Centre First Floor Unit 1040/42, Croydon, CR0 1LP Opposite Waterstones Bookstore
Intergenerational Care Event 2026
Celebrating Black History Month
Description:
Join us for a meaningful day of connection, care and cultural celebration as students and elders come together to honour the past and inspire the future. The event will bring different generations together through conversation, storytelling, cultural reflection, and shared experiences, creating an opportunity to connect, learn from one another and celebrate community.
The day will also include free pampering treatments such as haircuts, facials, and manicures, alongside a live Q&A and light refreshments.
Date, time & venue:
📅 Wednesday 21st October 2026
🕙 10:00am – 2:30pm
📍 John Ruskin College, Selsdon Park Road, South Croydon, CR2 8JJ
Registration & contact:
✉️ Johnbie@bmeforum.org
📅 Please register your interest by 1st October 2026
Hosted by:
John Ruskin College
In partnership with:
Croydon BME Forum and the Manju Shahul-Hameed Foundation for Mental & Health
Women’s Health & Wellbeing
Supporting Black & Ethnic Minority Women Aged 40–55
Description:
Join us this Black History Month for a supportive and informative session focused on your health and wellbeing through midlife. Come along to learn more about heart health, blood pressure, healthy weight, nutrition, sleep, stress and mental wellbeing, with practical advice to help you make positive lifestyle changes. There will also be opportunities for health checks and information about local health, wellbeing and community support services.
Date, time & venue: Sunday 18th October 2026 1:00pm – 3:00pm Wellness Centre, 1st Floor, Whitgift Centre, opposite Waterstones
Whisk and Wellbeing
Description:
Participants will follow a Black Mental Health-inspired recipe, working in pairs while exploring traditions, practices, and cultural experiences within the Black community. The session will provide an opportunity for participants to socialise, connect, and engage with other members of the community.
Date, time & venue: Monday 26th October 2026 4:00pm – 6:30pm The Cherry Hub, 171 St James Road, CR0 2BY
Talawa ICONIC
Celebrating 40 Years of Black British Storytelling
Description:
Join Talawa for a one-night-only Black History Month celebration marking four decades of Black British storytelling through theatre, music, dance and poetry. The evening honours founder Yvonne Brewster OBE and Talawa’s extraordinary legacy of nurturing Black talent, shaping British theatre and inspiring future generations. The programme will feature excerpts from landmark productions from across Talawa’s four decades.
Date, time & venue:
📅 Tuesday 13th October 2026
🕙 Doors & Black Carpet: 6:00pm | Performance: 7:00pm
📍 Hackney Empire, East London
Michael
Black History Month at the David Lean Cinema
Description: A special Black History Month screening tracing the early life and extraordinary rise of Michael Jackson, from child star to global music icon. Directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Date, time & venue: Saturday 17th October 2026 2:00pm David Lean Cinema, Croydon
Cotton Queen
Black History Month at the David Lean Cinema
Description:
Set in Sudan, Cotton Queen follows Nafisa as she navigates family, identity and a changing world within the cotton trade. Directed by Suzannah Mirghani, the film explores personal and cultural change through the experiences of a young woman finding her place within her community.
Date, time & venue:
Tuesday 20th October 2026, 2:30pm & 7:30pm, David Lean Cinema, Croydon
EMHIP Mental Health Conference 2026
Roots of Resilience – Celebrating Heritage, Strengthening Mental Health
Description:
Join EMHIP for an inspiring afternoon exploring mental health, heritage, resilience, lived experience and community support. The conference will feature guest speakers and Q&A sessions, interactive workshops, lived experience and community voices, an EMHIP project exhibition, refreshments, a free hot meal and more.
The event is open to community members, organisations, professionals, partners and anyone interested in mental health and wellbeing.
Date, time & venue:
📅 Wednesday 14th October 2026
🕙 12:00pm – 5:00pm
📍 St Mary’s Church, Croydon, CR0 2AR
The Front Room Experience:
An Immersive Theatrical Production
Description:
Step back into 1962 and experience a powerful story of faith, migration, resilience and community. Inspired by the Caribbean generation who created spaces of belonging within their own homes, CHURCH brings audiences into an authentic front room filled with worship, music, fellowship and testimony.
The production is directed by Ray Shell and written and produced by Samuel Facey and Dave Prince.
Date, time & venue:
📅 Thursday 22nd – Sunday 25th October 2026
🕙 Thursday 22nd – 8:00pm
🕙 Friday 23rd – 8:00pm
🕙 Saturday 24th – 8:00pm
🕙 Sunday 25th – 5:00pm
📍 The Front Room, 37–39 St Georges Walk, Croydon, CR0 1YL
Doors open 30 minutes before each performance.
🎟️ Tickets: £25
🌐 Book via Eventbrite
Croydon Roots
A Soul-Full Celebration of Croydon’s Black Heritage
Description:
A three-day celebration of Croydon’s Black heritage, bringing together the past, present and future through music, storytelling, heritage, creativity and community. Across the weekend, visitors can enjoy live performances, intergenerational activities, heritage workshops, film screenings and community conversations.
Date & venue:
📅 Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th October 2026
📍 62 George Street, Croydon Town Centre, CR0 1PD
Same Street: New Skwod
Bring the Movement to the Street
Description:
Celebrating 10 years since the release of Nadia Rose’s iconic track Skwod, which was filmed on Surrey Street Market. This event invites a new generation of Croydon young people to bring the video back to life through a dance workshop and music video filming.
Led by and for young people, the session celebrates movement, creativity and Croydon pride. Presented by Scanners Inc. as part of Croydon Council’s Amplifying Surrey Street project.
Date, time & venue:
📅 Sunday 25th October 2026
🕙 12:00pm – 5:00pm
💃 Skwod Dance Workshop: 12:00pm
🎥 Music Video Filming: 1:30pm
📍 Surrey Street Market Archway, near the junction with Scarbrook Road
Sickle Cell Event
Black History Month Community Event
Description:
An interactive workshop and supportive educational event for people living with sickle cell, as well as parents, carers and families. The session will help participants build knowledge, share experiences and feel more confident managing everyday life and healthcare.
Topics will include understanding how sickle cell can affect people differently, recognising common triggers and early warning signs, knowing when urgent help may be required, everyday self-care and confidently communicating and advocating for yourself or a loved one.
The event will feature guest speaker Dr Lewis Thomas, retired GP, Sickle Cell Educator and Founder of Sickleverse.
Date, time & venue:
📅 Saturday 24th October 2026
🕙 3:30pm
📍 Braithwaite Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon, CR0 1NX
With Love, From South
Honouring Croydon’s Black Music Communities
Description:
A special Black History Month evening celebrating the sounds, spaces and grassroots communities that have shaped Croydon’s Black music heritage. Presented by Croydon Music City x Soul Culture, the event will bring together live music, conversation and collective memory spanning sound-system roots, jazz, soul, reggae and the underground basslines of Big Apple Records.
The evening will showcase Croydon’s past, present and emerging talent while bringing generations together to celebrate the people, stories and creative communities behind Black British music in Croydon.
Date, time & venue:
📅 Thursday 29th October 2026
🕙 6:00pm – 11:00pm
📍 The Village Table, 40 Park Lane, Croydon, CR0 1GX