Windrush Festival Archive
While Hackney has long celebrated its Windrush roots, Hackney Council has hosted an official Windrush Festival since 2019. Each year, the Windrush Generation in Hackney and their descendants have come together to mark the anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks in 1948.
Explore this page to find photo albums and highlights from each year of the Windrush Generations Festival in Hackney.
2024
Windrush Generations Festival 2024
In 2024, the annual celebrations took place at Hackney Church (formerly St Johns at Hackney). The well attended event had music from Ja Bunny’s All Star Band, One Drum Foundation, DJ Chicken, gospel singing from Baby Broadway and top acts from the Hackney Music Service. We also had poets Chloe Carterr, Amanda Inniss and speeches from Patrick Vernon, Chief Executive Dawn Carter Mcdonald and Cllr Carole Williams.
Plaque unveiling in Stonebridge Gardens
On the morning of Windrush Day 2024, a new plaque was unveiled by three dedicated trees that were planted in honour of the Windrush Generation. Community members and Council leaders joined us as we held a minute silence in honour of our Windrush community.
Windrush Amplified Art Grant
2024 also saw the launch of a new grant to find and elevate an established or up-coming artist from the Windrush Generations. The winner of this grant was Wayne Snooze and his works ‘Stories From St Thomas’ appeared at various locations across Hackney throughout the month of June. Wayne also hosted a special workshop ‘Island To Island’ where he shared his original screen printing practices as a way to explore our stories.
Microgrant highlights
The annual microgrant scheme delivered a series of brilliant intergenerational events. 2024’s recipients included The Bop Hop day festival in Hoxton Gardens, a celebration of fatherhood at the Thank you Papa Awards, a documentary screening and exhibition charting the history of The Mighty Ruler Soundsystem, a stunning play, Wind/Rush Generations at Hoxton Hall inspired by David Lammy’s National Day of Shame speech and the All In One Boat art series exploring Polish refugees aboard the Empire Windrush*.
2023
Windrush 75 Festival
In 2023, the nation commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush arriving at Tilbury Docks. Our borough marked this anniversary with our annual event at the Hackney Town Hall with music from reggae legends Black Slate and Jah Bunny All Stars, poetry from Mr Gee and Sonia B, young Carnival acts from Dimensions Carnival group and speeches from our Council leaders. Our host was the infamous Eddie Nestor.
Microgrant highlights
To mark the 75th anniversary, the microgrant funds were increased to support more community events. Events included an open day at Hackney Caribbean Elderly Association, singalongs, dances and storytelling at the Amity Project, a street party hosted by Uprising Community Club and a film screening and Q&A with Leroy Logan MBE - former police superintendent and founding member of the Black Police Association.
2022
Windrush Generations Festival 2022
Unveiling new public artworks in 2022
On Windrush Day 2022, Hackney unveiled the second of their new permanent public artworks. The unveiling of “Warm Shores” by artist Thomas J Price in Hackney Town Hall Square was celebrated with a Town Hall Square party hosted by actor, comedian, TV and radio presenter, Eddie Nestor MBE. The event featured performances from award-winning poets Mr Gee, Raymond Antrobus, Sheba Montserrat and KG Lester with music from Morningside Youth Steel Pan Band, The Reggae Choir and Kingsmead Dynamix Drumming and Dance Group.
Veronica Ryan’s artworks, the sculptures ‘Custard Apple, Breadfruit and Soursop’ unveiled in 2021, also won the esteemed Turner Prize in 2022.
What will you do for Windrush?
In 2022, Cllr Williams asked ‘what will you do for Windrush?’ to encourage everyone to mark the day in their own special way. Resources were created to inspire ways to celebrate and provided in a downloadable pack. Why not use it to inspire your Windrush celebrations this year?
Microgrant highlights
Microgrant recipients included a lively wellbeing event from Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation, an artistic workshop of intergenerational activity at Sutton House and a Caribbean Tea Dance hosted by Children With Voices. The Amity Project used the Friends of Woodberry Downs Windrush Booklet to deliver poetry and musical memories at eight housing schemes, and House of AMAU captivated everyone at their event ‘In a Rush to Where?’ featuring work from the anthology, ‘100 Years Unheard - WW1 and the Afrikan Diasporan Woman’.
St Michael and All Angels Church explored the relationship between the Jewish Community and Windrush migrants in a fascinating documentary, and JFB Jerk Grill hosted ‘A Celebration of Our Elders’ dinner and dance. NuDawn CIC’s vital event ‘Let Them Know’ - empowered residents to seek financial recompense in light of the Scandal and The Turkish Cypriot Community Association delivered a visionary event capturing stories of migration and solidarity between the Turkish-Cypriot and Caribbean members of Hackney between 1950-1974.
2021
Windrush Generations Festival 2021
For the Windrush Generations Festival 2021, we collaborated with Create London to deliver a series of art activations to complement the arrival of our Windrush Sculptures. This included working with Halina Edwards for her Flags About Home artworks which hung outside Vogue Fabrics Dalston, and a commission to create specially designed Caribbean-style recipe tea-towels, by British-Jamaican designer Martine Rose which were gifted to Windrush elders. Billboards across the borough also presented images from 2019’s Real Selfie Project in collaboration with Autograph gallery.
Microgrant highlights
2021’s festival contained a mixture of live and online events as social distancing measures slowly began to lift. St Michaels and All Angels Church screened their Windrush Pioneers documentary, a new plaque was unveiled at the Uprising Community Club, and the Vortex Jazz Club curated a special event from poet and trumpeter Shake Keane. As well as Hackney Caribbean Elderly Association’s community gathering, Peace in the Streets paid homage to Windrush Heroes with a red carpet awards ceremony at Hackney Picturehouse.
Hackney Windrush Artwork Commission: Veronica Ryan
In Autumn 2021 Veronica Ryan’s now Turner-winning sculptures ‘Custard Apple, Breadfruit and Soursop’ - situated by St Augustine’s Tower, were unveiled making her the first Black woman artist to have a public permanent artwork dedicated to the Windrush generation. The works were inspired by her memories of visiting Ridley Road Market as a child. This was the first of two new public artworks as part of the Hackney Windrush Artwork Commission.
2020
Windrush Generations Festival 2020
We Are Windrush
The Covid Pandemic prevented the annual Windrush Generations Festival from being in person in 2020, however, we still found a way to come together online. We Are Windrush Poetry and Storytelling was an online event hosted by special guests Colin Grant, Raymond Antrobus and Hackney Empire's Alter Ego finalist Phoenix who delivered the brilliant poem You Black People. Watch the video.
The programme also included a The Windrush songwriting project was based on an intergenerational collaboration with American Music Association UK members and Hackney Empire Elders held in January 2020. Watch the film.
Hackney’s Windrush Artwork commission.
2020 also saw the launch of Hackney’s Windrush Artwork commission which would go on to deliver the UK’s first public permanent artworks to represent the Windrush legacy. Following a public consultation in January 2020, shortlisted artists included Thomas J. Price, Veronica Ryan and a joint application from Indra Khan and Hew Locke. On 22nd June, Price and Ryan were announced as the winners.
2019
Windrush Generations Festival 2019
Tea Party
The Windrush Tea Party was held in 2019 at Stoke Newington Town Hall, where members of the Windrush Generation and their families enjoyed tea and cake with live musical performances.
The programme also included the Windrush Baking Project, which saw Windrush members of all generations get together in the kitchen to share traditional Caribbean recipes. Dishes chosen by the seniors ranged from Plantain Tarts to Spiced Pumpkin Cake and captured in a special Windrush cookbook and sold in local bookshops.
Photographer Rafael Hortala-Vallve and filmmaker Nick Francis captured the day via ‘the Real Life Selfie Project’ using an analogue photobooth from the 1970s as their camera of choice.
Microgrant highlights
In 2019 Hackney was awarded £10,00 from the Government’s Windrush Day Grant fund to deliver community microgrants. This was the start of the annual scheme to fund community members to produce festival events every year. Funded groups included Tropical Isles, R Consultancy, House Of Amau, the Gillett Square Domino Club, Friends of Woodberry Downs, Uprising Community Club and the Hackney Caribbean Elderly Association.
2018
Windrush Tea Party 2018
In the wake of the Scandal, Hackney Council threw the first tea party to honour the community inviting members of the Windrush Generation and their descendants to take part in a day of activities. This event included speeches from significant members of the community as well as music, food and a photography exhibition.
This was also the year Hackney Council became the first UK borough to pass a motion in parliament pledging to oppose the criminalisation of Windrush families, celebrate annual Windrush Day and press central Government for a public enquiry into the scandal.
2017
Celebrating Windrush 2017
Me Say, You Say by Lydia Julien
In 2017 Lydia Julien worked with the Peppie Close residents who were kindly facilitated by Christopher Garnsworthy from Hackney Community Library Services.
She created a prose poem, Me Say, You Say from the resident's oral histories and memories which went on to be performed at Peppie Close and the Windrush Tea Party at Hackney Town Hall 2018.
Peppie Close is a specialist residential unit for people from the African-Caribbean community, which enables vulnerable adults, usually aged 55 and older, to live as independently as possible.
Windrush Girl by Whistel Edwards
Whistel Edwards is a local poet who is pleased to contribute to Hackney Windrush 2020 celebrations.
She attended the first Windrush tea party in 2018 as a guest and performed work from her collection of poetry.
Did We Say You Can Stay? by Sonia B
Sonia B is a local poet who writes her feelings, family, experiences, and mental health. She has written two collections: Within A Mental Mind and Second Time Around about fulfilled life experiences.
She was is a member of the Hackney Libraries Lockdown Poetry group, which published a collection of work later in 2020. "Did We Say You Can Stay?" was Sonia B's welcome contribution to the Windrush celebration.