BlackFest is a grassroots Liverpool Black arts festival founded in 2018. It showcases an eclectic mix of work from Black creatives, across community spaces and established venues. The program includes dance, visual arts, music, film, spoken word and theatre. The Festival answers a crucial need in the city’s cultural offering, celebrating Black arts and bridging the gap between institutions and the marginalised communities in Liverpool. BlackFest aim to educate, empower and improve equality in the arts. Ensuring we do this with integrity, resilience and become a collective voice for changeWe aim to:

Equality – Use arts as a tool enhancing wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion in the city’s arts institutions and community spaces through representation and visibility.

Empower - Celebrate Black arts and experiences from authentic lenses through creativity and community participation. Reflecting the city’s growing multicultural communities and artists providing an inclusive platform showcasing their talents.

Educate - Fostering artistic development of emerging and aspiring regional artists. Developing communities and providing quality, diverse opportunities, shared artistic experiences for all, inspiring participation in the creation, understanding, and access to the arts.

Shanthi creative writing course:
BlackFest want to bring together strong women of colour to answer, are you invisible? We want to hear from Women of colour what it means to be a woman of colour in the UK today. Women of colour couldn’t stick out more in the crowd. We will be creating inspirational pieces of writing, real stories from Black woman of their lived experiences.

The project aims to improve self –esteem/worth and give confidence to women to occupy any space. This opportunity will open doors for integration and social inclusion as they will get to learn about one another’s culture and identity and create a support network.

This space will give a time of relaxation to mind and body