• A programme of free events and activities celebrating Caribbean heritage, culture and community in Newham
Newham is excited to invite residents and visitors to take part in a powerful and uplifting programme of events activities throughout June and July commemorating Windrush Day 2025.
The programme honours the historic arrival of HMT Empire Windrush in 1948 and celebrates the vibrant legacy of the Windrush Generation on the borough.
Councillor Charlene McLean, Cabinet member for Resident Engagement and Resident Experience said: “I’m delighted to introduce this year’s Windrush celebration programme which marks the importance of this extraordinary Caribbean generation and their contribution to life in Newham.
“I hope that all our residents join together to learn more about the Windrush story and share their own experience at our events over the next two months. Our collective memories will be captured to celebrate and inform our diversity as a borough, as we also celebrate 60 years as the London Borough of Newham.”
Under the banner of reflection, celebration, and storytelling, the Windrush Day programme includes film screenings, workshops, exhibitions, and cultural activities.
Programme highlights include:
TURNING POINT Film Screenings & Q+A
Thursday 19 to Saturday 21 June, The Gate Library, East Ham Library, and Stratford Library
Audiences can experience Sweet Patootee Arts’ powerful film TURNING POINT, inspired by Black Caribbean oral histories and stories of freedom in Britain’s former slave colonies. Screenings are followed by thought-provoking discussions. The film has been funded by Arts Council England, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, The Arsenal Foundation, and Crowdfunder donations.
Windrush Day Celebration at Stratford Library, Saturday 21 June, 10.30am- 7.30pm
TURNING POINT Project: ‘Sunday Best’ Exhibition. An exhibition of garments crafted by local residents in a heritage skills project reflecting 1920s to 1930s Caribbean and London styles. This forms part of the TURNING POINT project, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The exhibition was in partnership with Sweet Patootee Arts, Sakafet London and UCL Culture Lab.
- Tales that Dance: Celebrating Caribbean Culture with Wendy Shearer, 10.30-11.30am. Interactive storytelling for ages 3–5, celebrating Caribbean folklore with music and dance.
- Black British Ancestry: Who Do You Think You Are? with Paul Crooks, 1.30-3pm. A genealogy masterclass exploring the ancestral journeys that underpin the Windrush story.
- Sakafet London Workshop: The Caribbean Madras Headdress, 3-5pm. Hands-on workshop celebrating Caribbean dress traditions and identity through vibrant Madras headwear.
- Windrush Caribbean Film Festival Screening, Saturday 28 June, 6-7.30pm, Stratford Library. Featuring six acclaimed short films – Mas Resistance, A Glass House, The Tobacconist, Just Like Dad, Love Language, and Guinness Punch – bring to life stories of migration, belonging, and cultural pride.
- Windrush Stories: Voices from the Libraries, throughout July 2025. A borough-wide oral history project capturing the memories of the Windrush Generation and their descendants in Newham. Interviews will form part of a digital and physical archive housed at the new Heritage Centre in Canning Town.
All events are free and open to all.
To book, visit www.newhamwindrushday.org
