Lyric Hammersmith Theatre presents

For the Culture: Celebrations of Blackness

Curated by Nathan Byron and Nicholai La Barrie.

24 - 26 Oct

Ages

+16

Venue

Main House & Studio

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A festival honouring Blackness through art, performance, conversation, love, and joy

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre will be the beating heart of West London this October with a bold programme of performances, gigs, and special events celebrating Black talent, joy, creativity, and culture.

For the Culture: Celebrations of Blackness Festival is more than a festival; it’s an act of resistance, a space for joy, reflection, and conversation, a place to champion and celebrate Black British artists, activists, and thinkers with our community.

We are thrilled to welcome an extraordinary lineup of artists who will take center stage here at the Lyric, including Talawa Theatre Company, Tyrell Williams, The Cocoa Butter Club, and Girls Can’t DJ. These headlining acts will deliver curated shows, events, and workshops as part of this year’s For the Culture Festival.

Over the course of three days, For the Culture will feature theatre, film, music, visual art, food, discussion, and more. Through a local focus, our inclusive programming will have events for everyone.

For the Culture is curated by Lyric Associate Director Nicholai La Barrie and BAFTA-Award nominee Nathan Byron.

Nicholai La Barrie, Festival Curator and Associate Director of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, said:

“I am incredibly excited to unveil the full-line up for this year’s For the Culture Festival, coming to the Lyric this autumn. Three years ago, the programme was launched as a call to action from all of us here at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre to celebrate Black Joy and uplift Black British creatives through an inspiring programme championing love and inclusivity. This October, the festival returns and runs in conjunction with our Main House production of Lorraine Hansberry’s ground-breaking civil rights story A Raisin in the Sun and over a period of three days our festival programme takes over the building with a series of curated events that celebrate culture, facilitate intergenerational conversations, and highlight community.”

Nathan Byron, Festival Curator, said: “I am over the moon to be working on For The Culture Festival with Nicholai and his amazing team, The Lyric is such an important building and one of my favourite spaces to be, so I cannot wait to help curate events that will be inspiring for all. For black creatives who are looking for community, inspiration, a sign to keep going in these tough times, I promise you will find all of that at this year’s For the Culture Festival.

Tickets now on sale for the full programme of events below.