October is Black History Month, and there are plenty of opportunities across Bristol to celebrate, learn about and explore Black history, culture and creativity.
The theme for 2026 is ‘Honouring Our Communities’, shining a light on the people who strengthen their communities through everyday acts of leadership, care, creativity and volunteering.
On our doorstep and around Bristol
To kick off the month join award-winning author and poet Derek Owusu on Thursday 1 October at The Small City Bookshop, Church Road, BS5 on for a special conversation about his new novel, The Recovery House.
Next, there’s the Dr Roy Hackett MBE Legacy Trail on Saturday 3 October, exploring St Werburghs and St Paul’s and the life and legacy of one of Bristol’s most important civil rights campaigners.
At M Shed, Inherited Rhythms with DJ Style & Friends on Friday 16 October explores Bristol’s music culture of the 1980s and its African and Caribbean roots. The panel includes people who lived and worked through the era, followed by an after-party with DJs Donovan Jackson and DJ Lynx.
Families can also head to M Shed on Saturday 24 October for ‘Wear your story’, a Black History Month family activity exploring the colours, creativity and textile traditions of the Yoruba people of Nigeria through Adire and upcycling. Bristol Museums is also running Black History Month learning activities for KS2 pupils during October.
Bristol’s universities
UWE Bristol has its own Black History Month programme. On Tuesday 6 October, Honouring Our Communities: Celebrating Black Bristol brings together people shaping Black community identity, wellbeing, culture and leadership across Bristol and the South West. It takes place at Watershed from 6pm to 9pm, is free, and can also be watched online. UWE is also holding free film screenings at its Frenchay Campus, including The Six Triple Eight on 11 October and The Best of Enemies on 23 October.
At the University of Bristol, there’s a free screening and discussion of We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe on Thursday 8 October, 5–7pm, at the Richmond Building on Queens Road. The documentary explores the often overlooked presence of African and Black people living, travelling and working in Europe during the Renaissance, using paintings and other historical evidence to question some of the assumptions surrounding the Black figures depicted in Renaissance art.
After the film, director Fred Kudjo Kuwornu, an Italian-Ghanaian filmmaker and scholar, will be in conversation with Dr Rowan Tomlinson, chaired by Dr José Lingna Nafafé. The event is organised jointly by the University of Bristol’s Centre for Black Humanities and School of Modern Languages. Admission is free but advance booking is required. Find out more and book.
Explore Bristol’s Black history from home
Bristol City Council has brought together material on Bristol’s Black history, including the Black Bristol project created by young people from Off The Record, Bristol Museums’ collections on Bristol and the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans, and educational materials developed for Bristol schools.
Friends of Eastside, BCfm Radio has shows spanning Bristol’s communities and music including African and Caribbean sounds.
Find out more
More events are likely to be announced as October gets underway. Keep an eye on the Bristol Black History Month listings, Bristol Museums programme and Bristol City Council’s Black History Month resources for updates.
Know about a Black History Month event, activity or project in Easton or Lawrence Hill that we’ve missed? We’d particularly love to hear about events happening in our neighbourhoods. Get in touch and we can help spread the word!
