Black History Month events in London 2025

Every October, Somerset House hosts the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, one of the city's most exciting Black History Month events. Over 50 galleries from across Africa and its diaspora showcase vibrant paintings, surreal installations, sculptures, and textiles. There's a packed programme of talks and events offering insight into the artists' processes and ideas. The fair balances bold creativity with accessibility: the grand space at Somerset House perfectly frames the works, making it easy to explore without feeling intimidated. Running from 16 to 19 October, tickets start at £18 and the exhibition is a must for art lovers.

This Black History Month, Mama Shelter London is serving up Caribbean vibes with a Guyanese-inspired supper club, presented by Eats & Beats, on Sunday, 19 October. Expect a three-course, family-style feast of rich chicken curry, spiced pumpkin, charred sweetcorn, and other Caribbean favourites, paired with live music from British-Nigerian artist Leks Bisi. Founded by Christiana Ajilore, Eats & Beats blends food, music, and storytelling into unforgettable nights. Tickets are £49, covering both the feast and entertainment.

The Black Culture Market celebrates African and Caribbean culture on October 5 and 6, marking the beginning of Black History Month. Featuring over 40 traders, attendees can explore various products, including food, fashion, gifts, books, natural skincare, toys, and African art. The event will be held at The Department Store in Brixton from 11am to 5pm on both days, with free entry and tickets available online.

In 1966, New Beacon Books made history as the UK's pioneering Black publisher and bookshop. It remains a vital cultural institution offering a selection of titles spanning Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, African America, Europe, South America, and Black Britain. In recent years, its significance was underscored when it faced closure but was rescued through a successful crowdfunding campaign, enabling it to thrive and evolve.

London's Caribbean food scene is in a constant state of change, ranging from street-side giant drum grills dishing out mouthwatering jerk chicken to upscale Jamaican dining establishments. Since the 1970s, yard shops have been offering beloved classics like beef-stuffed patties and lamb rotis across the city. In our guide, we've curated a list of the top Caribbean restaurants in London that are a must-add to your culinary bucket-list.

Head to Old Spitalfields Market for the Buy Black Guest Market, a one-day pop-up celebrating Black creativity and entrepreneurship. On Tuesday, October 28, the market will bring together a lineup of Black-owned brands from across London, selling everything from handmade jewellery and natural skincare to original art, home decor, and rare vinyl. It's a great way to support local makers, discover new favourites, and pick up a few early Christmas gifts. Can't make it this time? Not to worry, the market returns on the last Tuesday of every month.

'London, Sugar & Slavery' confronts the capital's role in the transatlantic slave trade head-on. The gallery traces how sugar and the docks fuelled immense wealth, flowing into banks, insurance firms, and government coffers, embedding slavery into London's economic fabric. You'll uncover Caribbean rebellions, Londoners boycotting sugar, and the human stories behind the profits. The accompanying talks delve deeper, exploring uncomfortable truths that are often overlooked in mainstream histories. This is one of the UK's only galleries dedicated solely to Britain's involvement in enslaved African lives, and it's open daily from 10am to 5pm.

Kerry James Marshall is one of America's most important contemporary painters, and 'The Histories' at the Royal Academy of Arts is a rare chance to experience his work in the UK. His large-scale, vividly coloured paintings centre on Black figures, rewriting the history of painting to include lives and stories long excluded from Western art. Drawing on art history, civil rights, comics, science fiction, and personal memory, Marshall's works are reflective, ambitious, and often hopeful. Expect 70 pieces, including the monumental 'Knowledge and Wonder (1995)', never before shown outside the US. Running until 18 January 2026.

'Nigerian Modernism' celebrates over 50 artists who transformed modern art in Nigeria during the mid-20th century. Set against the backdrop of independence and cultural rebellion, the exhibition highlights how groups like the Zaria Art Society and Mbari Artists' and Writers' Club blended Nigerian, African, and European techniques to produce bold, multidimensional work. From paintings to sculptural pieces, it's a vivid reminder of Nigeria's creative power and its lasting global influence. The show maps networks between Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, and Zaria, as well as London, Munich, and Paris, showing how Nigerian artists reshaped modern art.

Dark Sugars is renowned in London as a top spot for delicious handcrafted artisan chocolates, vegan sweet treats, and hot chocolate made with the finest Ghanaian chocolate. It was founded by Nyanga, an African woman passionate about sharing the cocoa journey from tree to mouth. Nyanga's quest for cocoa knowledge led her to dedicate several years to research on her family's West African farm before making her mark in Greenwich, where Dark Sugars boasts an ice cream parlour and flagship store, and also in the buzzy heart of Brick Lane.