13th – 15th September 2024
PECKHAM FESTIVAL: THE BLOCK PARTY
Get Ready for a Three-Day Festival Celebrating Peckham’s Unique Community & Culture. Over three days, Peckham Festival will honour the diverse and intergenerational communities that have shaped Peckham’s unique culture, community & creativity — past, present and future. Peckham Festival is celebrating you.
From the West African Aunty on the roadside to the nail techs, to the local artists & sound systems born in Peckham’s basements, from the next generation at Harris Academy to the residents from Elim House Care Home who paved the way, Peckham Festival celebrates all who contribute to the ever-evolving spirit of Peckham. Recognising the invaluable contributions of Peckham’s existing communities to its rich and diverse heritage and ensuring that the future of this unique neighbourhood remains inclusive to those who have built its vibrant culture.
From 13-15th September 2024, Copeland Park and venues across Peckham will host a wide-ranging programme of free events that celebrate the creativity of this unique neighbourhood. Peckham Festival is delighted to announce our guest curators for 2024 – Alizée Ndiaye and Danny Bailey, who together make up The Heritage Palace. After the success of their curation of Copeland Gallery last year with their mixed-media exhibition ‘Staying Power’, we were thrilled to offer them the opportunity to handle curation for the whole festival this year.
Attracting between 15-20,000 visitors annually, Peckham Festival endeavours to bring people together through music, performance, film, art, open studios, markets, workshops, dance, activities and more. Events take place in former warehouses, Victorian factories and repurposed car parks at the heart of the community including at creative hubs; Copeland Park, Cornerhouse (formerly Market) and Peckham Levels.
Collaborating with homegrown local talent and businesses is at the core of the festival’s ethos. This year Peckham Festival is working with programming partners which include local music platform GALA who will bring a number of new, rising acts to the stage on Friday night, aiming to establish a pipeline for artists to perform at GALA Festival in the future.
The festival stage will also feature Nadeem Din Gabisi, Mark Ashley, Fireball Sessions, Dwayne ‘Wonky’ Logic, Donna Thompson, Ashley Blasse, Richie, Tony Njoku, Momoko Gill, as well as Passa Production/The Mighty Ruler. Local community performances will include Peckham Chamber Orchestra; Rye Lane Chapel’s band; Peckham Studios; Metronome’s steel orchestra and Zaiah Arts’ carnival dance fitness.
Copeland Gallery will host ‘PECKNAM’, programmed by lead curators Danny Bailey & Alizée Ndiaye. ‘PECKNAM’ is a tribute to all communities across the globe who have fallen victim to ghettoisation, by celebrating the talent, culture, art, and community that comes out of those areas. It spotlights the authentic stories of Peckham locals and the community through immersive art installations, performances, films, discussions, and music.
House of Laveaux will be hosting a Vogue Ball, blending the vibrant spirit of Peckham with the dynamic energy of ballroom culture. This event will feature the common categories of a traditional Vogue Ball, interspersed with fashion shows from local designers, creating a rich tapestry of fashion and performance. Faggamuffin Bloc Party will be hosting a vibrant celebration of Black Pride and LGBTQIA+ individuals of African and Caribbean heritage within the festive context of Carnival.
Peckham favourite, PASSA and Jumbi, will also be holding warehouse after-parties. Made in Peckham will return with open studios and a Makers Market, showcasing over 100 artists and designers and offering a unique opportunity to purchase works directly from local creatives. Ourhood Community will also be hosting a curated pop-up of premium Black-owned brands, selling artisan fashion and lifestyle products.
Dope Readers Club and Peckham based Lolwe Books will be hosting a literary event including a book exchange along with a series of Q&A sessions with local authors. Dopereaders is a community project committed to promoting literacy and fostering engagement through the power of books and to raise awareness of works by Black and diverse authors.
The Bussey Building’s Rooftop Film Club in collaboration with The New Black Film Collective Literature will be running a series of screenings across the weekend and 948 Collective will be programming a series of talks and arts events.
The Festival will also offer a wide variety of free creative workshops for all. Activities for younger visitors include skateboard lessons, carnival workshops and family rave favourite, Big Fish Little Fish, will be joining for the first time .
Come down, join the fun, and be a part of Peckham’s ever-evolving story. See you there!
Peckham Festival is free thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and partners: Copeland Park, Arts Council England, Lottery Community Fund, Passa
Productions, Peckham Levels, GALA , Jumbi, Cornerhouse.
As a free, non-profit community festival we rely on volunteers each year to help make the festival happen – to join as a volunteer, or for any further information please visit www.peckhamfestival.org.