Events in Colchester and the surrounding areas
Essex Cultural Diversity Project
ECDP is supporting Black History Month this October. There are a number of events taking place across Essex, organised by their friends and collaborators.
Find out more about ECDP
Colchester Black History Month – Public Opening Day
Date: Friday 1 October, 11.00am-2.30pm
Black History Month Colchester begins with an opening at the One Colchester Community Hub shopfront with art exhibits, presentations, talks, "Live" Music and displays for all of the community.
Find out more about Colchester Black History Month
Mercury Theatre – Antigone
Date: From Friday 1 – Saturday 16 October
This modern retelling of the classic Greek tragedy is a powerful thriller whose poetic passion transcends time.
Find out more about Antigone at the Mercury Theatre
Firstsite Black History Month Community Day Celebration
Date: Saturday 2 October, 10.00am-4.30pm
Firstsite are hosting Black History Month Colchester 2021, a day of celebrations and entertainment.
Find out more about the Firstsite Community Day Celebration
Colchester Black History Month @ One Colchester Community Hub
Date: From Saturday 2 October and various dates in October, 11.00am-2.30pm
One Colchester Community Hub shopfront with art exhibits and displays for all of the community. With the support of the Minories Gallery and Community 360, Black History Month Colchester will be in residence in the shopfront at 2/6 Long Wyre Street CO1 1LH in the city centre.
Find out more about the events at the One Colchester Community Hub
Black Lives Matters – The Art of Protest: Placards and Pens
Date: From Monday 4 October – Friday 22 October, 12pm-4pm (open Mondays to Thursdays)
Curated by trustee, Sophie Kabangu, The Art of Protest brings together over a hundred of the placards created for the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Colchester last year, alongside photographs and commentaries from those involved on the day. As part of Black History Month, showing at our Trinity Square space from 4-22 October.
Find out more about The Art of Protest
Colchester Black History Month - The Festival of Navaratri
Date: Thursday 7 October, 10am-5pm
Navaratri is a Hindu festival that spans nine nights and is celebrated every year in the autumn. It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian cultural sphere.
The Navaratri festival runs from the 7-15 October.
Find out more about the Festival of Navaratri event
Colchester Black History Month – ‘The Spoken Word’
Date: Friday 8 October, 9.30pm-11.30pm
An evening of music and entertainment in the new bar and restaurant at The Mercury, with Omar Aziz, Antony Woodley and Poet Lawrence Savage.
Find out more about The Spoken Word event
Colchester Black History Month @ One Colchester Community Hub Youth Activities – Learn to Draw
Date: Saturday 9 October, 11.30am-2.30pm
Learn to Draw is a fun tutorial for young people to try easy techniques to learn and to improve their creative talents. All drawing materials, pencils, drawing pens and papers will be provided. Each session is limited to 10 - 12 participants. Each session will be concluded with FREE refreshments and desserts at Kaspers.
Find out more about the Learn to Draw event
Colchester Black History Month - The Prevention of Suicide Amongst Black Men – “A Time to Talk”
Date: Tuesday 12 October, 7.30pm-9.00pm
Black History Colchester and African Families in a UK Zoom meeting that aims to bring together Black men for “A Time to Talk” and to discuss ideas and thoughts around the issues and the effects of mental health.
Find out more about A Time to Talk
Colchester Black History Month - AFiUK Community Surgery @ One Colchester Community Hub
Date: Wednesday 13 October, 11.00am–2.30pm
The One Colchester Community Hub shopfront will host the African Families in the UK Staff and volunteers to provide a community advice surgery, with suggestions and answers to many questions, thoughts and concerns within our communities.
Find out more about the AFiUK Community Surgery
Colchester Black History Month – Tilbury Bridge Walkway of Memories art installation video tour
Date: Thursday 14 October, 11am-4pm
Tilbury Bridge Walkway is an iconic location which has an historic significance to the Black community in Britain. This artwork is a unique statement memorialising the lives of those people who came from the Caribbean who carried their British passports proudly as British citizens with hope and expectation. They passed through this location as one of the original walkways where SS Empire Windrush passengers, in 1948 arrived. Although many arrived before 1948, those that arrived here were the first large post war wave of British colonial citizens to disembark from the passenger ship at Tilbury Cruise Terminal.
Find out more about the Tilbury Bridge Walkway of memories video tour
Colchester Black History Month – Domino Tournament
Date: Saturday 16 October, 4pm-7pm
One Colchester Community Hub Shopfront will host our first, Colchester Caribbean Elders “V” Southend Caribbean community group “Dominoes Tournament” for all of the community.
Find out more about the Domino Tournament
Black History Month Dovercourt and Harwich
Date: Tuesday 19 October, 11am-4pm
Black History Month displays and presentations: Why do we celebrate Black History Month and the arrival of Empire Windrush to Tilbury, Essex with power points, slide shows and video.
With a musical entertainment by Omar Aziz, a multi-Instrumentalist sound practitioner from Colchester. Specialising in Gongs, Handpan, Flutes, Djembe and other world instruments to provide an uplifting and diverse sound experience.
With refreshments and a light lunch.
Find out more about Black History Month celebrations in Dovercourt and Harwich
Colchester Black History Month – The Ambassador book launch at Firstsite
Date: Wednesday 20 October, 10am-4pm
The official launch of a new publication “The Ambassador” by Author Rachel Walton.
Find out more about The Ambassador book launch
Colchester Black History Month @ One Colchester Community Hub Youth activities - ‘Stop and Search – Know Your Rights’
Date: Saturday 23 October, 11.00am-3.30pm
The session will concentrate on the issues and an understanding of your individual rights and the correct procedures that a police officer should comply to when executing Stop and Search. Each session is limited to 10 – 12 participants. Each session will conclude with FREE refreshments and desserts at Kaspers.
Find out more about Stop and Search - Know Your Rights
Colchester Black History Month – ‘The Spoken Word’
Date: Saturday 23 October, 9.30pm-11.30pm
An evening of music and entertainment in the new bar and restaurant at The Mercury, with Omar Aziz, Antony Woodley and Poet Lawrence Savage.
Find out more about The Spoken Word
Colchester Black History Month – Celebrating Tubby Hayes screening
Date: Saturday 23 October, 7pm
As part of our weekend celebrating the talents of the late, great Tubby Hayes, Firstsite will be screening, prior to the Simon Spillett Quartet’s concert on Sunday 24 October, ‘Tubby Hayes: A Man in a Hurry’. Celebrated British jazz saxophonist Simon Spillett will give a brief introduction to the film, followed afterwards by a live Q&A session in the cinema.
Find out more about Celebrating Tubby Hayes screening
Colchester Black History Month – Celebrating Tubby Hayes concert
Date: Sunday 24 October, 7pm
Celebrating Tubby Hayes: The Simon Spillett Quartet at the Colchester Arts Centre.
Find out more about the Celebrating Tubby Hayes concert
Colchester Black History Month – AFiUK Community Surgery
Date: Wednesday 27 October, 11am-3pm
One Colchester Community Hub shopfront will host the African Families in the UK Staff and volunteers to provide a community advice surgery, with suggestions and answers to many questions, thoughts and concerns within our communities.
Find out more about the AFiUK Community Surgery
Black History Month Clacton
Date: Thursday 28 October, 11am-4pm
Black History Month displays and presentations: Why do we celebrate Black History Month and the arrival of Empire Windrush to Tilbury, Essex with power points, slide shows and video.
With a musical entertainment by Omar Aziz, a multi-Instrumentalist sound practitioner from Colchester. Specialising in Gongs, Handpan, Flutes, Djembe and other world instruments to provide an uplifting and diverse sound experience.
With refreshments and a light lunch.
Find out more about Black History Month Clacton
The UK Black Business Show 2021
Date: Saturday 30 October, 9.30am-5.00pm
To celebrate UK Black History Month, The UK Black Business Show will be taking place in October at the QEII Centre in London. The show will highlight the achievements and contributions Black businesses have made to the economy. Attendees will gain cutting-edge insight and advice in entrepreneurship, leadership, soft skills and cultural development from some of the UK’s leading Black business owners.
Find out more about the UK Black Business Show 2021