The Music is Black Festival announces four free summer weekends at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Delivered by East Bank, the festival forms part of a wider eight‑month programme running throughout 2026 that connects music, dance, learning and public conversation across east London and beyond.

Taking place between June and September, the four weekends will transform the Park into a shared cultural space, with performances across two outdoor stages alongside choreographer‑led dance programmes at Sadler’s Wells East. Each weekend responds to a distinct theme, collectively reflecting the breadth, depth and ongoing influence of Black music in the UK.

Tamsin Ace, director of East Bank, described the festival as a landmark moment for the new cultural and education quarter. “In its inaugural year, the festival celebrates Black British music, marking not only a landmark cultural moment but also a powerful statement of East Bank’s commitment to collaboration, representation, and shared storytelling,” she said.

Four weekends, four perspectives

The programme opens with The Music Is Ours (13–14 June), a community‑centred weekend rooted in east London’s soundsystem heritage and the global impact of Grime. Curated by a collective including Footsie, The King Original Soundsystem and YolanDa Brown OBE DL, the weekend brings together intergenerational performers and audiences through a celebratory, family‑friendly programme.

In July, Power and Respect (11–12 July) centres the creative leadership of Black women and non‑binary people in music, highlighting their roles on stage, behind the scenes and across the infrastructures that sustain music culture. Curated by Jamz Supernova, Yazmin Lacey, TYSON, BORN N BREAD and Jade Hackett, the weekend foregrounds equity, community and future‑facing practice.

Queer Frequencies (22–23 August) follows, celebrating the sound, history and futures of Black queer music and nightlife cultures. Exploring musical lineages from disco to house and beyond, the weekend creates space for connection between underground collectives, artists and audiences shaping London’s contemporary cultural landscape.

The summer programme concludes with Black to the Future (12–13 September), a weekend focused on genre‑bending experimentation, Afrofuturism and imaginative world‑building. Curated by FLOHIO, The Blues Project and Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe, the programme looks forward as much as it reflects, highlighting artists expanding what Black British music can be and become.

Music, movement and public learning

Alongside live music in the Park, Sadler’s Wells East becomes an integral part of the festival through The Dance Floor Is Black, with choreographer‑curated evenings and daytime activity offering multiple ways for people to engage, from family audiences to late‑night dance communities. Rob Jones, associate artistic director at Sadler’s Wells, noted the importance of accessibility and shared celebration in shaping the programme.

The festival also connects directly to learning, skills and research across East Bank. Through talks, screenings and public events presented by UCL and partners, the wider programme explores Black British music’s influence on fashion, film, sport and society, and its global resonances. UCL‑curated events form part of this commitment to open, public knowledge exchange.

Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries Justine Simons OBE described the festival as “a wonderful demonstration of how East Bank is bringing together some of our country’s top institutions to inspire generations to come,” highlighting its role in celebrating Black music’s contribution to British identity and cultural life.

All four outdoor festival weekends are free to attend, with optional registration available via Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Together, they offer a shared summer invitation for Londoners to gather, listen, learn and experience Black British music as a living, evolving force at the heart of our cultural future.