Coventry is to stage its first Windrush Festival, with five days of events and activities to celebrate the anniversary and pay tribute to those who travelled to build new lives and a new city.
The Festival - developed in partnership with the Windrush Community, and partners Septimius Severus Community Action Coventry, Arawak Community Trust and Coventry University – will run from 18-22 June.
It will tell the stories of the courage, creativity, and contribution of migrants through music, art, storytelling, and the creation of a lasting digital archive.
It has been designed to raise awareness, foster pride, and inspire young people, while establishing a meaningful and lasting legacy.
Windrush Day is celebrated around the UK on 22 June. It marks the day in 1948 when people from the Caribbean arrived in England on HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks. They had travelled to the country to find work, helping to rebuild following the Second World War.
Those people came to be known as the Windrush Generation, and Windrush Day encourages communities across the country to celebrate the contribution of those first arrivals and their descendants.
Coventry has secured £22,500 of Government funding to stage the Windrush Festival, and the programme will see events in the city centre and other venues, including, film screenings, public lectures, a flag-raising ceremony, live performances, an awards ceremony, and a service at Coventry Cathedral.
Young people will be heavily involved to promote learning, and it is hoped the Festival will become an annual event in the city, embedding recognition of Windrush heritage into the city’s cultural life.
A main feature will be the creation of the Windrush Cultural Archive, which will be permanently housed at Coventry University. Open to the public, the Archive will preserve the stories of those who travelled here and their families.
Councillor John McNicholas, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion at Coventry City Council, said: “We are delighted to be staging our first ever Windrush Festival and honouring the brave people who travelled across the world to start new lives and build a new future.
“That day, 78 years ago changed the world, and it changed Coventry. We will be forever grateful to the Windrush Generation.
“The people who made that voyage helped rebuild our city after the devastation of the war, but they did so much more. They, their children and grandchildren, helped to create the wonderful multicultural city we love today.
“Without them, we would not be a City of Peace and Reconciliation, a City of Welcome and Friendship, a City of Communities, a City of Languages, a City of Culture, and so much more. Windrush helped to start it all.
“This Festival, which will become an annual fixture in our calendar, is a city-wide act of remembrance, recognition and cultural celebration, and I hope people and communities across the city will join in to learn, reflect, honour and celebrate a moment in history that has brought so much to our city.”
Entrance to all events is free, with many venues hosting free activities for all ages to enjoy.
Events include:
- 18 June, LBT Showrooms, Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind: a moving screening of a film telling the experiences of the children and families of the Windrush Generation, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker and journalist Nadine White.
- 19 June, Caribbean Centre, Reggae Theatrics: Dub Poetry, Words, Sound, Power and Resistance: public lecture by Dr Martin Glynn
- 20 June, Roots in Motion: an outdoor, one-day festival celebrating the culture, creativity and spirit of Coventry’s Caribbean community. It will bring the city centre to life with music, dance, movement and sound system culture.
- 21 June, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry Windrush Service: a special commemorative service centred on the theme of Windrush Men. Held on Father’s Day, the service offers a moment of dignity, remembrance and celebration.
- 22 June, Council House: Windrush Flag Raising: the festival closes with a civic flag-raising ceremony.
- 22 June, Arawak Community Trust Windrush Awards Monday | Albany Theatre The Windrush Arawaks Awards Ceremony, delivered by Arawak Community Trust, will take place to recognise outstanding contributions from members of the Caribbean community, honouring those whose work, leadership and service continue to enrich Coventry.