Southside Shopping Centre in Wandsworth is celebrating Black History Month, with a programme of cultural events, live performances, and a community led art exhibition aligned with 2026’s event theme, Honouring Our Communities.
Celebrating the people, stories, and everyday contributions that shape Wandsworth, the centre has transformed into a vibrant cultural hub to honour shared heritage and empower the local community.
At the heart of the celebrations is a powerful photography exhibition featuring local Black students from Ark Putney Academy. Created by artist and researcher Kay Rufai, the exhibition showcases participants from his S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys and S.M.I.L.E-ing Girls project, following a series of mental health and identity workshops funded by Southside Shopping Centre.
The programme provided 27 young people, 15 girls and 12 boys, with a safe, interactive space to explore identity, mental health, stereotypes, and belonging through games, poetry, photography, and open discussion.
The exhibition is the first time in the UK that portraits from the S.M.I.L.E-ing Girls programme have been displayed alongside those of the boys, with the images on display for the duration of October in front of Waitrose.
Alongside the exhibition, Southside will be hosting a vibrant lineup of events to highlight the creativity, culture and heritage within the community.
Running throughout October, the Black Culture Market will be showcasing a range of independent Black-owned businesses, offering unique crafts, fashion, beauty products, and artisanal goods.
On Saturday 3rd October, guests visiting the Wandsworth shopping centre are invited to listen to the uplifting rhythms of Shumba Steelband - a 4-piece steel pan band performing live on the Piazza between 1pm-6pm. Performances will take place throughout the day, infusing the centre with the joyful melodic sounds of the Caribbean.
On Saturday 17th October, Pointe Black, a non-profit community ballet company, will perform ‘Evergreen’ between 1pm and 4pm. Blending classical ballet with African and Caribbean influences, Pointe Black is a global movement with outreach projects spanning from South London to Guatemala. The ‘Evergreen’ performance will explore the duality of elements through dynamic choreography, as a representation of ancestral wisdom through the wonder of nature.
Event venue
Southside Shopping Centre, Wandsworth High St, London SW18 4TF, United Kingdom, Wimbledon
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.