The Music is Black Festival debuts at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2026
From June to September 2026, the Music is Black Festival will celebrate Black British music over an eight-month period at East Bank, located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. This event draws inspiration from the V&A East Museum's exhibition titled 'The Music is Black: A British Story' and collaborates with all institutions at East Bank, including BBC, Sadler's Wells East, and UAL. Four distinct themed weekends will feature various curators: 'The Music is Ours' (June 13-14) by Footsie and others; 'Power and Respect' (July 11-12) by Jamz Supernova and others; 'Queer Frequencies' (August 22-23) by Shy One and others; and 'Black to the Future' (September 12-13) by FLOHIO and others. Attendance is free, with registration available on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park website.
Key facts
- The Music is Black Festival is an eight-month season of events celebrating Black British music.
- The festival takes place between June and September 2026 at East Bank, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
- It is the first festival spotlighting creativity, collaboration, and community of East Bank’s partners across east London.
- There are four specially-programmed weekends of live music and performance, each responding to a different theme.
- The Music is Ours weekend is June 13-14, curated by Footsie, The King Original Soundsystem, YolanDa Brown OBE DL, Soul Mama, My Runway Group, and Kloé Dean.
- Power and Respect weekend is July 11-12, curated by Jamz Supernova, BORN N BREAD, Yazmin Lacey, TYSON, and Jade Hackett.
- Queer Frequencies weekend is August 22-23, curated by Shy One, Donnie Sunshine, Mark-Ashley Dupé, Joel Mignott, and Zinzi Minott.
- Black to the Future weekend is September 12-13, curated by FLOHIO, The Blues Project, and Dannielle 'Rhimes' Lecointe.
- The festival is inspired by V&A East Museum’s exhibition 'The Music is Black: A British Story'.
- All East Bank institutions (BBC, Sadler's Wells East, UAL) are involved in the programmes.
- The open-air festival weekends are free to attend, with registration at queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/themusicisblackfestival.
Entities
Artists
- Footsie
- YolanDa Brown OBE DL
- Kloé Dean
- Jamz Supernova
- Yazmin Lacey
- TYSON
- Jade Hackett
- Shy One
- Donnie Sunshine
- Mark-Ashley Dupé
- Joel Mignott
- Zinzi Minott
- FLOHIO
- Dannielle 'Rhimes' Lecointe
Institutions
- East Bank
- Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- V&A East Museum
- BBC
- Sadler's Wells East
- UAL
- The King Original Soundsystem
- Soul Mama
- My Runway Group
- BORN N BREAD
- The Blues Project
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- Stratford Waterfront