Celebrate the Windrush Generation in General Gordon Square this June

Join us in Woolwich on Friday 21 June to celebrate Windrush Day. 

From 4 to 8pm, enjoy performances from local Caribbean singers, dancers and choirs. 

A performance from Ethno Vox will kick off our free family-friendly event in General Gordon Square. The choir have been working with Invicta and Mulgrave primary schools, and Royal Museums Greenwich, as part of this year’s Royal Greenwich Festivals (RGF) programme, funded by the Council. 

There will also be dazzling performances from Nzinga Dance and Dominicanos En Accion Londres, dub poetry from the R.O.M.E.L Foundation and delicious food cooked by Joy’s Caribbean Fusion, Back-A-Yard Grill and Global Fusion Foods. 

And that’s not all - you can see the set-up of a Windrush generation ‘front room’, try Inkrush’s poster studio workshops, try your hand at Power Mobile Gym’s boxing sessions, and browse community stalls featuring the Metropolitan Police, NHS and Livewell.  

Royal Greenwich has a week packed with events to celebrate Windrush Day, including: 

Windrush Family Day | Saturday 15 June | 12 noon to 5pm 

St George’s Garrison Church, Woolwich, London SE18 6BW  

Join the Caribbean Social Forum for a free family afternoon of food, music and fun to celebrate Windrush in Greenwich. Enjoy line dancing to afro-beats and learn how to dance Quadrille! Hear the steel pans, have a boogie with the live DJ and take part in family activities. This event is part of this year’s Royal Greenwich Festivals programme. 

The Great Greenwich Windrush Trail | From Saturday 15 June  

Explore your borough with the new Windrush trail, bringing to light key people and places on your doorstep connected to Windrush and its legacy. Pick up a free trail from the Royal Museums Greenwich or download it from the RMG website. This event is part of this year’s Royal Greenwich Festivals programme. 

Windrush Day Festival (not RGF funded) | Saturday 22 June | 10.30am to 5pm 

The Queen’s House and National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Romney Rd, London, SE10 9NF  

Head down to the museum grounds for a programme of talks, performances, food, hands-on workshops and games, Caribbean style, to celebrate Windrush and its legacy. 

Windrush Sound Stage | Saturday 24 August | 1 to 6pm 

The Moorings Sociable Club, Thamesmead. SE28 8BG 

Discover intergenerational Windrush stories with the National Windrush Museum Next Gen, hosted on a soundstage showcasing music and fashion. This event is part of this year’s Royal Greenwich Festivals programme. 

Windrush Day 

Windrush Day is an annual celebration of the contribution Caribbean migrants and their families have made to the UK. HMT Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex on 22 June 1948. The ship carried 1027 passengers and two stowaways on a voyage from Jamaica to London in 1948. Of these, more than 800 passengers gave their last country of residence as somewhere in the Caribbean. These travellers - and those on other ships which came to the UK until 1971 - became known as the Windrush generation. 

Royal Greenwich Festivals 

Royal Greenwich Festivals is an annual series of events celebrating the cultural vibrancy of Royal Greenwich and providing some of the best and most varied entertainment in the capital every summer. Including free theatre, music, dance, family performances and live displays, the festivals programme is funded by the Royal Borough of Greenwich. For more information go to royalgreenwich.gov.uk/royalgreenwichfestivals