Welcome to Wandsworth autumn programme launched with Year For Everyone film in Piccadilly Circus

Wandsworth Council has launched the autumn programme with a screening of our Year For Everyone video on the big screen in Piccadilly Circus. Telling the story of how culture – the experiences that makes us laugh, dance, share, connect, learn, grow, and feel alive – are what makes us human, the video celebrates the borough’s creativity and community as Wandsworth welcomes residents and visitors to the programme of events over autumn.

Kemi Akinola, Deputy Council Leader, said: "The Piccadilly screening was a chance for everyone to gather and celebrate all that Wandsworth has to offer, as a community and as a cultural destination.

"We’re excited about our autumn programme, which has diversity, inclusion, participation and accessibility at its heart. We’re confident there will be something for everyone."

Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said, "Wandsworth have had a fantastic start to their year as the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture, and it is great to see autumn kick off with this film on the famous big screens at Piccadilly Circus. It’s a wonderful showcase for Londoners and visitors to see what’s on offer, including the Liberty festival, African Caribbean food month and Palace of Varieties marking the 125th anniversary of Clapham Grand. It truly captures the talent and culture from the heart of Wandsworth's communities as we continue build a better London for everyone."

Autumn highlights include:

On Saturday 13 September at 2pm, 100 participants and 100 silk flags will parade through the streets of Roehampton in Urban Flow (pictured below), a major collaboration between India’s Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, UK arts charity Kinetika and Wandsworth’s Tavaziva Dance. Featuring a new score by acclaimed composer Rob Blake, Urban Flow unites community performers in a colourful celebration that will process through the streets, pausing outside landmark heritage buildings to showcase captivating dance and martial arts displays, leading to a spectacular finale on Bull Green.

Liberty Festival 2025 (24 to 28 September), the Mayor of London’s flagship disability arts festival, brings a celebration of disabled artistry to Wandsworth, platforming some of the most exciting disabled creatives, showcasing bold, innovative work that excites and challenges audiences, and reframes disability. This year’s Festival is produced by one of the country’s most influential and outstanding disabled-led creative organisations, CRIPtic Arts. 

The Clapham Grand will host the opening night party on Wednesday 24th September featuring a boundary-pushing cabaret curated by the radical Midgitte Bardot and a powerful live music showcase by Wandsworth based Sound Minds.

Kristina Veasy and Alejandro Ahmed will be sharing the stunning Capturing the Forest at Battersea Arts Centre, which serves as the central hub venue of Liberty. Their work is a festival-long immersive, multi-sensory installation inviting audiences to explore the emotional and physical presence of the forest. Other featured artists and organisations at the venue include Jack Wakely (Goblin), Oily Cart and Polyglot Theatre (When The World Turns), Simeon Campbell (SADBOI), AJ Venturini (Altar to Joy), Disco Neurotico & Deaf Rave (Takeover), Krystal S Lowe (Daughters of the Sea), BLINK DANCE (Elvis Died of Burgers) and Amanda Grace (Love In).

Other work will be shared across the borough, including pieces from The Baked Bean Company (Life of I) and Chisato Minamimura (The Lost Golden Lotus) at Tara Theatre, with the venue also hosting a mini arts conference with talks, panel discussions and creative workshops from Sense Arts and Flawbored. Adrian Lee (Hexagram) will feature at World Heartbeat, CRIPtic Arts will co-host an open mic day at The Bedford. A joyful, relaxed, family friendly picnic with performances, including from Miss Jacqui will take place at Battersea Park to close the festival on Sunday 28 September.

Black History Month is in October, but in Wandsworth Black history is celebrated all year round. The 4th year of Black History 365 features a number of specially commissioned projects and events including:

Songwriting workshops: Celebrating African and Caribbean Heritage Through Song and Community (across the borough, through to April 2026); new ballet: Overcome by Pointe Black Production (Royal Academy of Dancer until February 2026); black and queer ballroom community workshops and showcase The Juicy Project by Courtni Blackwood-Swaby (Clapham Grand on 22 February 2026); Black History with Tanya Acquaah (Tooting Hub until December); exhibition and storytelling Written in the Records: Black Presence in Putney's Past (St. Mary's Church, Putney, 24 - 26 October); wellness workshops Roots of Radiance with Fée Uhssi (across the borough through to May 2026) and playwriting masterclasses Wave Writers with Kibo Productions (Arches Lane Theatre September to December 2025.

African Caribbean Food Month (across the borough, October) will bring vibrant flavours and rich stories to Wandsworth with a packed programme of food events, cooking demos, support clubs, pop-ups and community-led activities to shine a spotlight on the borough’s diverse food scene. Local resident and TV chef Ainsley Harriott will launch the month with an event exploring the changing face of African Caribbean cuisine.

Also in October (4 & 5; 11 & 12), Wandsworth’s incredible community of artists and makers open their homes and studios to the public for the annual Wandsworth Artists’ Open House which sees over a hundred artists and makers allow visitors to see and buy their work. A popular annual event for more than 30 years, Wandsworth Artists’ Open House showcases the creative talent of painters, photographers, illustrators, ceramicists, sculptors, jewellery designers, creative designers and makers, mixed-media artists and more! Free and family-friendly, spend a weekend walking the neighbourhood art trails.

On 26 November the Clapham Grand celebrates its 125th anniversary with Palace of Varieties, a bold, brilliant and gloriously camp celebration of the iconic venue. For one night only the curtain will rise on a tribute to over a century of cultural change, with songs from every decade and tributes to everything from bingo to Britpop and music hall to drag queens.

Story Catchers is an initiative that encourages and professionally trains young people from a Global Majority background to discover and gain experience in the heritage sector. These story catchers will capture and record the voices and memories of Caribbean and South Asian elders to ensure we diversify both the Wandsworth Archive, and the information associated with items held in the Wandsworth Heritage Collection. Working with the Oral History Society and community groups, the process will go on to focus on how the stories can be shared and celebrated.

Culturally Mindful is an ambitious new 6-month creative health paid residency and training programme taking place across Wandsworth throughout 2025–2026 which brings together Global Majority artists, healthcare providers, and grassroots organisations to co-design new approaches to health and wellbeing support. Culturally Mindful aims to diversify the creative health workforce, improve health outcomes for Wandsworth’s underserved communities, build long-term partnerships between the NHS, local government, artists and community organisations and empower artists as leaders in health-based work to spark a shift in how creativity is understood, valued, and embedded in care.

The Brighter Living Fair (across the borough, 1 - 31 October) is aimed at adults looking for care and support services in Wandsworth that promote healthy, safe and independent lifestyles. Once again, this year the council is working with local organisations to host lots of community events. Coinciding with International Older People's Day and Silver Sunday, we will be celebrating active lifestyles and being connected within your local community. A timetable of events will be published this month.

For anyone who lives in Wandsworth and has a bright idea, the new Culture Microgrants offer local people the chance to apply for up to £1000 to support making a creative project happen in the borough.

Find out about everything happening during our year at welcometowandsworth.com 

Follow us at Facebook @welcometowandsworth | X: @wtowandsworth | Instagram: @welcometowandsworth