Black History Month takes place in October every year and is an annual commemoration of the history, achievements and contributions of Black people in the UK.
People from many different backgrounds come together during this month to celebrate the positive role of Black people in shaping our communities. This adds to ongoing efforts to promote awareness and address historical and ongoing inequities.
The aims of Black History Month are to:
- promote knowledge and understanding of Black History and culture, both nationally and in Bristol
- acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by Black people to the cultural and economic development of the UK
At Bristol City Council, we make a difference in several ways. We follow our Equity and Inclusion Strategic Framework. We consider inequalities for racially minoritised groups and create clear steps to improve through our Equality Action Plans. We also consider the impacts of council decisions on Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic communities.
More information on our year-round efforts can be found in our equality, diversity, and cohesion policies (bristol.gov.uk).
Black History Month 2026 events
COBO Comedy Shutdown: Black History Month Special
Organiser: LuvEntertainment
Date and time: Sunday 11 October 2026, 8pm to 10pm, last entry 8pm
Location: The Gaffe Comedy Club, 20 Wine Street, Bristol BS1 2BD
Age guidance: Ages 18 and over.
Threads of Home: A Textile and Heritage Workshop
Organiser: Home: Exhibiting Existence
Date and time: Wednesday 14 October 2026, 7pm to 9pm, doors open 6.45pm
Location: St Pauls Learning Centre, 94 Grosvenor Road, Bristol BS2 8XJ
M Shed Historical Walks: Bristol Abolition
Organiser: Bristol Museums , M Shed
Date and time: Thursday 15 October 2026, 11am to 1pm
Location: Starts at M Shed, Princes Wharf, Bristol
Inherited Rhythms with DJ Style and Friends
Organiser: Bris-Story, hosted at Bristol Museums' M Shed
Date and time: Friday 16 October 2026, 7pm; doors open 6.30pm, after-party-only entry 8.30pm
Location: M Shed, Princes Wharf, Bristol
Ancient African Futures: Systemic Constellations Practice - A Decolonial Poetics Reading and Discussion
Organiser: Black South West Network and The UnMuseum
Date and time: Date TBC, 6pm to 9pm
Location: The Coach House, 2 Upper York Street, St Paul's, Bristol, BS2 8QN
Event information and booking Go to https://www.theunmuseum.org/ (opens new window)
Unseen: Screening of Kuumba Centre's Video Archive in Partnership with The UnMuseum
Organiser: Black South West Network and The UnMuseum
Date and time: Wednesday 21 October 2026, 6pm to 9pm
Location: Kuumba Centre, 20-22 Hepburn Road, St Paul's, Bristol, BS2 8UD
Event information and booking Go to https://www.theunmuseum.org/ (opens new window)
Fire Inna Dancehall: A Legacy of Sound, Style and Struggle
Organiser: Black South West Network and The UnMuseum
Date and time: Friday 30 October 2026, 6pm to 9pm
Location: The Coach House, 2 Upper York Street, St Paul's, Bristol, BS2 8QN
More Black History Month events
For details of more events in Bristol to mark Black History Month, visit the Black History Month website.
Bristol's Black History resources
Bristol's Black History: learn more about Black history in this city, with stories compiled by the Bristol Museums Black History Steering Group.
Black Bristol: a project by young people from Off The Record to show young black people the history of the city they live in and how this city has been shaped by black people across time and space.
Bristol and the Transatlatic Traffic in Ensalved Africans - Bristol Museums Collections: updated and improved collection of resources and information about the transatlantic traffic in enslaved Africans and Bristol's involvement.
Bristol and Transatlantic Slavery. Origins, impact and legacy: A textbook for secondary schools.
Together Bristol Museums and Bristol History teachers have supplemented the existing curriculum about Bristol's links to slavery. This so that schoolchildren in Bristol have a better chance of fully understanding this part of Bristol's story.
The origins of Black History Month
In 1926, Carter G Woodson established African Caribbean celebrations in America where Black History Month is still celebrated each February.
After visiting America in the 1970s, Ghanaian-born Akyaaba Addai Sebo, a special projects officer at the Greater London Council, founded the UK's version of Black History Month in 1987.
There are two reasons thought to be behind why Black History Month is celebrated in October in the UK:
- Traditionally, October is when African chiefs and leaders gather to settle their differences, so Akyaaba chose this month to reconnect with African roots.
- Additionally, many thought that since it was the beginning of the new academic year, October would give Black children a sense of pride and identity.
Black History Month has since grown in the UK, where over 6,000 events take place each year.