Blacktober Fest: If our culture matters, our community belongs in the budget
Attitude attends Blacktober Fest 2026 at London’s Colour Factory, celebrating Black queer culture for Black History Month
Nobody should have to regard belonging as a special occasion. Yet the welcome at Blacktober Fest was what stayed with me: Black people coming together, encouraging one another and enjoying somewhere that felt comfortable. At Colour Factory in London on 16 October, that feeling gave UK Black Pride’s gathering a significance beyond an evening out.
The event’s theme, Beyond the Month. Beyond the Moment, asked people to think past Black History Month. Alongside celebrating Black queer culture, Blacktober Fest raised funds for UK Black Pride’s work. The connection was straightforward. An evening people value takes work to create, and enjoying it should give those with the means to help a reason to contribute.
Blacktober Fest performances
Nate Ethan’s performance was a highlight that prompted some honest self-examination. Realising I had assumptions about what a trans man might look like was uncomfortable, but those assumptions were mine to question. They were no measure of him or his artistry.
He had come to perform, not explain himself. That distinction mattered. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community does not mean we automatically understand one another. Sometimes an evening like this reminds us to listen more carefully, examine our expectations and give people the attention their work deserves.
The programme brought different forms of creativity together. It included a bill featuring Rileasa, Love Itoya, Nate Ethan, Shanay Maliya, King Dee and Blu, with Thanyia Moore on hosting duties. DJs, independent stalls and community organisations were also part of the offering. Black queer culture had room to express itself in more than one way.
Feeling like you belong
The feeling of welcome gave the programme its value. There was encouragement in seeing people come together without Blackness and queerness being treated as competing parts of a person. Belonging did not require everyone to have the same background or experience. It meant there was room for those differences without someone having to justify their presence.
That is easy to underestimate if you rarely have to question whether you will be accepted. Being able to enjoy yourself without that calculation should be ordinary. When an event makes it possible, the people responsible deserve recognition for what they have created. Lady Phyll, UK Black Pride’s CEO and co-founder, and the team deserve that recognition.
They also deserve practical backing. We should be careful about praising community leaders as tireless. People get tired. Admiring their dedication should not become a convenient way of leaving them with every responsibility.
Thoughtful planning
The event listing included BSL interpretation for live performances, step-free access and accessible toilets – details that matter because a welcome must be something people can use. Planning for participation requires decisions, expertise and resources. Inclusion cannot depend entirely on how warmly an invitation is worded.
Bleecker and Gilead were listed as supporters of Blacktober Fest, and their involvement provides a starting point for more businesses to consider what they could contribute. The opportunity is there to support an organisation bringing people together and making room for Black queer creativity.
For brands seeking our attention, the question is direct: if our presence has value in your campaigns, does our community have a place in your budget?
Funding: How you can help
Useful support could mean a multi-year funding commitment, paying for access provision or creating paid bookings for artists beyond Pride season. These are proposals for businesses to discuss with UK Black Pride, with the organisation deciding what would help most. The point is to offer something organisers can plan around.
A business can benefit from sponsorship. But its benefit should not be carefully agreed while the community is expected to settle for exposure. Pay for the work. Respect the expertise. Stay interested after the photographs have been published.
The enjoyment at Blacktober Fest was itself a reason to invest. Black queer people should not have to present their most painful experiences before support becomes worthwhile. Music, friendship, creativity and the freedom to enjoy an evening together deserve backing. Our happiness should not be the least convincing part of the case.
The work of bringing people together continues
This challenge belongs particularly to businesses and people with resources or influence. Guests who have paid to attend have already contributed. Someone struggling with their own bills does not need another demand. Those able to offer funding, opportunities or useful introductions should consider what they can do next.
Blacktober Fest gave people welcome, encouragement and something worth supporting beyond the evening. October ends; the community remains. The work of bringing people together continues.
‘Beyond the Month. Beyond the Moment’ is a standard worth holding supporters to. The people creating these gatherings should not have to keep them going on the strength of everybody else’s applause.