Windrush Festival 77 2025

A celebration of culture in the heart of Preston, The Windrush Festival returns to Avenham Park.
With a jammed packed schedule from 12pm to 8pm, Windrush 77 promises to be bigger and better than ever, bringing all the colour, good vibes and soulful music of the Caribbean, celebrating the city's African-Caribbean and mixed-race community.

Throughout the day visitors will enjoy live music and DJ sets, dancing, a live cricket match, a selection of non-food stalls, children's play area, a wide selection of international cuisines including tastes of the Caribbean.

The Windrush Festival was established in 2013 as a family-orientated, multi-generational, cross-cultural festival. The event both acknowledges and celebrates the contribution of people from the Caribbean who came to England to help rebuild Britain after World War II.

The celebration reaffirms Caribbean identity, history, and culture for the descendants of the Windrush generation and the wider community. Windrush 76 Festival acts as a meeting space for friends, families, and communities to come together, share stories and remember the past.

The festival, which combines music, entertainment, food, and drinks, provides a secure space for communities to unite. In 2023, Preston City Council estimated that more than 4000 people attended the event, drawing visitors from London, Birmingham, Leicester, Wolverhampton, Stoke-On-Trent, Sunderland, Hull, Huddersfield, Manchester. This was accomplished with minimal promotion, with event awareness spread through word of mouth, giving the event a sense of authenticity and integrity.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue are actively recruiting from the African / Caribbean community and have been working closely with Windrush Initiatives CIC for the past few years.

The goal of the day is to bring together diverse communities and age ranges to celebrate and share the achievements of the Windrush and subsequent generations. There is a strong educational element included in both events as the history and experience of the communities will be shared.

The event also provide an opportunity for members of other communities in Preston that haven't experienced The Windrush Festival before, and that may ordinarily not mix, to come together in an informal space to share and reflect on their own identities and the discrimination they have faced. The events celebrate diversity and seek to forge new relationships across the city and beyond.