LIVERPOOL´S multi-award winning cultural diversity festival, BlackFest, returns for its 7th year and the team are on the look out for performers! The 2025 festival has a wide range of events throughout Liverpool in September and the team are looking for talented musicians, DJs, poets, comedians, film makers, performing artists and everything in between.

Since its pilot in 2018, BlackFest has been bridging the gap in the arts and providing a platform to black, black artists and communities. Showcasing local talent alongside international stars in some of Liverpool’s most iconic venues, the festival is a great opportunity to be seen and heard.

This year’s festival will feature comedy in collaboration with Royal Court Theatre and artist Che Burnley, a Scratch Takeover at Shakespeare North Playhouse, a huge celebration of composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor at The Capstone Theatre with curator Tayo Aluko and Friends and a big celebration of Fashion at Invisible Wind Factory.

There’ll be the Rhythms Night live music event, a spoken word evening, full visual arts exhibition and workshops, film screenings from independent filmmakers, educational workshops in dance and sustainable nutrition and much more — and there are opportunities to perform in all events, including fashion designers at Fashion Fest!

Whether you are a black artist and/or collaborating with ethnic minority or working class artists, be it musicians, poets, comedy, film and performance, apply today to be part of something groundbreaking that will increase your audience, visibility and portfolio. BlackFest has both paid and volunteer opportunities available for 2025.

Creative Director Jubeda Khatun said:- “Hundreds of incredible artists have performed at BlackFest during the past 7 years — from big names such as jazz legend Courtney Pine OBE and YolanDa Brown OBE, to talented local and North West based artists performing live on stage for the 1st time and artists expanding their work developing and honing in their craft. We’re proud to celebrate and shine a light on the rich pool of black and minority talent in our region and bring them to the forefront.”

She continued:- “If you or anyone you know is a musician or group, comedian, dancer, poet, choir, workshop facilitators or anything else and want to perform, take up space and/or facilitate we want to hear from you! It’s a great opportunity and many artists who have got involved have gone on to even bigger things, so what are you waiting for? Get in touch!”

Liverpool’s multi-award winning cultural diversity festival, BlackFest, returns for its 7th year and the team are on the look out for performers! The theme this year: that has organically developed which is looking at the ‘MASCULINE + MASCULINTY,’ and centring the energy.

Artists can also consider these themes and again your work does not need to be bound to any theme. The 2025 festival has a wide range of events throughout Liverpool in September and the team are looking for talented musicians, DJs, poets, comedians, film makers, performing artists and everything in between. Have a talent you want to share? Apply now!

For more info visit BlackFest’s website. 

Click here to apply before 6 June 2025.