Brixton House announces 2026 season championing new voices and global stories
Brixton House launches its 2026 season with an ambitious programme that continues its commitment to championing underrepresented voices, global perspectives and deep community connection. Following the sold-out success of Black Power Desk, Limp Wrist & The Iron Fist and the Uprising Season marking 40 years since the 1985 uprisings, the new season brings together pioneering artists, international work and a renewed call for emerging talent. Fresh from winning Campaign of the Year at the Stage Awards 2026, Brixton House enters the year with a programme that places people, cultural value and artistic excellence at its core.
Far Gone. Image credit Smart Banda.
The theatre programme opens with Far Gone, a powerful one-man performance by Roots Mbili Theatre making its London debut after touring South Africa, the United States and Taiwan. Inspired by John Rwothomack’s own near-abduction by the Lord’s Resistance Army, the production traces a young boy’s journey from innocence to survival through humour, poetry and physical theatre. Audience favourites also return, with the critically acclaimed My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar back by popular demand after a sell-out 2023 run, centring Latinx women from South London and offering accessibly priced tickets to encourage community engagement. Completing the season’s mainstage work is Nine Sixteenths by acclaimed theatremaker Paula Varjack, which revisits the media backlash following Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, reclaiming a defining cultural moment while centring the experiences of Black women over 40.
Alongside its theatre programme, Brixton House continues to invest in new work and creative development through the return of Housemates Festival, now in its fourth edition. Since launching in 2022, the festival has supported 24 productions and rehearsed readings, welcomed more than 7,000 audience members and helped launch the careers of award-winning artists. The 2026 programme is further enriched by a strong line-up of literature and community activity, including an in-conversation event with Yvvette Edwards and Booker Prize winner Bernardine Evaristo, the Brixton House Community Choir, free family workshops during school holidays and ongoing youth and associate programmes. Together, the season reflects Brixton House’s mission to celebrate diversity, nurture talent and connect with the creative aspirations of local communities and the wider cultural diaspora.
My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar. Image credit Emalea Jones.
Programme Options and Information
THEATRE
Far Gone
11–21 February 2026 | From £10 | Age 12+
A one-man performance by John Rwothomack following a young boy’s journey from innocence to survival in Northern Uganda. Inspired by the artist’s own experiences, this internationally acclaimed production blends humour, poetry and physical theatre to explore conflict, identity and belonging.
My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar
7 April – 3 May 2026 | From £16 (£5 limited tickets for Latinx audiences) | Age 13+
A sharp, politically urgent and humorous play placing Latinx women from South London centre stage. Returning after a sold-out 2023 run, the production challenges stereotypes and questions visibility, with a Pay What You Feel performance on 7 April.
Nine Sixteenths
19–30 May 2026 | From £18 | Age 12+
A bold exploration of the media backlash following Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. Combining theatre, dance and lip sync, the piece reclaims a defining cultural moment while centring the experiences of Black women over
FESTIVALS & DEVELOPMENT
Housemates Festival 2026
Applications close: 20 February 2026
A month-long showcase supporting emerging creatives and under-represented voices. Selected works will be staged in Autumn 2026, continuing Brixton House’s commitment to new writing and experimentation.
Nine Sixteenths. Image courtesy of Brixton House
LITERATURE
An Evening with Yvvette Edwards & Bernardine Evaristo
7 March 2026 | From £12 | All ages
An in-conversation event exploring Yvvette Edwards’ latest novel Good Good Loving, chaired by Booker Prize winner Bernardine Evaristo.
COMMUNITY & PARTICIPATION
Brixton House Community Choir
12 January – 16 March 2026 | £70.50 (£50.50 concessions) | Age 18+
A welcoming choir exploring soul, jazz, gospel, pop, folk and reggae, with opportunities to perform throughout the year.
Holiday Family Activities
February & May Half Terms | Free | All ages
Drop-in creative workshops celebrating Latinx and Caribbean cultural heritage.
Latinx Youth Theatre
May – October 2026 | Free | Registration opens March 2026
Professional development and creative training for young Latinx performers in a supportive environment.
Young Associates: Open House Festival
7–8 May 2026 | From £6 | Age 18+
A two-day, multi-arts takeover curated entirely by Brixton House’s Young Associates, featuring performance, exhibitions and workshops.
Carlotta is one of several Italian restaurants from the Paris-based Big Mamma group’s Italian restaurants, of which there now six here in London. The group has a knack of creating spaces that feel like they have always been there…
Le Nusa is a modern Indonesian restaurant on the Strand in London, founded by an Indonesian celebrity couple. Originally launched in Paris before expanding to Jakarta, it brings refined Indonesian cuisine to the capital in an elegant two-floor setting…
Art news to be on your radar the first week of March 2026 comes from both London and across the globe. From Kahlil Joseph’s debut feature at London’s 180 Studios and Ain Bailey’s exhibition at Camden Art Centre, to the announcement of 111 artists for the Venice Biennale…
A review of Rose Wylie: The Picture Comes First at the Royal Academy of Arts, London examines the first solo exhibition by a British female artist in its main galleries, tracing Wylie’s use of memory, wartime imagery and everyday references across large-scale paintings and intimate drawings…
The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled In Minor Keys, is set to open on Saturday, 9 May 2026, and run until Sunday, 22 November 2026. Curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, who passed away in May 2025, the exhibition will be staged across Venice’s Giardini, the Arsenale…
As March arrives in London, the city begins to shake off the winter chill with plenty to see and do. Food lovers can enjoy British Pie Week, while families can mark World Book Day at Battersea Power Station. There will be major exhibition openings, including Hurvin Anderson, David Hockney and a celebration of designer Elsa Schiaparelli…Here is our guide to things to do in London in March 2026…
In a digital economy increasingly defined by automation, optimisation, and seamless systems, Xiyan Chen creates worlds that refuse to work alone. Her practice does not ask what technology can do faster or better…
This week in art, there’s plenty to get excited about. The V&A has acquired a historic YouTube watch page, while more details have been revealed about what Lubaina Himid is presenting for the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2026…
This week in London (23 February - 1 March 2026) a Tracey Emin exhibition opens at Tate Modern, with Rose Wylie’s work on show at the Royal Academy. Half Six classical music returns to the Barbican. The Aubrey at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has a weekend brunch menu with a Japanese twist, and Old Spitalfields Market will host a one-day takeover by teenage entrepreneurs…
The British Pavilion has announced the exhibition details and title for Lubaina Himid CBE RA’s solo presentation at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The exhibition, Predicting History: Testing Translation, will showcase a major new body of work exploring the complexities of belonging and the meaning of home…
This week in London (16–22 February 2026), Ryoji Ikeda takes over the Barbican Centre with performances exploring sound and light, while FAC51 The Haçienda comes to Drumsheds for a full day of classic house and techno. New exhibitions open across the city, including Chiharu Shiota’s thread installations at the Hayward Gallery and Christine Kozlov at Raven Row…
With Six Nations 2026 starting on 5 February, London is packed with pubs, bars and restaurants showing every match…
Somerset House Studios returns with Assembly 2026, a three-day festival of experimental sound, music, and performance from 26–28 March. The event features UK premieres, live experiments, and immersive installations by artists including Jasleen Kaur, Laurel Halo & Hanne Lippard, felicita, Onyeka Igwe, Ellen Arkbro, Hannan Jones & Samir Kennedy, and DeForrest Brown, Jr…
This week brings fresh details from some of the UK’s most anticipated exhibitions and events, from Tate Modern’s Ana Mendieta retrospective and David Hockney’s presentation at Serpentine North to the British Museum’s acquisition of a £35 million Tudor pendant…
This week in London (2–8 Feb 2026) enjoy Classical Mixtape at Southbank, Arcadia at The Old Vic, Kew’s Orchid Festival, Dracula at Noël Coward Theatre, free Art After Dark, Chadwick Boseman’s Deep Azure, the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, and Michael Clark’s Satie Studs at the Serpentine…
SACHI has launched a limited-edition Matcha Tasting Menu in partnership with ceremonial-grade matcha specialists SAYURI, and we went along to try it…
Croydon is set to make history as the first London borough to host The National Gallery: Art On Your Doorstep, a major free outdoor exhibition bringing life-sized reproductions of world-famous paintings into public spaces…
February in London sets the tone for the year ahead, with landmark exhibitions, major theatre openings, late-night club culture and seasonal festivals taking over the city. From Kew’s 30th Orchid Festival to Tracey Emin at Tate Modern and rooftop walks at Alexandra Palace, here’s what not to miss in February 2026…
Tate Modern has announced that Tarek Atoui will create the next Hyundai Commission for the Turbine Hall. The artist and composer is known for works that explore sound as a physical and spatial experience…
Kicking off the London art calendar, LAF’s 38th edition at Islington showcased a mix of experimental newcomers and established favourites. Here are ten standout artists from London Art Fair 2026…
Discover a guide to some of the artist talks, as well as curator- and architecture-led discussions, to be on your radar in London in early 2026…
This week in London, not-to-miss events include the T.S. Eliot Prize Shortlist Readings, the final performances of David Eldridge’s End, the return of Condo London, new exhibitions, classical concerts, a film release, creative workshops, wellness sessions, and a standout food opening in Covent Garden with Dim Sum Library…
Plant-based cooking gets the Le Cordon Bleu treatment in a new series of London short courses…
January is your final opportunity to catch some of London’s most exciting and talked-about exhibitions of 2025. Spanning fashion, photography, contemporary sculpture and multimedia, a diverse range of shows are drawing to a close across the city…
As the new year begins, London’s cultural calendar quickly gathers momentum, offering a packed programme of exhibitions, festivals, performances and seasonal experiences throughout January. Here is our guide to things you can do in London in January 2026…
Condo London returns in January 2026 as a city‑wide, collaborative art programme unfolding across 50 galleries in 23 venues throughout the capital, from West London and Soho to South and East London. This initiative rethinks how contemporary art is shown and shared, inviting London galleries to host international…
The Southbank Centre has announced Classical Mixtape: A Live Takeover, a one-night-only, multi-venue event taking place in February 2026, bringing together more than 200 musicians from six orchestras across its riverside site…
This week in London features late-night Christmas shopping on Columbia Road, festive wreath-making workshops, live Brazilian jazz, mince pie cruises, theatre performances, art exhibitions, a Christmas disco, and volunteering opportunities with The Salvation Army.
Discover London’s unmissable 2026 fashion exhibitions, from over 200 pieces of the late Queen’s wardrobe at The King’s Gallery to the V&A’s showcase of Elsa Schiaparelli’s avant-garde designs and artistic collaborations…