Black History Month in Brighton & Hove: a free two-day BARCO takeover of the Brighton Centre on 10 and 11 October, museum talks, storytimes and a family day.
Black History Month runs through October, and Brighton & Hove has events on most weeks of it. The council is flying the Black History Month flag from Hove and Brighton town halls all month. Its own listing names a dozen events across the city (Brighton & Hove City Council, 1 October 2026).
The biggest is a free two-day takeover of the Brighton Centre by BARCO on 10 and 11 October. Most of the rest are free or included in museum admission.
We have checked each event against the organiser’s own page where one exists. In three cases the organiser’s details differ from the council’s list, and we give the organiser’s version below.
This year’s theme
The council says this year’s focus is on people whose contributions “too often go unseen”: volunteers, teachers, nurses, carers and community organisers. Councillor Mitchie Alexander, cabinet member for communities and equalities, linked it to the council’s new Civic Leadership Programme. That programme aims to increase Black and Asian representation in civic roles, and its first meeting was on 1 October (council, 10 July 2026).
Events, in date order
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 5 Oct, 8pm | STATUS FLO: Black History Month, spoken word with AFLO. the poet | Brighton Dome Studio Theatre | £14.50, concessions from £7 |
| Tue 6 Oct, 11am to 3pm | Stronger and healthier together, an Aging Well Festival event for racialised minorities aged 50+ | Friends Meeting House, Ship Street | Free |
| Wed 7 Oct, 3pm to 4.30pm | Repatriation and Shared Heritage: Brighton and Botswana | Museum Lab, Brighton Museum | Free with museum admission |
| Sat 10 Oct, 11am to 9.30pm | Black History, Our History: BARCO Brighton Centre Takeover | The Wing, Brighton Centre | Free tickets |
| Sun 11 Oct, 11am to 5pm | BARCO takeover, day two | The Wing, Brighton Centre | Free tickets |
| Thu 15 Oct, 7pm to 8.30pm | Feminist Book Club, Black literature | Afrori Books, Brighthelm Centre | Not stated |
| Sat 24 Oct, 10am to 4.30pm | Brighton Family Bookfest | Jubilee Library | Free |
| Mon 26 Oct | Storytime: Black History Month | Hove Museum of Creativity | Free, drop in |
| Tue 27 Oct | Storytime: Black History Month | Brighton Museum | Free, drop in |
| Wed 28 Oct, 10am and 2pm | Museum Makers: Black History Month, ages 5 to 12 | Brighton Museum | Free with museum admission |
| Fri 30 Oct, 10am and 2pm | Museum Makers: Black History Month, ages 5 to 12 | Hove Museum of Creativity | £7 per child |
| Sat 7 Nov, 11am to 6pm | Family Day Take Part 2026 | Brighton Dome and Brighton Museum | Free |
An exhibition, Black History in Church Spaces, also runs at St Luke’s Church, Prestonville, 64 Old Shoreham Road. It opened on 3 October. The council says it covers figures including Olaudah Equiano and the story of the SS Mendi.
The ones worth knowing more about
The BARCO takeover fills two floors of the Wing at the Brighton Centre with workshops, talks, local organisations and businesses, food, music and theatre. BARCO’s ticket page lists Saturday 11am to 9.30pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm, and says the full programme is “due to be confirmed soon” (Ticket Tailor). The council’s list gave a 10pm Saturday finish; we have used BARCO’s time.
The Botswana talk on 7 October follows Brighton & Hove Museums’ return of 45 objects to the Khama III Memorial Museum in Botswana in May 2026. It includes the premiere of a short film and a panel with the museums’ curator of world cultures, a University of Sussex professor and two members of Brighton & Hove Black History (Brighton & Hove Museums).
Family Day Take Part on 7 November falls just after the month ends. Brighton Dome calls it “Brighton’s biggest free celebration of arts, culture and heritage honouring the diaspora communities in this city”. It is produced by African Night Fever and spreads across the Concert Hall foyer, Corn Exchange, Studio Theatre and Brighton Museum (Brighton Dome). The council’s list gave an 8pm time; the Dome’s own page says 11am to 6pm. Under-14s must come with an adult.
Where the council’s list and the organisers differ
- Museum Makers at Brighton Museum is on Wednesday 28 October, according to the museum (Brighton & Hove Museums). The council listed Thursday 29 October.
- Museum Makers at Hove Museum costs £7 per child, or three advance tickets for £15 (Brighton & Hove Museums). The council’s list does not give a price.
- The BARCO Saturday and Family Day times are covered above.
We could not find the museums’ own pages for the two storytime sessions. The council lists both at 10.30am, 12 noon and 3pm, 20 minutes each, free with no booking. Check the museums’ What’s On page before you go.
What it means for you
- For families, the cheapest days out are the two storytimes, the Bookfest at Jubilee Library and the BARCO weekend, all free. Museum Makers is free at Brighton Museum with admission but charged at Hove. If you are planning the school holiday, our October half-term guide has the rest.
- For the BARCO weekend, book the free tickets through BARCO’s page. The programme is still to be published.
- Tonight’s STATUS FLO at the Dome starts at 8pm, doors 7.15pm, with a limited number of £7 low-income tickets (Brighton Dome).
- Libraries have curated reading selections on Black stories all month, and eBooks through the council’s BorrowBox service.
More listings for the city are on the national Black History Month website. For everything else on this month, see What’s On in Brighton this month.
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