This September, community groups, non-profit organisations and independent local businesses on Sayer Street will host the inaugural Elephant & Carnival festival, a free, one-day family-friendly event in celebration of the rich and culturally diverse history of Elephant & Castle.

Taking place on Saturday 25th September, the carnival sees community organisations flat 70 and Run Dem Radio join with neighbouring businesses and local charity Latin Elephant, to showcase the styles and flavours of African, Caribbean and Latinx artists and creatives through dance, photography, music, food and more. flat 70’s exhibition space will reflect on Elephant & Castle’s heritage by hosting a photography, poetry and audio exhibition with historic imagery of the shopping centre and its bustling, close-knit communities – both past and present – displayed across the walls showing the rich history or the area.

After a difficult year of event cancellations for artists and cultural organisations, flat 70’s alternative festival offers visitors the opportunity to join in on the celebrations, spotlighting south London’s closely linked African, Caribbean and Latinx communities. In addition to artistic works, visitors will be able to enjoy a wide variety of food and drinks from around the world from local and independent businesses on Sayer Street. Tasty Jerk, Mikos, Bobo Social and Beza Ethiopian will set up street food residencies on Sayer Street for the day and Elephant Park-based community radio station, Run Dem Radio, will set the soundtrack to the festival, playing a wide range of sounds from the Global South and the diaspora.

Throughout the day the dance collectives, Oraceon dance crew, At Your Beat, and the Federation of Latino American Artists and Groups (FLAG) are set to perform emotive routines, drawing reference from the diverse backgrounds of Southwark locals. Kids can also enjoy complimentary family-friendly entertainment, with games, performances and interactive activities planned to take place throughout the day.

Anthony Badu, Co-Founder and Arts Director of flat 70 says: “By hosting Elephant & Carnival, we want to provide the area’s ethnically diverse community with a safe and joy filled event that reflects on the neighbourhood’s past, whilst celebrating the opportunities for the future. If Elephant & Castle is a family, then our exhibition is the family album, with photography, poetry and audio contributions from the living archive of residents and businesses who call the area home. “The area continues to be home to a variety of cultures and communities that enrich our neighbourhood. Ensuring that these communities are represented, supported and sustained is incredibly important in maintaining inclusivity as Elephant & Castle changes.”

Run Dem Radio says: “We are thrilled to be able to spread good vibes by sound tracking Elephant & Carnival, especially in a year when the carnivals that inspired it and so many live music events have been cancelled. The local community needs opportunities to get together and dance, to meet friends separated by distance and make new friends as the area changes. We’re proud to mark the one year anniversary of the closing of the Elephant & Castle shopping centre by celebrating of the unrivalled contribution our Latinx, Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities make to the sound of SE17!”

Latin Elephant says: “The anniversary of the closure of the Shopping Centre is of great significance to all members of the Elephant and Castle community, and we can’t imagine a better way to commemorate this day than by sharing voices, stories and faces of local residents, traders and Londoners who have made Elephant their home, while also celebrating the retention of the majority of small independent businesses who have long served local community and continue to do so.”

Located in Elephant Park, flat 70 was founded in February 2020 by siblings Anthony and Senam Badu in response to the regeneration of the area and the need to hold space for communities of colour. Celebrating and exchanging the gift of African and Caribbean culture, flat 70 offers a function-fluid space for artists, designers and cultural workers of African and Caribbean heritage as well as other traditionally marginalised groups. flat 70 is underpinned by 5 core pillars: artist development, artist care, financial empowerment, cultural celebration, and cultural exchange.

The event will take place on Saturday 25th September, from 12pm to 20:00pm. Entry is free to all.