Suitable for all ages

Essential information

Type
Events and festivals
Location
Date and times Saturday 25 July 2026 | 10am-5pm
Prices Free

Our long-term friends at the Caribbean Social Forum are back with a vibrant, family-friendly celebration at Royal Museums Greenwich!

This year we're proudly celebrating the fifth anniversary of Caribbean Takeover. Over the past five years, we’ve grown into a vibrant platform that champions Caribbean culture, education, music and community, bringing people together through unforgettable experiences.

We’re also honouring the 60th anniversary of Notting Hill Carnival, recognising its enduring legacy and cultural impact.

All are welcome – come and immerse yourself in the spirit of the Caribbean and be part of a celebration like no other.

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Event highlights

Welcome ceremony

The day will begin with a welcome ceremony led by the Caribbean Social Forum on the Ocean Map at the National Maritime Museum, opening the event and introducing the programme of activities.

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Live performances and music

Throughout the day, visitors will encounter live performances across Royal Museums Greenwich, including African drumming, steel pan music, calypso dance and limbo, bringing Caribbean musical traditions to life.

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Talks and discussions

A programme of talks and discussions will take place in both the National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House, featuring historians, writers and cultural practitioners exploring Caribbean history, heritage and contemporary culture.

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Family activities and educational workshops

A range of hands-on workshops and activities will be available for families, including carnival headwear making, fibre and textile workshops and participatory folk song sessions celebrating Caribbean musical traditions.

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Roaming entertainment

Visitors will encounter a range of roaming performances and activities throughout the day, including a magician, caricature artist and Walking Images, where costumed performers bring historical Caribbean and Black British figures to life through interactive encounters across the Museum.

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Film screening and Q&A

Visitors can attend a screening of Milestone: Streets Paved with Gold, adapted from Victor Richards' acclaimed one-man theatre play. This will be followed by a Q&A session offering further insight into Caribbean-British experiences.

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Games and interactives

Interactive activities such as dominoes and other games will take place alongside community-led displays and remembrance installations curated by the Caribbean Social Forum.

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Event programme

Two people dance in front of a statue of a ship inside a glass bottle
Image: Jonny Guardiani

Shows and performances

Welcome ceremony

10.45am-11.15am | Ocean Map, National Maritime Museum

Calypso and Soca dancing

11.30am-12pm | Ocean Map, National Maritime Museum

Reggae dancing

12.20pm-1pm | Ocean Map, National Maritime Museum

Calypso and Soca dancing

1.20pm-2pm | Ocean Map, National Maritime Museum

Reggae dancing

2.20pm-3pm | Ocean Map, National Maritime Museum

African drumming

Throughout the day | Outside the main entrance to the National Maritime Museum

Steel pan performance

Throughout the day | Next to the statue of King William IV, by the parkside entrance to the National Maritime Museum

Closing ceremony

3.45pm-4.30pm | Ocean Map, National Maritime Museum

Musical, dance performances and speeches bring the day of celebration to a close.

A boy in a baseball cap sits drawing during a craft activity

Activities and workshops

From musical workshops to craft sessions, check out our range of activities taking place. Events are drop-in.

Carnival headwear

11.15am-1pm | Learning Space, National Maritime Museum

Caribbean folk songs

11.30am-12.30pm | Rethink Space, National Maritime Museum

Fibre workshop

11.30am-1pm | Reflection Space in the Atlantic Worlds gallery, National Maritime Museum

Creative workshop: Tree of Cultural Connection

11.30am-1pm | Propellor Space, National Maritime Museum

Make a community-centred artwork that celebrates creativity and carnival. This hands-on session will be led by Carl Gabriel, internationally renowned sculptor and carnival artist, and Cee Boulaqui, founder of award-winning band, Vibrance Mas.

Crochet workshop

11.45am-1pm | Group Space, National Maritime Museum

Caribbean folk songs

1pm-2pm | Rethink Space, National Maritime Museum

A woman wraps a colourful headdress around the head of a young girl

African headdresses

1.45pm-3.45pm | Learning Space, National Maritime Museum

Textile workshop

2pm-3.30pm | Group Space, National Maritime Museum

Creative workshop: Tree of Cultural Connection

2pm-3.30pm | Propellor Space, National Maritime Museum

Make a community-centred artwork that celebrates creativity and carnival. This hands-on session will be led by Carl Gabriel, internationally renowned sculptor and carnival artist, and Cee Boulaqui, founder of award-winning band, Vibrance Mas.

Artist workshop with Paula Ogun Hector

2pm-3.30pm | Group Space, National Maritime Museum

Fibre workshop

2pm-3.45pm | Reflection Space in the Atlantic Worlds gallery, National Maritime Museum

Photo of group of men sitting around a table playing a dominoes game and smiling

Caricature artist illustrations

Throughout the day | Roaming around the National Maritime Museum

Magician

Throughout the day | Roaming around the National Maritime Museum

Games without wires and dominoes

Throughout the day | Figurehead Space, National Maritime Museum

Dominoes

Throughout the day | Lawn next to Nelson's Ship in a Bottle artwork

Family workshop: Carving stories and symbols

Throughout the day | Voyagers gallery, National Maritime Museum

Ships from the Caribbean puzzle

Throughout the day | Screen near the Information Desk at the National Maritime Museum

Character actors: Walking Images

Throughout the day | Roaming around the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House

Costumed performers bring historical Caribbean and Black British figures to life.

Three speakers sit in front of an audience in the Lecture Theatre of the National Maritime Museum

Talks

Join us for a series of talks and discussions about Caribbean heritage and culture, given by creatives, academics and historians.

More information to come.

Talk by Michael Ohajuru

11.30am -12.15pm | Great Hall, Queen's House

Talk by Ansel Wong

11.45am-12.30pm | Lecture Theatre, National Maritime Museum

Talk by Sonita Alleyne

1pm-1.45pm | Great Hall, Queen's House

Talk by Matthew Smith

1pm-1.45pm | Lecture Theatre, National Maritime Museum

Talk by Avis Charles

2pm-2.45pm | Lecture Theatre, National Maritime Museum

Talk by Kyungu Gordon-Walker

2pm-2.45pm | Great Hall, Queen's House

Talk by Eddie Smyth

3pm-3.45pm | Lecture Theatre, National Maritime Museum

Talk by Tony Warner
3pm-3.45pm | Great Hall, Queen's House

A presenter gives a talk in a lecture theatre

Film screening and Q&A

Milestone: Streets Paved with Gold

11.30pm-1pm and 2pm-3.30pm | Van de Velde Studio, Queen's House

Adapted from Victor Richards' eponymous play, Milestone: Streets Paved with Gold is a celebration of Caribbean-British heritage. The film charts the life of Augustus Cleveland Johnson, following his arrival in England in 1948.

The screenings will be followed by a Q&A session with Richards, offering deeper insight into the Windrush generation and Caribbean-British experiences.

Displays

Artworks by Paula Ogun Hector

2pm-3pm | Outside the Group Space, National Maritime Museum

Look at pieces by textile artist Paula Ogun Hector, whose work centres around a more inclusive understanding of Black British history. Hector is the founder of Tapestry of Black Britons CIC, a series of digitally woven tapestries that highlight African and Caribbean contributions to Britain.

The Way we Were

Throughout the day | Orangery, Queen's House

A thought-provoking display by the Caribbean Social Forum.

Wall of Remembrance

Throughout the day | Screen on the Ocean Map, National Maritime Museum

Reflections by the Caribbean Social Forum.

Plan your visit

Getting to Royal Museums Greenwich
Travel information for the National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Cutty Sark and Queen's House
Plan your visit to the National Maritime Museum
Opening times, tickets, visitor information and helpful guides
Plan your visit to the Queen's House
Opening times, tickets, visitor information and helpful guides

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Our partners

Event organised in partnership with the Caribbean Social Forum