Carnival Windrush

On Sunday 6th August 2023, thousands of people descended on the National Memorial Arboretum to attend Carnival Windrush, an immersive and vibrant celebration of the Windrush Generation. Captivated by the poetry, invigorating music, soulful songs and mesmerising dances, visitors were taken on a cultural journey to the Caribbean.

ACE dance and music led a Carnival procession through the gardens to the stage, where each class programme group from Minis to our adult class performed their Carnival pieces.

ACE also brought Eternity drumming group from Amsterdam, the Mighty Jamma steel-pan artist, face-paint and craft artists and of course our inimitable Carnival costumes to the party.

The free event, organised in collaboration with Black Voices, associate partners of the Arboretum, explored the legacy of the HMT Empire Windrush which arrived on UK shores 75-years ago, and the significant role the ‘Windrush Generation’ played in rebuilding the country after the Second World War.