The eagerly anticipated ‘Celebrate Islington – Community Festival’ was held again on 12 th July after a
4 year wait due to the pandemic. The Festival brought around 250 people to the Assembly Hall to
celebrate Islington’s rich diversity and strong community spirit.
F.L.A.M.E. Young Theatre Players in Islington kicked off the show with a vibrant display of drumming
and dancing whilst the Yukes, Ukulele players from the Whittington Community Centre, took us
down memory lane with some wonderful classic covers. Brickworks Community Dance Group
showed us how to flamenco beautifully whilst St Luke’s Hip Hop intergenerational women’s group
brought much glee with their cheeky interpretation of ‘This Is How We Do It.’ The audience loved it!
Throughout the evening there were many stalls dotted around the hall showcasing the phenomenal
local work of the voluntary & community and public sectors, from Talk For Health, Age UK, Forum+,
Octopus Community Network, Hillside Clubhouse, Access to Sports Project, Better, Elizabeth House,
VAI, Museum of London, IRMF, Islington Mind, IPR, Elfrida and Healthwatch to Islington Council’s
Community Safety, Public Health, Islington Police and the London Fire Brigade cadets – all giving out
information and goodies to the Festival attendees.
Key performances continued with the dulcet tones of Peter and Marco from Healthy Generations to
accompany the buffet with all performances MC’d by the talented Sam King. After dinner, the
powerhouse Rona Topaz sung us a blend of covers and originals. Kekeli African Dance & Drum
Group gave us yet another highlight with their lively performance and Richrhythm finished the
performances with his smooth RnB.
The Festival organiser, Roz Miller, Director of Islington Faiths Forum said “Many different community
groups have contributed to this Festival – the performers, volunteers and stall holders – we couldn’t
have delivered all this without them. The whole evening is about celebrating Islington’s rich
diversity, amazing community services and people. Our sincere thanks to Islington Council, the Local
Initiatives Fund, and the Arsenal Foundation for funding this festival – and all the team at the
Assembly Hall for hosting us.”
