Creatives of Colour Festival 2026
Creatives of Colour Festival returns for four days of performances and creative workshops, celebrating BIPOC artists in Glasgow.
Creatives of Colour | Thinking Culture | College of Arts & Humanities | School of Culture & Creative Arts
Date: Thursday 07 May 2026 - Sunday 10 May 2026
Time: 19:00 - 16:00
Venue: QMU | Civic House | Glad Cafe | Woodlands Community Trust | Gathering Ground
Category: Concerts and music, Films and theatre, Social events, Academic events, Student events, Alumni events, Community events
Join us for a four-day Festival celebrating the creative contributions of people of colour, across venues including the QMU, Woodlands Community Trust, Glad Cafe, Civic House, and Gathering Ground.
The festival celebrates both our collective identity and the intersectionality and diversity of our stories, cultures, and art forms. Our performances, screening, and workshops centre the voices, experiences, and creativity of people of colour in Glasgow, sharing amongst our larger community. Storytelling sits at the heart of these creative practices, and celebrates the resilience, joy, and talent of BIPOC artists. The festival has been Co-curated by Kevin Leomo and Zahra Khosroshahi.
Our stories. Our lens. Our terms.
The Festival is supported by Thinking Culture, School of Culture & Creative Arts and the Ferguson Bequest, University of Glasgow.
Evening Events:
Opening Night of Poetry & Spoken Word – Jim’s Bar, QMU, 7.00pm, Thursday May 7
Creatives of Colour Festival 2026 opens with an evening of spoken word and poetry from four incredible Scotland-based artists: Titi Farukuoye, Theresa Muñoz, Tawona Sithole, Chisom Okoronkwo; hosted by Esraa Hussein. Festival Co-Directors Zahra and Kevin will present the Festival welcome speech.
Festival Gig – Glad Cafe, 7.30pm, Friday May 8
Join us at the Glad Cafe for a celebratory gig of groundbreaking Scotland-based artists: Ray Aggs, Miwa Nagato-Apthorp, and Simone Seales, followed by a DJ set from Salam Kitty.
Festival Film Screening & Panel Discussion – Civic House, 7.00pm, Saturday May 9
Join us at Civic House Film for a screening of Khartoum (2025), followed by a panel discussion from film scholars Umloda Ibrahim and Zahra Khosroshahi.
Workshops:
Please note all workshops are BIPOC-only.
Participatory Design for Just and Liberatory Futures – Woodlands Community Trust, 2.00pm, Friday May 8
Embark on a journey of radical imagination, learning tools and methods that cultivate visions for a new world and equitable futures, with design consultant, researcher, and community organiser Hanieh Khosroshahi.
Formal Rebellion – Civic House, 11.00am, Saturday May 9
Discover how to use formal experiments to explore difficult truths and feel sovereignty over our own stories, with author, editor and creative writing teacher Candice Chung.
Building Depth & Realism with Graphite and Charcoal – Civic House, 2.00pm, Saturday May 9
A workshop for creatives of colour with basic to intermediate drawing skills who want to strengthen their realism techniques, with artist Adam.
Beginners’ Vinyasa Flow Yoga – Gathering Ground, 11.30m, Sunday May 10
A beginner-friendly, slow Vinyasa flow class, with a focus on grounding, compassion and connection, with yoga teacher Joyce from Studio 70.
Listening Songs – Gathering Ground, 2.00pm, Sunday May 10
A collaborative, experimental song-making workshop exploring song as a shared space for creative imagination, with Riah from Listen Gallery.
