Welcome To Wandsworth Reveals Programme For January - March

Welcome to Wandsworth - the Mayor's London Borough of Culture - has a packed and eclectic programme with something for everyone this Spring. From cabaret to comedy, grassroots gigs to internationally acclaimed artists - get ready for music, mayhem… and a big glittery Vogue Ball. See art in shopping malls and schools, libraries and cafes, discover Wandsworth's hidden histories, sample Tooting's legendary food scene, and explore the lives of people who live and work in the borough. Watch the borough bloom this spring, bursting with creativity and lots of opportunities to participate, engage and be entertained, spotlighting Wandsworth as a hub of creative energy that is lighting up London.

Kemi Akinola, Deputy Leader of Wandsworth Council, Cabinet Member for Business, Voluntary Services and Culture said: ‘Wandsworth's year as the Mayor's London Borough of Culture continues to deliver a programme created with, by and for local people, artists and organisations. Connecting vibrant and diverse communities, we're celebrating the borough's cultural heritage and iconic landmarks this Spring, while embedding creative wellbeing across the programme. For Wandsworth, the impact of this ‘Year to Remember' will reach far beyond our 12 months as London Borough of Culture, leaving a legacy of connection, pride and opportunity. In the meantime, let the celebrations continue!'

Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said: ‘The next few months will see the glorious finale of Wandsworth's year as London's Borough of Culture. Theatre, music, visual arts and food will showcase the best of the borough. ‘Welcome to Wandsworth' has been a stellar success and will leave a legacy for future generations helping us build a better London for everyone.' 

The next chapter in Wandsworth's year as the Mayor's London Borough of Culture will soon be underway as it kicks off 2026 with Palace of Varieties at Clapham Grand on 29 January, celebrating 125 years of this iconic venue. Hosted by Jade Adams the line-up includes Sink The Pink, Dr Glitz and the Fabulous Flirtations, The Groove Chorus, London School of Samba, Beans on Toast, Tayce, Hugo Jennings, Bailey J Mills, Gallifrey Cabaret, Lisa Mafia Feat Dan Jolley, DJ Tete Bang, Miss Leighding, Herr & Me Ham It Up and more to be announced! Expect a riot of comedy, cabaret, music, drag, archive moments and surprise guests as we relive 125 years of joy, resilience and reinvention.

THEATRE

Award-winning Manchester theatre collective Quarantine will take over Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) 16 Feb - 14 March for A Public Address, collaborating with a huge range of people across Lavender Hill and the wider borough to offer audiences a rare insight into people's lives and how they see the world. The takeover will include a World Premiere of a new two part work created especially for BAC, why I am and why I am not. In the first part, entitled The Balcony, 12 people will make a speech to the public from the outside of BAC's building – tackling subjects from the personal to the universal, the seemingly flippant to certainly urgent. The next day, the same people will be in The Rooms, responding to the opposite starting point to whatever they chose to make their speech about. Throughout the two weeks, audiences can also experience the London Premiere of The People of Lavender Hill, an audio walk that paints a portrait of the street of Lavender Hill. 

Taking place in cafes within a one-mile radius of BAC, Quarantine will bring their oldest, most intimate, and most internationally travelled work - No Such Thing, an intimate production which takes place between only two people. The offer is simple - Quarantine will buy you lunch whilst you have a conversation guided by a menu of questions about what's happening in the world, in our lives and stuff that's playing on our minds. A Public Address ends with 12 Last Songs - an epic 12-hour durational work that invites people from across Wandsworth to work a paid shift on stage in an exploration of the place work has in our lives. The tenth iteration of its twelve international productions, this is a London premiere.

FILM / VISUAL ARTS

On 3 March at World Heart Beat, there will be the European Premiere screening of Sonia Boyce's film Carmen. Created with support from Wandsworth - London Borough of Culture in 2025 Carmen is a powerful tribute to the life and career of trailblazing Wandsworth-based, Guyanese-British actress Dame Carmen Munroe, who reshaped perceptions of Caribbean migrants in the UK through her performances in such West End plays as Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, and her roles on popular British television programmes including Doctor Who' The Persuaders and Desmond's.

Boyce's film celebrates Munroe's impact as an artist and activist in a powerful two-channel film: one screen lingers on Munroe as she watches a montage of her own performances, while the other screen displays significant dates and milestones in her career. The two feeds interweave fact and sentiment, history and personal anecdote, illuminating Munroe's ambition, tenacity and prowess in her craft, while emphasizing her own voice and perspective. The event includes a Q&A with Sonia Boyce and theatre director Paulette Randall.

Celebrated across the former Eastern Bloc region, ‘Maslenitsa' is a celebration of colour, nature, folklore and food. Maslenitsa – The Exhibition (9-14 March) is an exhibition of photographs, paintings and installations by artists from Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Russia, and beyond. Folk story sharing sessions and workshops will take place throughout the exhibition and workshops will take place throughout the exhibition and will be announced soon.

We Art Wandsworth, a borough-wide celebration of creativity, connection, and community, culminates with 3 exhibitions and two workshops. Faceless Self-Portrait with neurodivergent multidisciplinary artist Tiah Algalarrondo (23 Jan) is an inclusive textile-based workshop where participants can explore identity using scrap fabrics, felt, and thread - creating expressive self-portraits without facial features.

Stencil Art with Felicity Prazak (29 Jan), delivered in partnership with Balham Library's Forget-Me-Not Group, is a dementia-friendly session supporting creativity, memory, and social connection. Participants will explore Felicity's signature layered stencil technique, building imagery inspired by Wandsworth's paths, greenery, and foliage.

We Art Wandsworth shines a light on local talent during Wandsworth's year as London Borough of Culture 2025. We Heart Wandsworth (27 Jan - 7 Feb) is an exhibition of artwork by 50 local artists inspired by their Wandsworth community and surroundings. The second exhibition is hosted by Putney School of Art & Design (2 - 28 February), and the final exhibition takes place from 16 - 28 March at Battersea Arts Centre (BAC).

We Art Wandsworth is led by Friends of Putney School of Art & Design, in partnership with Putney School of Art & Design, Sprout Arts, Wandsworth Libraries and Battersea Arts Centre (BAC). The project is creatively driven by a core team of Wandsworth-based practitioners: Roopa Basu (artist, designer, facilitator); Tamara Flanagan OBE (community engagement specialist); and Phillippa Egerton, (multidisciplinary artist). 

Delivered in partnership with the Royal College of Art, Our Beautiful Neighbourhood (28 Feb - 23 March) is a public exhibition of artworks created by pupils age 9 - 13 attending Wandsworth schools, spread across multiple venues in the borough including Southside Shopping Centre, Battersea Power Station and Putney Exchange Shopping Centre. Focusing on the themes of biodiversity and place, the original artworks shine a light on how connecting with nature can support and improve our mental health and wellbeing. Pupils' collages have been photographed and printed onto large banners to create a colourful display, highlighting the diverse habitats and species found in Wandsworth. The exhibition can also be experienced aurally by listening to a soundscape, accessible via QR codes on sites. 50 schools, including primary, secondary, SEN and healthcare settings have contributed to the exhibition to represent the widest possible range of artworks and interpretations of nature.

QUEER WANDSWORTH

LGBTQ+ History Month (February) highlights include The Juicy Couture Vogue Ball (22 Feb) at Clapham Grand - a fabulous culmination of a weekend of workshops supported by Welcome to Wandsworth through its Black History 365 Grants programme.

For the New Way Vogue Workshop (20 Feb) get ready to pose and stretch! Join Sofi Juicy Couture for a high-energy New Way workshop focused on clean lines, arms control, floor performance, and controlled dips. This session is all about pushing range without losing technique. Expect drills, combinations, and intention behind every move. All levels are welcome. On 21 Feb there is an Open Ballroom Session for anyone with a curiosity for the ballroom scene, as well as for those in the community who want an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and have a good time. Get a taste of UK ballroom culture and the European Kiki scene.

The Juicy Couture Vogue Ball will pay homage to The Disney Channel and its golden era from 90s to 00s and each category is inspired by an iconic programme or Disney original movie which every Millennial / Gen X grew up watching. This Ball has everything you'd expect from the baddest Kiki; think fashion, runway, beauty, performance, realness and, of course, VOGUE.

Other highlights include a Queer Wandsworth exhibition (3 Feb – 21 Feb at BAC; 4 Feb – 28 Feb at Wandsworth Town Hall). Queer lives have always been part of Wandsworth. They have been lived in theatres and libraries, parks and prisons, night-time spaces and everyday neighbourhoods — even when hidden, criminalised or rarely recorded. This exhibition explores how people have found belonging, creativity and resistance across the borough. It traces how power, protest, care and pleasure have shaped queer experience, and those whose stories have been remembered - or overlooked - along the way. Alongside historic material, the exhibition includes a contemporary commission by artist Luca Bosani, responding to three stories from Wandsworth's queer past. By grounding these histories in real places and lived lives, Queer Wandsworth invites you to see the borough as a landscape shaped by connection, courage and imagination.

A MONTH OF MUSIC

Bloodlines & Basslines On Da Beat (ODB) x Morocco Bound is an intergenerational live music showcase of South West London's finest emerging talent and new music from On Da Beat's Writing Camp, celebrating local heritage and grassroots creativity (22 Feb) with special guests.

Wandsworth Live (14 Feb - 12 March) is a month of live music that celebrates Wandsworth's independent music venues including The Bedford (17 Feb), The Magic Garden (7 March), World Heart Beat (12 March) and more… with full dates and artists to be announced to coincide with Independent Music Venues week commencing 26 January.

Rock The Grand is the ultimate band competition in Wandsworth for 13 - 19 year olds. The final takes place at the Clapham Grand on 2 March - come along to see the next generation of Wandsworth music stars as they follow in the footsteps of RAYE, Mick Jones (The Clash) and The Maccabees.

Sing to Thrive (15 - 18 March) is Welcome to Wandsworth's celebration of singing for health and wellbeing! A series of events will take place across the borough featuring existing choirs as well as ‘come and sing' opportunities for the community. Wandsworth Council has commissioned two new songs for choirs to perform from composers Bernard Hughes and Aga Serugo-Lugo, and a lyricist, Helen Eastman, who were selected by a panel of local music partners, including Wandsworth Music, World Heart Beat and National Opera Studio. One of the new songs will be written for existing choirs and singing groups, and the other will be co-created with community and healthcare settings for those who may struggle to access singing opportunities. Both songs will be performed at the Sing to Thrive finale event. Full event details to be announced.

Our Music Our Freedom is a 12-episode podcast series that delves deep into the rich musical heritage of the borough produced by BBC radio presenter Max Reinhardt and presented by Anabel Provensal and Rita Ray. Episodes include: Dennis Bovell - Life & Times of a Dub Icon; Co Się Dzieje? (What's happening?) East European Sounds and Stories; Take Me Where The Music's Playing - Live Music Venues in the Borough;  A Tale of Two Schools: Spencer Park & Elliott; What's the Craic? Irish Sounds and Stories; Desi Sounds and Stories;   Sankofa African Sounds and Stories; Wandsworth's Jazz Buzz; Wellbeing in Wandsworth; Wandsworth Music Go Round…Sounds & Stories from around the borough; The Fair Field Full of Folk and Cymande…The Greatest Band You've (probably) Never Heard Of. The series will be launched on 9 February.

FOOD

Taking place across Tooting Market and Broadway Market, Tooting Food Festival (14 & 15 Feb) invites visitors to discover an incredible range of cuisines from local traders that reflect the global influences and shared histories that shape the neighbourhood. More than a food event, the Tooting Food Festival is a celebration of connection and belonging. A programme of live music performances will take place from afternoon into the evening, creating a vibrant festival atmosphere. Visitors can also take part in a series of guided tours exploring Tooting's rich food heritage and local stories. 

The Beat Goes On, the finale of Wandsworth's Year to Remember will take place on 21 March at Battersea Power Station, with full details to be announced.

Find out about everything happening during our year as London Borough of Culture at welcometowandsworth.com