Check out the Melan Magazine June Out & About roundup if you’re looking for a roundup of events, theatre and art activities to add to your June plans.

June is typically the month where the hint of warmer weather spurs us on to start planning “outside” activities and fun things to do. Our roundup is packed full of great ideas to help you fill up your calendar. Including a fitness music festival, a foodie festival, Windrush tea party, and loads of arty events, all served against a backdrop of Black excellence, there’s something for everyone.

If you attend any of these events we’d love to hear about it; let us know how it went in the comments.

To share your events for future roundups, email: info@melanmag.com

Beats and Bands at Fulham Stadium fitness party: Have you got your ticket?  

Gina Obeng’s Beats and Bands community fitness event is taking over Fulham Stadium in its biggest event yet. If you haven’t got a ticket yet, what are you waiting for?

Beats and Bands is for people from all walks of life and all fitness levels. Whether you’re a regular gym-goer or just starting out, this is a space where you can show up as you are, move to the music, feel the energy- and leave better than you came.

Come along solo or with friends and be prepared to leave with a post-event energy that feels bigger than a regular workout. This Beats and Bands event is extra special. Taking place in Fulham Stadium and powered by Red Bull, it promises to be a first-of-its-kind takeover that transforms a football stadium into the ultimate fitness party. Don’t miss this one!

Date: Sunday 7 June 2026
Time: Doors open at 3pm
Venue: Fulham Stadium, Craven Cottage, Stevenage Road, London, SW6 6HH
Buy tickets

Check out this free National Portrait Gallery exhibition

Don’t miss the chance to view the work of shortlisted artists for the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026 at a free National Portrait Gallery exhibition.

The prize-winning shortlisted portraits and those selected for inclusion in the exhibition were chosen from 1,474 submissions entered by artists from 63 countries. A total of 52 portraits will be displayed in the free Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2026 exhibition.

The four shortlisted portraits are:

• What’s Mine is Yours, (2024) by Chloe Cox
• Jean-Denis, (2025) by Marc Dalessio
• In Our Borderlands, (2025) by Joel Nichols
• Charlie and Magda, (2026) by Michael Slusakowicz

The works will be showing at the National Portrait Gallery between 25 June to 7 October 2026. The prize winners will be announced at an award ceremony on 23 June 2026.

Date: 25 June to 7 October 2026
Time: Open daily: 10.30am – 6pm / Friday & Saturday: 10.30am – 9pm
Venue: National Portrait Gallery​ – St Martin’s Place​, London, WC2H 0HE​
Admission: Free
Learn more

Taste of London summer 2026: Have you got your ticket?

Taste of London returns to London’s Regent’s Park this summer with exciting new bites, incredible flavours and electric festival energy.

Choose from any of the five days the festival is running to experience London’s most exciting restaurants, fire-fuelled theatrics, 160 artisan producers and exhibitors, live entertainment and hours of ultimate indulgence in the sunshine.

The event will feature over 30 restaurants serving more than 130 dishes – We suggest you come HUNGRY! The Fire Pit is just one of the highlights of the event, featuring live demos from the likes of chefs including award-winning writer and cook Melissa Thompson.

Over at the BBQ Cook School, Nathaniel Mortley, better known as Natty Can Cook, the south London-based Chef who transformed his life through cooking after serving time in prison, will be turning the heat up on Saturday, along with others.

British Airways Holidays is hosting the Cook School this year. Look out for their curated line-up of renowned Caribbean chefs celebrating the rich culinary heritage of Barbados, St Kitts, Tobago and Grenada. Guests can taste their way across the islands with the likes of chef and culinary activist Lelani Lewis, whose roots trace to Grenada and Ireland, alongside award-winning Bajan Chef Jason Howard and traveling private Chef Arthur Patrick.

Date:  Wednesday 17 June – Sunday 21 June 2026
Venue: Regent’s Park, Outer Circle, London, NW1 5HA
Book tickets

Celebrate Caribbean culture and legacy at Windrush Tea Party 2026

Take up the invitation to celebrate our Windrush Generation in this year’s special tea party event at Leicester’s Museum Square.

Windrush Tea Party, organised by Opal22, is calling on families, friends, and communities of all backgrounds to come together for an unforgettable day honouring the legacy of the Windrush Generation.

This year’s event will be hosted by comedian Annette Fagon, and special guests are Gogglebox stars Sandi and Sandra.

Visitors can look forward to a day of live performances from celebrated artists and emerging talent, uplifting steel pan music, and Caribbean food stalls serving mouthwatering flavours from across the islands. The event will also feature cultural market stalls offering handmade goods, artwork, and keepsakes, alongside a dedicated Kids’ Activity Corner packed with games, crafts, and family-friendly fun. For those looking to indulge, a Caribbean-Infused High Tea experience is available for just £35 per person. Pre-booking is required.

Date: Saturday June 20 2026
Time: 12pm – 8pm 
Venue: Museum Square, New Walk, Leicester
Entry: Pay What You Can Afford
High Tea Experience: £35 per person (advance booking required) – reserve your place

Watch the Nanny of the Maroons theatre play

This is your chance to catch the theatre play about the incredible true story of Nanny of the Maroons, a legendary 18th century freedom fighter.

Nanny of the Maroons by Corey Campbell and Lucia Haynes is a major new co-production from Belgrade Theatre, Hackney Empire and tiata fahodzi. High in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, Queen Nanny prepares to lead her people in a war against British colonial forces. A brilliant military strategist and revered spiritual leader, she outwits her enemies at every turn with such cunning, they claim she has the powers of a witch. As long as her people remain enslaved, her war rages on. This is the epic story of a Woman, a Warrior, a Queen.

Chinonyerem Odimba, Artistic Director and CEO of tiata fahodzi, said: “To be telling the story of the amazing Nanny and bringing this important history to audiences across the country I think is an exciting endeavour. [] We can’t wait for audiences to discover a woman that represents so much of what Black resistance means.”

Date: Friday 18 June 2027 – Saturday 3 July 2027 | Belgrade Theatre Coventry – Book here
Date: Wednesday 7 July 2027 – Sunday 11 July 2027 | Hackney Empire – Book here
Time: Various times

Book your tix to the St. Kitts Music Festival

If you’re lucky enough to be in St Kitts this June, there’s no excuse to miss out on grabbing your tickets to the islands’ hottest music event of the year, the 28^th St. Kitts Music Festival.

Described as a three-night symphony of energy, between 25-27 June, the line-up of this year’s festival includes Boyz II Men, Skippa, Kehlani, Fantasia, Beres Hammond, Machel Montano, Mavado, Tarrus Riley, Dean Fraser & The Blak Soil Band, Steel Pulse, Luciano and many more.

Hon. Marsha T. Henderson, St Kitts Minister of Tourism said: “The 28th edition of the St. Kitts Music Festival is not just an event; it is a cultural moment, and we invite the world to be part of it.”

Date: Thursday 25 – Saturday 27 June 2026
To learn more and secure your tickets, click below
Book tickets

Watch Tia-Renee Mullings’ debut play – A to B

If you’re in the mood for a spoken-word love story set to the soundtrack of Caribbean South London, then don’t miss British-Jamaican playwright Tia-Renee Mullings’ debut play, A to B.

A to B follows two young Black Londoners navigating the chaos of finding love in a world full of distractions. Built from the rhythms, language and textures of British-Jamaican South London, Brianna and Amani get ready for their blind date while contending with unreliable friends and a day that refuses to cooperate.

This play, directed by Ewa Dina, gives the rom-com genre a cultural glow-up. This two-hander modern romance is cleverly told through intercutting spoken word monologues – placing Black British culture at centre stage. The cast includes Sheyi Cole (Small Axe; Boxing Day) and Zakiyyah Dean (Enterprice; Small Axe; Why A Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister).

From children’s home to Brixton Bard: the story of Alex Wheatle: Small Axe

Date: Friday 12 June to Friday 3 July 2026
Time: Open daily: 10.30am – 6pm / Friday & Saturday: 10.30am – 9pm
Venue: Soho Theatre | 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE
Book tickets

Watch Misan Harriman’s Shoot The People at the cinema

Renowned for his wide-ranging work — including powerful breakthrough images from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and capturing the Palestinian liberation movement on film, Misan Harriman’s latest project is Shoot The People.

Shoot The People, a documentary from director Andy Mundy-Castle featuring photographer, filmmaker and activist Misan Harriman, is a powerful documentary capturing Misan’s journey documenting global protest movements that drive social change. The film follows Harriman as he highlights the resilience of grassroots activists fighting for equality, civil rights, and social justice, the film showcases the intersectionality of these movements and their collective power. With historical context, interviews with activists, and explorations of digital activism, the documentary reveals how Harriman’s lens brings the world’s activism to light, inspiring viewers to recognize their own power in shaping a more just society.

Shoot The People will be released in the US on 19 June at New York City’s Angelika Film Center and UK and Irish cinemas from 10 July.

Watch the Shoot The People trailer below

Explore Project a Black Planet: A Season at the Barbican

Head on over to the Barbican Centre to explore the Project a Black Planet: A season, a summer programme celebrating the rich influence of Pan-Africanism on contemporary arts and culture.

From 5 June to 6 September 2026, there will be more than thirty events bringing together artists, thinkers, and communities from across the African continent and its global diasporas.

Co-curated with Tobi Kyeremateng and Jason ‘Scully’ Kavuma, the events and gatherings include listening sessions, workshops, talks, a concert and a performance series that respond to ideas in the Project a Black Planet season through four themes: Rituals, Nationhood, Technology and Archive.

Karena Johnson, Barbican Head of Creative Collaboration and Learning, says: “I’m proud to share our programme for Project a Black Planet this summer – an extraordinary season which celebrates the rich influence of Pan-Africanism on contemporary arts and culture with a London flavour.”

Date: 5 June to 6 September 2026
Venue: Barbican Centre
To learn more and secure your tickets, click below
Book tickets