Children's funfair and crowd at H&F CommUNITY Day 2019
We are far more united, and have far more in common, than that which divides us,” – Jo Cox (1976-2016).
UPDATE 22 July 2019: Thank you to the thousands of people who attended the CommUNITY Day free festival in Ravenscourt Park. Take a look at our collection of photos from the day.
H&F CommUNITY Day 2019 was our celebration of all that is great about our multicultural borough. With dancing, live music, foods of the world and bags of sunshine – thousands turned out to share in the fun. If you were there, see if you made our vid. If not, see what you missed…
With fun for all the family, and a strong message that hope is more powerful than hate, H&F CommUNITY Day 2019 is a free festival in Ravenscourt Park, between noon and 6pm on 21 July – and everyone is invited.
There will be live music, kids’ entertainment, dancing, food from around the world, and activities for all parts of our diverse community.
“Our strength lies in our togetherness – hope is more powerful than hate,” said Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. “This event is our way of celebrating the many different communities that make H&F the best borough in London. Come with friends and family – or on your own – but leave with so much more!”
The timings (subject to change) for the main stage will be:
- 12 noon - speeches, to include words from refugee campaigner Lord Alf Dubs
- 1.15pm - Willesden SDA church marching band
- 1.30pm - Irish dancing
- 2pm - Polish dancers
- 2.15pm - Taxi Pata Pata
- 2.45pm - Odissi Dancers
- 3pm - Welcome Centre singers
- 3.15pm - John Maclean Band
- 4pm - Capoeira
- 4.30pm - Unity Choir
- 5pm - Trembling Wilburys
- All day - fairground rides at just 50p a go
- Weather forecast - at time of publication, sunshine!
H&F’s Unity Day was born in 2016, in response to the spike in hate crimes following the divisive EU Referendum. It brought all parts of our diverse community together to celebrate the things that unite us – our love of this beautiful part of West London and our borough’s overwhelming wish to remain part of the EU.
“Now in its fourth year, CommUNITY Day 2019 will include plenty of new and exciting ways to celebrate our whole community,” said Cllr Cowan. “We can learn so much from each other, and we can have a great time doing it – and that’s what this event is all about.”
There will be a full programme of live music on the main stage, with sounds from around the world. Artists include Taxi Pata Pata, the Unity Choir, and Tatry Polish dancers.
Food stalls will add flavour from all corners of the globe, and cocktails and mocktails will keep you refreshed. There will be plenty for families to do: sports taster sessions, circus activities, and fun for children as part of Playday 2019. And there will be displays from marching bands, dancers, Morris Men and more. There will also be inspirational speakers, sharing ideas about how we can get more unity from our community.
For citizens of other EU countries who live in H&F, there will be a stall offering free advice with the settled status scheme – including information on how to get documents scanned and verified. This is part of our pledge to do everything possible to support EU citizens and protect local jobs and career opportunities.
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