Free family-friendly afternoon of live reggae, dancehall, ska and hip hop, with food at Yuzu, for UK Black History Month 2026.
Back a Yard: The Black History Month Celebration takes over the Howard Assembly Room on Sunday 25 October, from 15:00 to 18:00. It's a family-friendly afternoon of 'Reggae n Hip Hop' built around Ital Roots, a journey through the origins of Black music and world music. You'll hear live reggae, dancehall, and ska, alongside a fusion of hip hop, all running together across the three hours.
On the decks are Nattylyn Maddix-Butler, performing as DJ Natty Congo Bongo I, with special vinyl selectors joining in. The whole thing sits within the UK Black History Month 2026 theme, Honouring our communities, and is aimed at the diverse communities across Yorkshire. It's an afternoon session rather than a late one, so it works if you're bringing the kids along.
The venue is the Howard Assembly Room, a 300-capacity performance space in the centre of Leeds, restored and curated by Opera North. It's known for a broad programme of music, film, words and performance, and has hosted acts like Brad Mehldau, The Unthanks, Lesley Garrett, Abdullah Ibrahim, Kneehigh Theatre, The Tallis Scholars and Joanna MacGregor. For this one, the music is coming from the bar area, at 46 New Briggate, right next to Leeds Grand Theatre.
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There's a free ticket offer available, and the venue is cashless, so keep that in mind. If you're staying on for food, Yuzu is an independent Asian-inspired street food restaurant on-site with child-friendly menus. It runs from 15:00 to 18:00 on Sunday 25 October.
