Black History Month - Roots, Routes and Rhythm: Echoes of All Nations

Nzinga Dance are taking over WindRush Bar and Kitchen on Saturday 31 October for Roots, Routes and Rhythm: Echoes of All Nations, a night of music and dance that runs from 7:30pm through to 1:30am. It's part of Black History Month, and the whole thing is funded by Hackney Council's Black History Season Grant Scheme.

The night is built around the memory of Bob Elliott and the legendary All Nations Club. Elliott opened All Nations as a social sanctuary and a safe space for the borough's Caribbean community at a time when mainstream venues denied them entry, and the evening recalls the years when reggae was king in Hackney. Alongside the music, there's a photographic exhibition on Hackney's reggae history running throughout the night, so you can have a look at the photos between sets.

On the music side, Nzinga Dance are joined by special guest selectors Lloyd Coxsone of Coxsone Sound and DJ Melvina Moves, with Lovers Rock songstress Winsome Moncrieffe-Mitchell on the mic. The organiser describes it as a grown-folks affair for those who remember that era, so it's as much about the history as the dancing.

Admission is free, and the venue is wheelchair accessible. If you're driving, there's plenty of free parking along the High Street and the surrounding streets after 7pm. Stoke Newington Station is a four-minute walk away, with 24-hour trains from Dalston Junction and several bus routes serving the area. It all kicks off at 7:30pm at WindRush Bar and Kitchen, 184 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 7JD, and runs until 1:30am.