BBAM festival returns to the Guildhall next month

Southampton's Cultural Quarter is about to get a bit busier. Next month, the Black Businesses, Art and Music Festival, better known as BBAM, returns to the Guildhall on West Marlands Road, and it is worth keeping on your radar if you want to catch some of the city's independent talent in one room.

The festival is put on by The United Voice of African Associations, TUVAA, and it runs from 11am to 7pm, so it is an easy one to drop into over lunch or keep going right through to the evening. At its heart, it is a celebration of Southampton's African, Caribbean and Black British communities, and the whole day is built around giving local Black businesses and artists the visibility they deserve. If you have been looking for a way to support independent creators in the city, this is a straightforward place to start.

There is a practical side to the day as well. The festival is tied into a wider effort to map the city's Black-owned businesses, with plans to grow the Black-Owned Business Directory and strengthen the Black-Owned Business Network, both set up by Our Version Media. On the day, the festival also intends to launch a new directory specifically for Black music, DJs, dancers, artists and talent, so it is as much about building something that lasts past the weekend as it is about the day itself.

If you are heading down, it helps to know what else sits around the Guildhall. The Cultural Quarter, centred on Guildhall Square, is home to several of the city's biggest venues, so it is easy to make a day of it. The Southampton City Art Gallery is just a short walk away and holds more than 5,000 works from the Renaissance to the present day, including pieces by Gainsborough and Turner; it is free to enter and open Monday to Saturday, and its collection was designated 'of national significance' back in 1998. For something more contemporary, the John Hansard Gallery, part of the University of Southampton, sits at 142-144 Above Bar Street and focuses on experimental art, also free and open Tuesday to Saturday.

And if you are in the mood for live music or performance, the area is well served. The Mayflower Theatre is the largest in the South, seating up to 2,000, and its smaller Mayflower Studios runs workshops and smaller shows. For something more intimate, The Joiners on St Mary Street is a proper institution, a 200-capacity room that has been going since 1968 and picked up the title of Britain's best small music venue in 2013 and 2015. The O2 Guildhall, The Stage Door and a handful of other spots round the square mean there is rarely a night without something on.

So, if you fancy a day of food, art and live music while supporting some of the city's independent businesses, the BBAM festival at the Guildhall is a good shout for next month. It is free to wander in, and it is a nice way to spend a few hours taking in a side of Southampton you might not catch elsewhere.