11 June 2024
GO! Southampton are proud to be sponsoring the 2024 Refugee Week event as part of their Event Sponsorship programme.
All are welcome at a free arts and culture festival in Southampton as part of Refugee Week 2024 (17th to 23rd June). The festival will celebrate the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
There’s going to be a parade and community picnic in the middle of Southampton on Saturday 22nd June. The parade, led by the Lord Mayor of Southampton, will start at Above Bar at 1pm and will be followed by a community picnic in Palmerston Park at 2-5pm, with food, speeches, games, music and dance from many different cultures. This will be a day to enjoy together, with diverse communities coming together in friendship and solidarity.
We also have a poetic drama performance by Southampton-based World Stages Now at the Central Library, 1pm on the 17th June, and film screenings + Q&A at MAST Mayflower Studios, 7pm on the 19th June, as well as local schoolchildren’s artwork at the Central Library throughout the week.
In 2017, Southampton City Council resolved to become a City of Sanctuary, which welcomes people who have been forced to flee their homes. Many organisations and community groups in Southampton are supporting this event and invite you to join them.
Stephen Manion, Executive Director at GO! Southampton, which is sponsoring the festival, said:
“GO! Southampton is pleased to be supporting Refugee Week, which celebrates the diverse cultural and economic contributions of the many people who over the years sought a safe home in Southampton, which is famous for being a city of sanctuary.”
The lead on Southampton Refugee Week, William Brook-Hart, said:
“It’s the people that make a city, and Southampton benefits hugely from its many communities and cultures. In Refugee Week, we’re getting together to enjoy our parade and picnic, meeting up and making new friends – everyone is welcome. The theme this year is ‘Our Home’ – the place where we all hope to feel welcome and safe. We are very grateful for the support and kindness of so many local community groups and businesses.”
Find out more about Refugee week here.