BLMUK Festival of Collective Liberation is Black first and open for allies to attend.
We have created a space which is centring Black people. Whilst we welcome allies and friends to the space, we would like you to keep in mind the primary reason for the space.
We will be following the same COVID-19 guidelines as last year.
What’s your approach to masking and COVID testing at the festival?
Our priority is to hold a space that feels safe, accessible, and rooted in collective care — without replicating harm, surveillance, or coercion.
We’ve made the decision not to make masking or COVID testing mandatory, and we want to be transparent about why.
For many Black people — including disabled and immunocompromised folks — the impact of COVID is ongoing and serious. At the same time, we recognise that compulsory medical measures have historically been weaponised against Black communities — from forced experimentation to policing in the name of “public health.” We won’t create a space where people feel policed or excluded for how they show up.
Instead, we’re taking a layered, harm-reduction approach that trusts people to care for themselves and each other:
– Masks are encouraged but not required — free masks will be available at check-in
– We are not offering on-site COVID testing
– If you’re feeling unwell or have cold or flu symptoms, we ask that you stay home.
– Some rooms will have reduced capacity or increased ventilation
– Our team is here to support access and care — just speak to someone if you need help
This approach is grounded in abolitionist values: care without punishment, safety without control, and access without exclusion.
We know this won’t meet every need, but we’re doing our best to build a space that holds care, complexity, and community.
BLMUK Festival is a Trans and LGBT – inclusive event.
The founding group of BLMUK is a team of Cis* and Trans** Black people who are LGBT+ or LGBT+ allies. We expect partners, speakers, performers etc to ensure that they understand that transphobia or homophobia in any form is not acceptable, this includes any posts made online.
BLMUK Festival is committed to access and so have chosen a building with information readily available about access.
Guests with wheelchairs or mobility issues are advised to make themselves known to reception on arrival. The building has hearing loops in most of the rooms and we have hired BSL practitioners to assist those needing this.
BLMUK Festival is centring all Black people regardless of education, class, sexual orientation, gender or interests.
NO SEXISM, NO RACISM, NO ABLEISM, NO AGEISM, NO QUEERPHOBIA, NO FATPHOBIA, NO TRANSPHOBIA, NO SHADISM, NO CLASSISM, NO HATEFULNESS, NO COLONIAL VIBES.
✨ Entry & Care Check
To help keep this space safe, supportive, and welcoming for everyone, there will be a mandatory bag and pocket check at the door. This is part of our collective commitment to care—not control—and is required for entry into the event.
We recognise that searches can feel uncomfortable, especially for those of us who’ve experienced surveillance, criminalisation or state violence. That’s why our approach is grounded in respect, consent, and transparency—not suspicion or punishment.
Our team will:
- Be clear and gentle throughout
- Work in pairs wherever possible
- Explain what they’re doing at every step
- Never touch your body
- Respect your boundaries and access needs
- Offer support from a volunteer if you’d like someone to accompany you during the search
We ask everyone to arrive with enough time to pass through this care process with ease. If you have any concerns or access needs, please speak to a member of the team in advance or on the day—we’re here to support you.This is how we practise safety without policing.
How we protect each other—with intention, with love, and with care. 💛
🎥 Filming & Photography
This event will be documented through photography and filming for future use in community archiving and promotion.
We believe in celebrating our work and honouring our presence—and also in protecting each other’s right to privacy and safety.
By participating in the space, you may appear in photos or footage. If being visibly identified is a concern for you—for any reason, including safety, immigration status, or political privacy—we fully understand and respect that. We encourage anyone who prefers not to be identified to consider wearing a mask, hood, or face covering, much like people do at protests to protect themselves while still being present.
*Cis (abbreviation of Cisgender) is a term for people who have a gender identity that matches their assigned sex
**Trans adjective (GENDER) informal. short for transgender : used to describe a person whose gender does not match the body they were born with.