Five years ago, a conversation sparked an idea.
After attending an event as part of Bristol Refugee Festival, Movema’s Co-CEO, Penny Caffrey, and Melody from Bean Tree Café realised they shared the same vision: to create a celebration where local people and resettled communities could come together, share cultures and build connections.
That conversation became Celebrate With Me.
Now held every year in Page Park, Staple Hill during Refugee Festival, Celebrate With Me is a free, family-friendly festival that celebrates the richness of our local communities. It’s a place where people can experience different cultures through dance, music, food, creativity and conversation, while creating a genuine sense of welcome for people seeking sanctuary.
Creating a Festival Where Everyone Feels Welcome
From the very beginning, our goal was never just to put on a great event. We wanted to create a space where people felt they belonged. A place where cultures could be shared with pride, where new friendships could begin, and where families from all backgrounds could spend the day together.
What started as a small picnic around the Page Park bandstand has grown into a vibrant community festival filled with live performances, dance workshops, family crafts, storytelling, yoga, food from around the world, artisan stalls and local organisations offering support and advice.
It’s a festival that’s designed for people to join in and encourages everyone to take part.
Built Together
One of the things we’re most proud of is how Celebrate With Me has grown through long-term relationships.
Alongside our partnership with Bean Tree Café, we’ve worked closely with South Gloucestershire Race Equality Network and South Gloucestershire Council’s Resettling Communities team to build trust with people seeking sanctuary and make sure the festival genuinely reflects the communities it’s for.
Many of the people who first came along as visitors now help shape the day itself, leading workshops, performing, preparing food and sharing their cultures with others.
This year, community ambassador Kathilat played a special role in helping us develop the programme, encouraging people to come along and proudly sharing her Nigerian heritage throughout the festival.
Growing Every Year
This year, around 1,500 people joined us in the park, making it our biggest Celebrate With Me yet.
Together we welcomed:
55 professional and community performers, with 60% identifying as being from the Global Majority and 92% female.
12 Wellbeing Zone facilitators, with 61% from the Global Majority and 75% female.
One statistic really stood out to us.
Around 30% of festival audiences identified as being from the Global Majority, despite these communities representing only 9.5% of the local population. Reaching over three times the expected proportion demonstrates our ability to engage communities who often face barriers to cultural participation, creating a festival where people feel represented, welcomed and inspired to take part.
Why It Matters
One of our favourite moments came from watching people stop to enjoy a performance, then gradually find the confidence to step forward and join in.
As Rhythms of Peru shared afterwards:
One of the magic moments for us was seeing so many people stop to watch our performance and then feel inspired to join in and dance with us. It was wonderful to see people of all ages participating and enjoying Peruvian music and culture.
For the artists involved, the festival is also an opportunity to connect with new audiences and one another. As one participant reflected:
This experience helped us connect with other artists and reminded us that our culture has a valued place in Bristol’s diverse community.
And perhaps the most meaningful feedback came from someone reflecting on the festival’s purpose:
The festival created a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere where people from different cultures could come together to share their traditions, learn from one another and celebrate diversity. Events like this help resettled people feel seen, valued and part of the wider community.
Looking Ahead
As Celebrate With Me continues to grow every year, we’ll keep working alongside our partners and local communities to create spaces where people can celebrate their cultures, meet new neighbours and feel that they truly belong.
Because when people feel welcomed, represented and invited to take part, communities become stronger for everyone.
Photography by Matt Jarvis and Viktoriia Zeleniuk SGC