Refugee Week
Refugee Week is a nationwide celebration that honours the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and those seeking sanctuary.
Refugee Week local events
Deptford Library Cinema Club
- Thursday 4,11 and 18 June, 6-8pm
- Deptford Lounge 9 Giffin Street SE8 4RJ
- free, no need to book
Come along to the Refugee Week takeover of the Deptford Lounge Cinema Club, a month of free film screenings featuring stories from refugees.
AFRIL Refugee Week Community Event
- Saturday 13 June, 1.30-3pm
- SE23, venue details will be shared with registered attendees
- free, but please RSVP to info@afril.org.uk to attend
Join a community gathering with members, staff, volunteers and local supporters in our Allotment of Refuge to celebrate Refugee Week. There will be live music and shared lunch with foods from around the world. Free activities for children.
United in Courage: Voices of Strength and Solidarity
Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network
- Saturday 13 June, 11am-4pm
- The Mulberry Centre, 15 Amersham Vale, London SE14 6LE
- book your free ticket
Join us for an all-day celebration of Refugee Week. With choirs, family-friendly activities and creative workshops, this community-led takeover will fill the venue with culture, connection, and celebration. Alongside the festivities, the day will feature educational sessions, art exhibitions, film screenings. Everyone is welcome!
Sanctuary in Sydenham: Courage, Conversations, Collage
- Saturday 13 June, 1-4pm
- Sydenham Library, 210 Sydenham Road, London SE26 5SE
- book your free ticket
Hear from our panel about their experiences with migration and what the themes of courage and sanctuary mean to them. Then, explore our array of arts & crafts materials to share your own story through collage, zine, writing, or a medium of your choice. Participants will have the opportunity for their creations to be scanned and included in a collective zine about sanctuary in Sydenham past and present.
All materials and light refreshments provided.
Goldsmiths Library/Lewisham Libraries Research Café: World Refugee Week
- Wednesday, 17 June, 12 noon-1pm
- The Library at Deptford Lounge, 9 Giffin St, London SE8 4RJ
- book your free ticket
Hear from Goldsmiths academics, doctoral researchers, community organisers to share and discuss research topics relating to sanctuary and migration.
The event, held with Lewisham Libraries, ends with a Q&A and informal chat over refreshments.
Stories of Belonging – It takes courage
Deptford Lounge - Lewisham Libraries
- Wednesday 17 June 2026, 1-1.45pm
- The Library at Deptford Lounge 9 Giffin Street SE8 4RJ
- free, no need to book
Be the first to watch Stories of Belonging – It Takes Courage, a short film by Halyna Skvortsova, which explores how different waves of migration have shaped Lewisham, featuring voices from the Windrush Generation and Vietnamese, African, Eastern European, Afghan, and Ukrainian communities. With an introduction from Halyna, this film is part of the Borough of Sanctuary’s Refugee Week programme.
A Long Way From Home
- Friday 19 June at the Sydenham centre and Saturday 20 June at Dragonfly Yoga, 7.30-9.30pm
- upstairs at the Sydenham Centre, 44a Sydenham Road SE26 5QX
- Dragonfly Yoga, 22a, 24 Sydenham Rd, London SE26 5QW
- a few free or further discounted tickets may be available on request, please email jonathan@sptheatre.co.uk. (Adults only) £15 standard price, £20 pay a little more, £10 pay a little less.
Sharing true stories by refugees and migrants in South London through theatre, spoken word and music, join us to explore stories from Ukraine, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Nepal. Check the Spontaneous Productions website for updates and details of confirmed times, venues and how to book tickets.
Under 5s Rhymes & Stories: Refugee Week Special
Deptford Lounge - Lewisham Libraries
- Saturday 20 June 2026, 10.30-11am
- The Library at Deptford Lounge 9 Giffin Street SE8 4RJ
- free, no need to book
Join us for a specially themed, inclusive Refugee Week story and songs, because everyone is welcome in Lewisham.
Architects of Belonging
DobroDIY CIC – Community. Creativity. Employability. Voice.
- Saturday 20 June, 11am– 1pm
- Maker Space, 389 Queens Road, London SE14 5HD
- book your free ticket
Join this unique family experience where creativity becomes a language of connection. Through the LEGO Serious Play approach, we will explore how we build our lives, our sense of home, and our hopes for the future — together. Using simple LEGO bricks, both children and adults will create stories about who they are, where they come from, and what matters to them.
Dough that connects us
DobroDIY CIC – Community. Creativity. Employability. Voice.
- Saturday 20 June, 1-4pm
- Maker Space, 389 Queens Road, London SE14 5HD
- book your free ticket
Join us for a unique cooking and storytelling experience exploring how dough connects cultures and generations. Dough is a shared language, and we’ll explore this through dumplings, filled with the flavours of home. Together, we’ll cook, share, and learn from Ukrainian and Afghan communities, discovering both the similarities and differences that shape our food and identities.
Craft Club: Refugee Week Special
Deptford Lounge - Lewisham Libraries
- Saturday 20 June 2026, 2pm-3pm
- The Library at Deptford Lounge 9 Giffin Street SE8 4RJ
- free, no need to book
Open Workshop
- Saturday 20 June, 2-5pm
- Arch 224 on Edward Place, SE8 5HD
Join us at our Deptford workshop for a behind the scenes look at where our team refurbish generously donated bikes to get them ready for sanctuary seekers to ride. There will be bikes for sale on the day as well as test rides available. You can also donate an unwanted bike although we would ask that you register that in advance via www.thebikeproject.co.uk/donate-bike.
If you are a sanctuary seeker and would like to apply for a bike or need cycling lessons, you can find more information at Information for refugees - The Bike Project.
Plateful Café Picnic
- Saturday 20 June, 2-5pm
- Mountsfield Park, by the playground SE6 1AN
- to book your free place, please text Iolanda on 07984 239912 or email iolanda@platefulcafe.co.uk
Join us for a picnic prepared by Refugee chefs. Plateful Café connects refugees and local people through a shared love of good food. Ran by a team of dedicated volunteers, Plateful Café aims to supply refugees with the necessary skills to confidently enter the UK’s workforce.
Courage in Community
- Sunday 21 June, 12-2pm
- Zhulin Hidden Village 100-104 Lewisham High St, SE13 5JH
- get involved or book free tickets
A free, public community event bringing together local residents and people seeking sanctuary through inclusive cultural and wellbeing activities, such as Tai Chi.
Cup by Cup: Building Community
DobroDIY CIC – Community. Creativity. Employability. Voice.
- Sunday 21 June, 1-2.30pm
- Maker Space, 389 Queens Road, London SE14 5HD
- book your free ticket
Take part in this creative community workshop where people seeking sanctuary and local residents come together to paint ceramic cups. The project will provide a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for participants to express themselves through art while building connections with others.
Lewisham Through Our Eyes: Refugee Art & Community Project
- Sunday 21 June, 2-4.30pm
- Maker Space, 389 Queens Road, London SE14 5HD
- book free tickets
Join interactive art workshops that bring together people seeking sanctuary and local residents to co-create wearable art inspired by personal stories and cultural heritage. The project fosters creativity, connection, and mutual understanding, culminating in a public exhibition celebrating participants’ voices and experiences.
Meet Me x Deptford Library Cinema Club
- Friday 26 June, 2-5pm
- Deptford Lounge 9 Giffin Street SE8 4RJ
- free, no need to book
Come along to the Refugee Week takeover of the Deptford Lounge Cinema Club, a month of free film screenings featuring stories from refugees.
Refugee Week Community Celebration
- Saturday 27 June 2-10pm
- 2-6pm: free; 7-9.30pm: £10/person for live music and dance
- Evelyn Community Centre, 1 Kingfisher Square, Deptford, London SE8 5TW
- find out more and book
Join us for a warm, community led Refugee Week celebration. The event brings together local residents and people seeking sanctuary through a shared community meal featuring dishes from East and South East Asian cultures. Enjoy an afternoon of interactive activities — tug of war, bamboo dance, traditional dress photo booth, storytelling and more — followed by live music and dance in the evening.