First ever Fro Festival 15-17th September at Coal Drops Yard

Photography by Aaron Williams-Smith

World Afro Day will mark its tenth anniversary with the launch of the first Fro Festival, a free three-day celebration of Afro hair, identity and culture taking place at Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross from 15 to 17 September. The festival will transform Lower Stable Street with a programme spanning hair health, beauty, fashion, food and community events, while also creating space for discussions about product safety and Afro hair discrimination.

The WAD Wondermarket will bring together British-owned brands including Detangle Duette, Massasi B, Ominira Naturals, Shades of Melanin, Shedid & Parrish and Soul Cap. Participating brands have made a commitment to trust, transparency and improved health outcomes for people with Afro hair, with 10% of sales proceeds supporting the work of World Afro Day CIC.

Professional hair health will form an important part of the programme, with trichologists Stephanie Sey and Belinda Asafo-Agyei providing free hair and scalp check-ups. Visitors will also be able to take part in the Flowers & Fro hair accessories workshop led by Roseur Florist.

Community Catwalks will give children and adults the opportunity to share their hair and personal stories. The shows are being organised with the Rooted app, Mane Hook Up, Haberdashers’ Hatcham College and youth organisation Rise.365.

Elsewhere, the festival will host the first World Afro Day radio show, featuring founder Michelle De Leon alongside filmmaker Dammy Saint Claire, poet Princess Latifah and Gen Z contributors Estelle Morris and Princess Phillips.

An Afro After-School Club created with Frobelles will take place at Mare Street Market King’s Cross, followed by an evening of panels, poetry, music and conversation featuring Beverley Knight. The festival will conclude with the global launch of Afro-noon Tea, an African and Caribbean interpretation of the British afternoon tea tradition created in collaboration with The Future Plate.

The festival also coincides with the publication of “Afro Hair: is State intervention needed?”, a new report examining the health, social and professional consequences of bias against Afro-textured hair.

Based on responses from 1,442 people with and without Afro-textured hair, the research found that 51% of respondents with Afro-textured hair felt their hair negatively affected their mental health, while 33% believed hair products had negatively affected their physical health. A further 42% had avoided or skipped exercise because of hair concerns.

Product safety was one point of broad agreement, with 84% of all respondents considering it very important that people can trust that the ingredients used in hair products are not harmful. World Afro Day is calling for tighter regulation of Afro hair products, particularly those used by children, alongside stronger action against hair discrimination in education and the workplace.

Michelle De Leon, CEO of World Afro Day and author of the report, said: “This report adds to the evidence in understanding the significance of Afro hair, the acceptance and rejection of it and how this impacts our lives in unjust ways. The regulatory gap creates higher levels of chemical exposure for Black children, through Afro hair products and hair extensions. The findings show that Afro-textured hair is treated as an issue in key areas: negative bias at work and Afro hair can still be considered as abnormal (69% of Black women felt this). This is why touching Afro hair without permission is still an everyday occurrence in modern Britain. Overall, quantifying the health impact of Afro hair and discrimination was key: 51% reported mental health impact, 33% on physical health and 42% reported exercise avoidance. The loss of productivity or increased demand on the NHS, costs us all.”

World Afro Day was founded in 2017 as a global celebration of Afro hair and identity. Its work now encompasses research, professional training, educational resources and events intended to improve Afro hair acceptance and challenge discrimination.