East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month
We're currently experiencing technical issues with our telephone system and are working with our supplier to resolve them as quickly as possible.
You may experience connectivity issues and longer wait times as a result.
We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding while we restore normal service.
Every September, ESEA Heritage Month is a time to honour, celebrate and reflect on the rich and diverse cultures, histories and contributions of East and Southeast Asian communities across the UK. Lewisham is home to many residents from East and Southeast Asian backgrounds, and this month is an opportunity to recognise the vital role these communities play in shaping our borough.
This September, we will once again be supporting local events and activities that celebrate East and Southeast Asian heritage, culture and lived experience in all its forms, past, present and future.
The 2026 national theme, Evolving Threads, reflects how ESEA communities continue to weave together stories, practices and solidarities across generations and borders. It invites us to think about connection, continuity and change – how culture is carried, adapted and reimagined over time, and how communities build collective strength through shared experience.
East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month events
Film, Food and Conversations: Celebrating ESEA Heritage Month
JIUN Collective/ Art Hub Studios
Short film screenings by ESEA artists exploring migration, identity and belonging, followed by a vegetarian ESEA-themed community potluck.
- 26 September 2026, 3-7pm
- Art Hub Studios, New Cross, SE8 4BL
Celebrate ESEA Heritage Month with Calico Libraries
Calico Projects / Carry Hornby
A month-long programme across four libraries including bilingual Mandarin-English story times, papercutting and bookmark making.
- 5 September, 10.45am-12.15pm: Bookmark marking at Sydenham Library
- 18 September, 11-11.30am: Bilingual story time at Crofton Park Library
- 25 September, 11am-12 noon: Papercutting at Manor House Library
- 26 September, 12 noon-12.30pm: Bilingual story time at Forest Hill Library
Tết Trung Thu 2026: Celebrating 23 Years of Mid-Autumn Festival in Lewisham
Vietnamese Family Partnership
Three family workshops (lantern-making, storytelling, music and crafts) leading to a major Mid-Autumn Festival celebration featuring performances, food, exhibitions and community activities.
- Workshops: 10, 17 and 24 September, 11am-1pm, Evelyn Community Centre, 1 Kingfisher Square, 9 Wotton Road, SE8 5TW
- Flagship Festival Celebration: 27 September 2026, Deptford Lounge, SE8 4RJ
Everyday Japan: Experience Japanese Culture Through Stories, Fans & Letters
Rouge 28 Theatre / Downham Library
Three free workshops introducing everyday Japanese culture through traditional storytelling (Kamishibai), paper fan decoration and E-Tegami picture postcards.
- 5 September 2026, 10.30-11.30am - Arts and Craft Club, 11.30am-12 noon, Kamishibai – Japanese Paper Theatre Storytelling Session
- 12 September 2026, 10.30am-12.30pm - Uchiwa Making - Japanese Paper Fan Decoration
- 19 September 2026, 10.30am-12.30pm E-Tegami - Japanese Picture Postcards
- Downham Library, 7-9 Moorside Road, BR1 5EP
South East Asian Cultural Day at Parkside
Lewisham Local / Parkside Community Centre
Community cultural day featuring traditional costume sharing, cultural games, cooking, dance and cultural learning inspired by Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
- 30 September 2026
- Parkside Community Centre, 1 Copperwood Place, SE10 8GE
Evolving Threads: Food, Flowers and Conversations
EasyStepUK
Cultural exchange event exploring ESEA heritage through Chinese dumpling making, Vietnamese spring roll preparation, flower arranging and storytelling.
- 20 September 2026, 12 noon-3pm
- Zhulin Hidden Village, 100-104 Lewisham High St, SE13 5JH