The Streatham Exchange brings two nights of free community culture

This weekend sees the launch of Streatham Exchange, a new community-led cultural event bringing workshops, live music, DJs and shared creative space to the borough, with a simple aim of reconnecting people through culture at a time when social isolation and anxiety are increasingly shaping everyday life.

Run by the UINCAP Capoeira Centre and supported by the Mayor of London and Lambeth Council as part of Lambeth’s Night Time Strategy, the Streatham Exchange has grown directly out of conversations with young people and local artists who felt existing cultural spaces were often inaccessible, unaffordable or not designed with them in mind.

UINCAP has been rooted in Streatham since 2005, using capoeira, the African-Brazilian martial art combining self-defence, dance, acrobatics and music, as a tool for wellbeing, confidence and community cohesion. Its centre now serves residents from early childhood through to older age, and has increasingly become a social anchor as traditional youth spaces and informal meeting places have disappeared.

According to UINCAP’s director Sarah Moltoni, the need for spaces like this has become more acute in recent years.

“Post-Covid, and with the pressures of social media and screen time, we were seeing more young people feeling isolated and anxious,” she said. “Especially those aged 12 to 16, who often don’t have anywhere to simply exist outside structured activities.” – Sarah Moltoni, UINCAP director

The Streatham Exchange was developed in response, shaped through planning sessions with UINCAP’s Youth Forum, and designed to offer more than a one-off event. Alongside creative workshops and performances, it creates a low-pressure environment where people can meet, take part or simply be present.

The programme brings together multiple disciplines, from capoeira and African-rooted jazz dance to creative writing, experimental drawing, live bands and DJs. For emerging artists, it also addresses a growing practical problem: the lack of affordable, welcoming venues in which to perform.

More than a showcase, the Streatham Exchange is intended as a prototype, a shared space shaped by local people, where culture is something we do together.

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Friday evening (6–10pm) focuses on participation, with capoeira, dance, creative writing and experimental drawing workshops, followed by a community meal and an open jam. The jam is open to musicians, dancers, poets and complete beginners, or those who simply want to watch.

Saturday night (8pm–2am) shifts into live performance, featuring bands Monzanto Sounds, Nathan & Elena, and Glass Delusion, followed by late-night DJ sets spanning jungle, reggae, D&B and electronic sounds.

Food and drinks are provided across the weekend.

The events are free, book tickets here.

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