Lambeth Libraries and Archives – all the events and activities for June 2026

Lambeth Libraries and Archives have announced a jam packed itinerary of events and activities for June 2026.

Scroll down to find out more:

Lambeth Libraries Readers and Writers Festival 2026

June is a busy month here in Lambeth Libraries and during the month we’ll be working with our communities to celebrate Pride, Windrush Day, the Day of Portugal, as well as taking part in Refugee Week.

The Lambeth Libraries Readers and Writers Festival incorporates all of this and much more. In June we are hosting some top names in the book world, as well as new and upcoming voices, all visiting our libraries.

It’s a month of all things literary with discussions, talks and participatory events – join us for a bumper month of good writing.

Library updates

Improvements to Brixton Library

Brixton Library’s main entrance steps will be undergoing repairs and restoration at the end of June.

To do this safely the library will be closed from 23 June and reopen on 29 June when you will be able to see a preview of the very popular annual Brixton Bugle Summer Art Exhibition, which this year will have over 60 exhibits from local artists.

Getting ready for the new Waterloo Library

Waterloo Library’s last day at the Oasis building in Kennington Road will be on 22 June. We will be saying farewell to our friends at Oasis who have hosted the library for nearly ten years.

We will then start the huge task of packing up everything to move to our new library site at 30 Wootton Street. We apologise for this temporary closure but are looking forward to welcoming you to the new and bigger location for Waterloo Library in early July.

Lambeth Libraries Readers and Writers Festival 2026

Festival Highlights for JuneThe 2026 Lambeth Readers and Writers Festival continues with another month of exceptional, inspirational events to suit all tastes.

We start the month with writer and documentary filmmaker Lucas Fothergill discussing his new book Everyone Everywhere: 22 Stories of Mixed Race Britain, followed closely by the fantastic award-winning US writer Tayari Jones in conversation with Shani Akilah discussing Tayari’s new novel Kin.

Later in the month we are joined by Julia Hawkins discussing her book On Loneliness looking at how to overcome isolation and enjoy solitude.

For Refugee Week, Guardian journalist Aamna Mohdin will discuss her book Scattered and we conclude our author programme with the the fantastic music writer Lloyd Bradley in conversation with Rotimi Skyers discussing Lloyd’s new book Funk Is Its Own Reward.

There’s more with the annual Zine Fair at Brixton Library and a Kanopy Film screening of The Youth and Gender Media Project by Jonathan Skurnik at Minet Library.

Windrush Day

Lambeth Libraries celebrates Windrush Day with some wonderful events at Brixton Library featuring Beulah Smith-Coombs discussing her biography They Call Me Guess on Thursday 18 June, 6.30pm, a compelling, illuminating and important piece of social and cultural history.

On Monday 22 June, 2pm we are joined by Sonia Winifred for My Mother-in-Law’s Dresses, a reminiscence workshop dedicated to the memory of Girleyvine – a Windrush Pioneer – showcasing some of her beautiful dresses and photographs. Bring your own photographs, bring the family and that favourite dress.

Other Adult Activities and Events

English Classes

Mondays to 6 July, 10am to 1pm. Streatham Library, SW16 1PN
Want to improve your English in a friendly, supportive space? Join our weekly English classes and build your confidence in speaking, reading, and writing.
Contact: Tel: 0207 926 6768, Email: streathamlibrary@lambeth.gov.uk

Jobs, Skills and Support Open Day

Monday 1 June, 10am to 1pm. Minet Library, SE5 9QY
Booking via Eventbrite

A free community event bringing together local advisers and support services in one place. Get guidance on jobs, training, health and disability support, benefits, housing, council services and opportunities for people aged 50+.

A relaxed, welcoming space to ask questions, explore options and plan your next steps.

Bring your baby zine club

Thursday 4 June, 2pm. Brixton Library, SW2 1JQ
Booking via Eventbrite

Join us at our monthly club where there will be toys and sparkly things for young babies to enjoy while you have some time to create a zine.

Calm Women Make More Moneyyy

Weekly coaching workshops beginning Monday 8 June, 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Minet Library, SE5 9QY
Booking via Eventbrite

A practical workshop series to help women move from stress to clarity, and gain confidence using a blend of coaching tools and body-based techniques.

These workshops are designed for ambitious and aspiring women entrepreneurs, with the flexibility to attend one session or all four for a deeper transformation.

Day of Portugal

Saturday 13 June, 6 to 10pm. Tate South Lambeth Library, SW8 1QP

Celebrate the Day of Portugal with free activities. Paint an “azulejos” tile inspired by traditional Portuguese art or from your own cultural heritage.

Enjoy a relaxed samba performance, or just chill in the book room or the garden. You can also check out the action on Wilcox Road, where performances, kids’ activities, and local business barbecues will be happening on a car free road throughout the evening.

The History of the Pink Juke box with Jacky Logan

Monday 15 June, 7pm. Durning Library, SE11 4HF
Booking via Eventbrite

Join Jacky Logan to discuss The Pink Jukebox – a Ballroom and Latin dance club for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Open for Discovery, Lambeth Libraries throughout the year

Apart from great festivals and one off events, there are many other regular activities running in our libraries every week. Why not come along try something new?

There is a lot to choose from. Just a few of the activities that run regularly are: Knitting and craft groups, chess and bridge clubs, reading groups, CV support, debt advice, a creative writing group, health checks, a Wikimedia group, a film club, Tai Chi and gardening groups.

Minet Library’s Gardening Group has just started and runs on Saturday mornings – so if you have some spare time, love gardening or fancy being a bit more active do come along and make the garden round the library beautiful again.

Contact your local library to find out all the great things they are doing.

Children’s events

Refugee Week Illustration Workshop for Schools
Monday 8 June, 
Workshop 1: 10am to 11.30am | Workshop 2: 1.30pm to 3pm
Streatham Library, SW16 1PN
School Bookings Email: Streathamlibrary@lambeth.gov.uk, Tel: 0207 926 6768

Join us for an inspiring workshop celebrating stories, imagination and community through comics. As part of the National Year of Reading, the National Literacy Trust is delighted to present a special Illustration workshop with award-nominated author and illustrator Ramzee.

Children will explore the power of stories, creativity and imagination through fun, interactive comic activities inspired by themes of belonging, kindness, journeys and community. Event for Schools, children ages 7 to11.

Exhibitions

A Dark Malarkey: Collage and Sculpture by John Bunker

Showing 2 June to 30 June | Durning Library, SE11 4HF
Opening Reception: Wednesday 3 June, 6 to 8pm
Booking via Eventbrite

Both complex and suggestive, Bunker’s abstract work can be a subtle or sometimes brutal yoking together of two and three dimensions. The results are always intriguing – by turns, unsettling and seductive to the eye.

What I Now Know (But I Didn’t Know Then)

Showing 2 June to 4 July | Lambeth Archives, SW2 1ET
An exhibition of photography and an oral history project that shines a light on older LGBTQ+ lives and stories from South London. Organised through Brixton Umbrella Circle, with support from the Grand Camp Maisie Fund, the legacy of Andrew Lumsden. Project Conceptualist: Julian Hows / Lead Artist and Curator: Dan de la Motte.

Maps of Me: My Journey

Showing until 25 June | Carnegie Library, SE24 0DG
The Friends of Carnegie Library are delighted to host an exhibition of art by the very talented students of Heron Academy.

The Body as Narrative Emi Wilcox

Showing until 30 June | Clapham Library, SW4 7DB
In this exhibition, Wilcox displays a gallery of hybrid beings, with truncated anatomies in a playful process that transports us to periods of our own existence when courage, eagerness of experimentation and desire to understand were primal.

Fankle Art Collective Exhibition: Flow

Showing 3 June to 22 June | Brixton Library, SW2 1JQ
Opening Reception/Private View: Tuesday 9 June, 6 to 8pm
Booking via Eventbrite

Flow is a group exhibition by artists working across painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, ceramic, collage and photography. Fankle is a multidisciplinary art collective formed in 2023. The name ‘Fankle’, a Scottish word for entanglement, reflects the complex web of ideas they draw together, as well as the varied generational and geographical origins of Fankle members.

Brixton Blog & Bugle Summer Art show

Showing 29 June to end July | Brixton Library, SW2 1JQ
Works from around 60 local artists will be on show, revealing and celebrating the range and depth of creative talent in and around Brixton.

From Our Friends

Windrush Migrations
Friday 26 June, 7pm. Lambeth Town Hall, 1 Brixton Hill, SW2 1RW
Booking via Ticketsource. £16 to £21

A powerful evening of opera featuring Migrations by Will Todd and Windrush Opera by Des Oliver and Edson Burton, this concert brings to life the stories, memories and voices of migration through moving music and bold storytelling. A perfect way to mark Windrush Day 2026!