HemingwayDesign are working with the London Borough of Richmond to start turning Richmond’s Town Centre Vision and Activation Plan into reality. Centre Stage Richmond is one of the very first steps in putting that plan into action, and the inaugural event showed how the Vision can be experienced on the ground.
On Saturday 13 September 2025, George Street and Whittaker Square were transformed into a stage, canvas and playground for creativity, community and culture. Curated and produced by HemingwayDesign in collaboration with Richmond Council, Centre Stage filled the heart of the town with live music, theatre, performance, art, workshops and markets.
The programme celebrated Richmond’s rich — and often untold — musical heritage, inspired by Gilles Peterson’s legendary Belvedere Arms parties. Audiences enjoyed genre-spanning sets from Femi Koleoso (Ezra Collective), whose headline set brought an explosive blend of jazz, Afrobeat and UK Garage; Joe Davis (Far Out Recordings), revisiting samba, soul and disco from the iconic Jazz Juice era; and Hillarynx, a South London-based artist with a velvety neo-soul sound. A Youth Music Showcase curated by BandIt (Richmond Music Trust) and Basement Door gave a platform to emerging local talent, culminating in a homecoming finale from glam-tinged local indie band Gingerella.
Richmond’s streets became a stage for theatre, performance and skate culture. Orange Tree Theatre presented a promenade-style Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland unfolding across George Street, while Kinetika Bloco and Combination Dance led processions and interactive workshops that invited people to join in.
Drift Tricks skateable sculptures — created by British Palestinian artist Dani Abulhawa, Bedir Bekar and PRIMEdesign, a collective of young skateboarders — invited play and performance throughout the day, supported by drop-in workshops for all ages.
Hands-on participation was at the heart of Centre Stage. Creative workshops encouraged residents and visitors alike to shape the streets together: from banner-making, to turning scrap into instruments, to crafting giant puppets for the closing parade. People tried seed-bombing, clay modelling, and making jewellery from eggshells; and helped transform the street with collaborative painting and print-making. From play and performance to designing new street furniture, the workshops captured the Vision’s ethos of inclusivity, creativity and co-creation.
Curated markets showcased a handpicked mix of independent designers and makers across fashion, art, homewares and lifestyle, alongside street food, and artisanal produce. Charity Super.Mkt added a sustainable edge with a curated selection of pre-loved garments, where every purchase supported social and environmental good.
As the first tangible expression of the Richmond Town Centre Vision and Activation Plan, Centre Stage demonstrated how public space can be reimagined as a platform for creativity, connection and community. The event brought families together, gave independent businesses a lift in footfall, and invited residents to rediscover Richmond. Most importantly, it showed the Vision in action, reclaiming the town centre as a shared stage where culture and community thrive.
