Film premieres, fundraisers, art trails, surreal becomes ordinary + a weekend of wild performance as SE15 hits peak September energy.

Hey Peckham!

🍂 Autumn is here, conker season is OPEN, and while I’m still away, I can’t help looking back at what a spring + summer SE15 just pulled off. From festivals + street parties to rooftop gigs + open-air cinema, it felt like every week was a celebration.

👏 Huge congrats to Bold Tendencies, who capped their May–September season by winning the Sky Arts Award for Classical Music — a well-deserved nod to a programme that has defined summer in Peckham for nearly two decades. With Déjà Vu now wrapped and Frank’s closed till next year, we turn the page to autumn — and what a line-up it is:

✊ Watch urgent stories at Mother City, a fundraiser for ACA
🎥 Probe fragile memory at STST Film Club x Dream Sequence
🎪 Step into the big top for Zippos Circus: Bravo!
🍿 Walk the red carpet at The Conkeror film premiere
💘 Laugh + mingle at Cupid’s Comedy Singles Night
🌀 Explore surreal states at surreal states at Hypernormalisation
🖼️ Hear from Yto Barrada at her artist talk at South London Gallery
🏳️‍🌈 Celebreate queer creativity at Copeland Gallery
🪦 Witness + join live rituals at Offerings in Nunhead Cemetery
🎨 Wander the Nunhead Art Trail across homes, studios + shopfronts
🔄 Share food + stories at Circular Square on Peckham Square
📽️ Catch 5 new releases + special events at Peckhamplex

Plus: birthday bashes, cookery classes, thrift hauls, a Stop the Far Right emergency call + much more.

✨ And a shout-out to @south.london.voices + Meliz, winners of last week’s Neighbours zine promo. One copy is still up for grabs: send us feedback to [email protected] to be in the running.

🥁 What’s on 🥁

**1 ✊ Screening: Mother City @ Prince of Peckham**

Aylesham Community Action hosts a special screening of Mother City, a documentary exploring Cape Town’s fight for affordable housing and inclusive cities. After the film, join a conversation with the director alongside speakers from Aylesham Community Action (Peckham), Reclaim the City (Cape Town) + Black History Walks (London).

All donations go towards Peckham’s landmark campaign to stop Berkeley Homes’ proposed 16 luxury towers and fight for land for people, not profit. T-shirts + postcards on sale, with every pound helping the legal fund.

💥 Fundraiser update: 14 days to go — last time we checked, Peckham had already raised £31,471 of £50,000 stretch target from 369 pledges. Donate now.

When: Wed 24 Sep, 7–9:30pm
Where: Prince of Peckham, 1 Clayton Rd, SE15 5JA
Tickets: Get it here — suggested donation £10 (pay what you can)
Why: Because Peckham is not for sale!

**2 🎥 Memory in Motion @ Staffordshire St**

STST Film Club X Dream Sequence #4 brings an evening of experimental shorts probing how memory is formed, lost + reshaped — on screen and in life. From VHS archives to fragile film stock to digital decay, each work reflects on the textures of remembering and forgetting: “How can film act as both witness and interpreter of what we recall? And how might the fragile materials and technologies of cinema mirror the fragility of memory itself?”

When: Wed 24 Sep, 7–9:30pm
Where: Staffordshire St, SE15 5TJ
Tickets: Free (donations welcome)

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**3 🎪 Zippos Circus: Bravo! @ Peckham Rye**

Britain’s favourite family circus returns to SE15 with Bravo!, its brand-new 2025 show. Expect edge-of-your-seat thrills, aerial artistry, comedy, and a dazzling line-up of international performers, all hosted by Paulo Dos Santos, the 3ft 6in acrobat and showman with the biggest personality in the big top. From Italy’s comic genius Mr Lorenz to France’s fearless Cheyenne on the cloud swing, plus artists from Kenya, Mongolia, South America + beyond, this is a spectacle for all ages.

When: Thu 25 Sep (preview) – Mon 29 Sep, various times.
Where: Peckham Rye Park & Common, Straker’s Rd, SE15 3UA
Tickets: From £12 — save up to 30% online (same prices as 2024)

4 🍿 The Conkeror Film @ Peckham Arches

Get ready, nutters — The Conkeror (aka Conkers: The Movie) smashes onto the big screen. Produced by Proper Pablo, the doc charts the highs and lows of the 2024 Peckham Conker Championships, following legends Harry Hardnut, Conkertrix + Pietro the Pummeller on their quest for the Golden Nut. Join the red carpet premiere and celebrate Peckham’s finest sporting tradition in cinematic style.

🌰 Want more conker chaos? Read this week’s The buzz below for the lowdown on the 2025 Peckham Conker Club Championships.

When: Thu 25 Sep, 7pm
Where: Peckham Arches, SE15
Tickets: Free, all welcome

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5 💘 Cupid’s Comedy Singles Night @ Prince of Peckham

Tired of dating apps that feel like job interviews? Same. That’s why this night mixes comedy + mingling for a singles event that’s all laughs, games + cheeky conversation. Hosted by resident Cupids (plus a special guest comic), expect ice-breakers, prompts + plenty of banter to get the vibes flowing. Come solo or with mates, all ages + sexualities welcome (a dedicated queer edition is coming soon). You might find love, you might just find a new drinking buddy — either way, it’s a cracking night out.

When: Thu 25 Sep, 7pm
Where: Prince of Peckham, 1 Clayton Rd, SE15 5JA
Tickets: From £7 — book online

6 🌀 Hypernormalisation @ Safehouse

Uncovered Collective takes over the atmospheric Safehouse with Hypernormalisation, a group show exploring the strange state where the surreal becomes ordinary and breakdown feels normal. Expect mixed-media works across styles + mediums, from artists exploring how this strange tension plays out in daily life — all shown outside the boundaries of traditional galleries.

When: Private View Fri 26 Sep, 6–9pm | Exhibition: Sat 27 + Sun 28 Sep, 10am–4pm
Where: Safehouse, 137 & 139 Copeland Rd, SE15 3SN
Tickets: Free, no booking required

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7 🖼️ Artist Talk: Yto Barrada @ South London Gallery

Join acclaimed artist Yto Barrada in conversation to mark the opening of her exhibition Thrill, Fill, and Spill. Barrada’s multidisciplinary practice spans photography, film, sculpture + publishing, often weaving together micro-histories, borderlands, and strategies of resistance. She is also founder of the Tangier Cinémathèque and The Mothership, a natural dyes centre + eco-campus. This one-hour talk offers a chance to hear directly from Barrada about her practice and the themes shaping her first UK institutional solo exhibition in over a decade.

When: Fri 26 Sep, 7–8pm | Exhibition Thrill, Fill, and Spill runs until 11 Jan 2026
Where: South London Gallery, 65 Peckham Rd, SE5 8UH
Tickets: Talk £8 / £5 — advance booking here | Exhibition: free, no booking required

8 🏳️‍🌈 Queeriosities @ Copeland Gallery

Queeriosities returns for its 2025 edition with 60+ LGBTQIA+ artists, makers + small businesses under one roof at Copeland Gallery. Alongside stalls, this year’s feature exhibition We Come to This Place for Magic explores queer world-building through the work of Devynn Barnes, Lawrence Cuevas, Paul Majek, Krzysztof Strzelecki + others.

Programme:

Fri 26 Sep, 6–9pm — Opening Preview: £25 Collector’s Preview (exclusive early access, drink + perks) or £15 standard Opening Night ticket.
Sat 27 Sep, 11am–6pm — Free/Pay What You Can
Sun 28 Sep, 11am–5pm — Free/Pay What You Can

When: Fri 26 – Sun 28 Sep (times vary, see above)
Where: Copeland Gallery, 133 Copeland Rd, SE15 3SN
Tickets: Free entry (Sat/Sun) | £15–25 for Opening Night (Fri). Book here.

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9 🪦 Offerings @ Nunhead Cemetery

Join Project Octagon for Offerings, a three-day series of live performances + workshops as part of the Nunhead Art Trail. Artists gather in the historic Anglican Chapel to explore grief, intimacy, memory + ritual, offering collective spaces of care as we move into the darker months.

Fri 26 Sep, 5pm — A Rite of Sorrow: guided meditation + wild clay workshop with Geraldine Hudson
Sat 27 Sep, 2pm — A Rite of Sorrow: performance by Geraldine Hudson
Sat 27 Sep, 4pm — Pipes by Elizabeth Salazar
Sun 28 Sep, 12pm / 12:45pm / 1:30pm — oh shephard! by Eleanor Arnold, curated by Soft Shock
Sun 28 Sep, 4pm — The Eternal Exchange by Clementine Bedos

When: Fri 26 – Sun 28 Sep (times vary, see above)
Where: Nunhead Cemetery Chapel, Linden Grove, SE15 3LP
Tickets: Free, no booking required

10 🎨 Nunhead Art Trail @ across Nunhead

Celebrating its tenth year, the Nunhead Art Trail once again transforms the neighbourhood into a giant gallery. Across the weekend, artists + makers open their homes, studios and local venues to showcase painting, sculpture, print, photography, ceramics, jewellery + textiles. Expect art in homes, shop windows and community spaces too: it’s a weekend to wander, meet artists and soak up the creativity + community spirit that makes Nunhead shine.

✨ Special events along the trail:

Janet Harper (No.38) + Mr Klive (No.39) — poetry and performance joined by Boo Scher. Sun 28 Sep, 2pm @ The Green + 4pm @ El Vermut.
Julianna D’Intino (No.30) — Portraits at The Ivy House: slideshow presentation in the Ballroom, Sun 28 Sep, 6pm. Free.
Stuart Road Allotment Artists Group (No.32) — paintings, ceramics, crafts + poetry from the allotment community, with refreshments in a green haven.

👀 Look out for special window displays by Gill Day (No.4) at Ayres Bakers, Network Hair, Beaumonts, AG Flowers, Green Community Centre, D4100 Pizza, Janet Johnson (No.12) at Rat Race Cycles, and Joanna Szwej-Hawkin (No.16) at Mica Yoga.

When: Sat 27 & Sun 28 Sep, 11am–6pm
Where: 60 venues across Nunhead: homes, studios + public venues. See map.
Tickets: Free, drop in. Get a map from any of the locations.

11 🔄 Circular Square @ Peckham Square

Celebrating community creativity this September, Circular Square returns as part of Memories for the Future, Peckham Platform’s long-term programme exploring migration, belonging + our shared spaces.

This year’s activation of Peckham Square features hands-on workshops with local artists, vegan food from Sisterhood Supperclub Collective, a makers market spotlighting female + global majority-led producers, and oral history recordings for the community archive.

Alongside these activities, Barbados-raised, London-based artist + storyteller Myah Asha Jeffers will begin her new project – In Living Memory: The Family Photo Album – on the diasporic family album, working with young women, West African aunties in Peckham’s hair shops, and Caribbean elders.

Expect pop-up portrait sessions, photo walks with disposable cameras, and a chance to share and reflect on treasured family photographs — building new connections and contributions for Peckham’s living archive.

When: Sat 27 Sep, 12–5pm
Where: Peckham Square, SE15
Tickets: Free, all ages, fully accessible

12 📽️ At Peckhamplex this week

It’s a bumper week at Peckhamplex 🍿 five new titles land at once, from Paul Thomas Anderson’s starry dark comedy to an anime showdown, a horror sequel, a romantic London night, and a 25th anniversary re-release of Billy Elliot. Add in Hamilton’s 10th birthday on the big screen and it’s one of the most stacked weeks we’ve seen in ages.

New big this week include One Battle After Another (15), A Night Like This (15), Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (15), The Strangers: Chapter 2 (15), Billy Elliot 25th Anniversary (15).The Long Walk (15), The Conjuring: Last Rites (15), and The Roses (15).
Family treats include Freakier Friday (PG), The Bad Guys 2 (PG), Fantastic Four: First Steps (12A), Smurfs (U), Elio (PG), How to Train Your Dragon Live Action (PG), and Lilo & Stitch (PG).
Subtitled for the hard of hearing (HOH): The Conjuring: Last Rites (Sun 28 Sep, 5:45pm) + A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Mon 29 Sep, 8:35pm).
Special screenings:
Hamilton (12A) — 10th anniversary, original Broadway cast on the big screen + reunion interviews (26–28 Sep).
NT Live: Inter Alia (15) — Rosamund Pike stars in Suzie Miller’s new play on motherhood + masculinity (Thu 25 Sep, 7pm).
An Evening with Baroness Lola Young — In conversation with Michelle Gayle, launching her memoir Eight Weeks (Mon 6 Oct, 6:30pm).

When: check full schedule here
Where: Peckhamplex, 95a Rye Lane, SE15 4ST
Tickets: just £5.99 every film, every seat, every day

📢 The buzz 📢

🌰 2025 Conker Championships are GO! 🏆

Conker season on the Rye is officially OPEN, and the countdown is on to the Peckham Conker Club Championships 2025. Mark your calendars for Sat 4 Oct at Brick Brewery Taproom, when nutters young + old will battle it out for glory, bruised knuckles and the shiniest prize of all: the Golden Nut (22 carats of conker bling).

The format:
🥜 Juniors (ages 5–15) start 1pm — competing for the Silver Nut.
🥜 Seniors kick off 3pm — the road to the Golden Nut.
🥜 Group stages first (friendly crack), then the knockout finals in the infamous Theatre of Dreams.

The infamous ‘Battle Royale’ rules mean that “anything goes”, including “nut pimping” (hardening conkers), “stampsies” (stomping on a fallen conker), and any “special moves” (basically, any kind of cheating are allowed in the name of winning the coveted Golden Nut, a 22 carat gold conker, innit).

To play, you'll need to secure a place and tickets are LIVE now! Kids £6 (includes player pack + endless conkers). Adults £12 (includes player pack, kit + conker lessons for newbies). A few hundred people tend to show up and the event sells out every year — so grab your tickets now and get stringing.

Last year, 👑 Pietro the Pummeller aka the Milanese Mauler 👑 smashed his way to a second Golden Nut. Can he make it three in a row?