Blackout Summer 2026: What a Summer It Has Been

And just like that, Blackout Summer 2026 is over.

What started in June became months of travel, parties, private experiences, collaborations, new cities and some unforgettable moments with our community. From Malta to Portugal, London to Amsterdam, Brighton to Atlanta, Paris and Oxford, this summer took Black Meat Market further than we had ever taken it before.

We started in June with Blacklist: DLT Malta, before heading to Portugal in July for Blacklist: Afronation. Back in London, Mandem Freakhauz: Summer Peak brought the boys together for a private summer house experience, before we took FUSE: Naked to Amsterdam at the end of July.

August was originally due to begin in Brighton with Bare It All: Deep Press on 1 August. That event was unfortunately later postponed to November, so our August programme instead moved towards one of the biggest moments of Blackout Summer: BMM Carnival Weekend in London. Across the Carnival period, more than 1,000 people joined us across the programme, including our growing partnership with Deviant, which grew from more than 300 attendees the previous year to over 700 in 2026.

September took us international again. We headed to the United States for Atlanta Black Pride, followed by Global Black Pride in Paris, before returning to the UK for Manor Weekend in Oxford. Each stop was different, but each one gave us another opportunity to meet people who had followed BMM from afar, reconnect with familiar faces and take what we have been building into new places.

Then came October and Black History Month Weekend in London. Seven events across three days brought the Blackout Summer calendar to its final stop, from Mandem Playhouse, Rogue and DL Bruthas Link-Up: Brudda Yard on Friday, through BlackRoom Sessions and Bare It All: Ohene on Saturday, before Melanin Indulgence and Bare It All: Baddest closed everything on Sunday.

When we first put the Blackout Summer calendar together, it looked ambitious on paper. Looking back at it now, what stands out isn’t simply the number of dates. It’s everywhere we went, everyone we met and everything that happened between June and October.

Not everything went perfectly. There were challenges along the way, plans changed and there are things we have learned that we will take into the next chapter. But there was also a lot to celebrate. We travelled. We grew. We tried new things. We strengthened partnerships. We welcomed new people into BMM and watched familiar faces continue to show up for us.

Most importantly, you came through. Whether you joined us for one night in London, travelled with us internationally, spent a weekend in one of our houses, danced with us at Carnival, got naked with us at Bare It All or simply supported BMM from wherever you were: thank you.

Blackout Summer 2026 gave us plenty of memories, plenty of lessons and plenty to build on.

The summer is officially over. BMM isn’t. See you in the next chapter.