ALTER.NATIVA Festival returns with its third edition on 12 September 2026, bringing a free programme of live music, poetry, dance, workshops, talks, food, craft and family-friendly activities to Chestnuts Arts & Community Centre in North London. 

Presented by Bullerengue Circle, Palacio de Poetas and FLAWA, the community-led festival celebrates the cultural diversity of Abya Yala, a term used to refer to Latin America from a decolonial perspective.

This year’s programme brings together Afro-Latinx, Indigenous, folk, diasporic and contemporary artistic practices, as well as conversations exploring decoloniality, identity, migration and representation. 

ALTER.NATIVA Festival includes live music and performance, arts and crafts workshops, a food and craft market featuring independent suppliers. 

ALTER.NATIVA is rooted in the belief that creativity lives within all of us. When we create together, we imagine new ways of connecting in this world. The festival welcomes people of all backgrounds and ages.

Photo by Diego Echeverry

María Cuervo, Producer of ALTER.NATIVA Festival says: 

'Communities from Abya Yala (Latin American) are one of the fastest-growing groups in London, yet still underrepresented and misrepresented in the arts and under-counted in public databases. ALTER.NATIVA Festival opens a space for the community to be seen, as well as valued and celebrated for the cultural richness we bring to London’s landscape.

This year’s programme emphasises on cocreation and participation. Festival goers will be making, engaging and learning from artists and facilitators whose practice sparks creativity, joy and a sense of belonging. The festival welcomes everyone - the one that wants to try the most delicious Peruvian treat while listening to ancestral sounds and music, and the one who wants to learn how to salsa! We can’t wait to co-create a joyous festival with you all.'

Learn more on Instagram  @alter.nativa_festival