The Global Cafe is part of Reading International Solidarity Centre, or RISC. RISC began in 1981 as World Education Berkshire, and after 15 years working first from a double-decker bus and then from a small rented space on London Street, it moved to its current location in September 1996. A month later the Pangaea Cafe opened, two years after that it transformed into the Global Cafe.
Today, the Global Cafe is host to an eclectic range of musical performances and genres, including jazz, folk, reggae, punk, hiphop, soul and Motown.