The annual Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, at 23, the longest running and most extensive of its kind in the UK.
The festival runs from July 11-20 and this year’s theme is Nostalgia. The 2025 programme includes a performance by violin virtuoso Akram Abdulfattah, appearing at Philharmonic Hall’s Music Room on July 19 and the theatre production, Penguin, at Unity Theatre, 11 July.
Highlights Include:
Penguin
LAAF welcome Penguin to the Unity Theatre, Liverpool on 11 July for the opening day of this year’s festival.Full of humour and beauty, Hamzeh Al Hussien’s extraordinary story takes you on a personal tour of the places he knows best. His village in the Syrian mountains, Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, Gateshead (UK) and inside his mind: a place full of music, dancing, fantasies and marbles.Hamzeh invites the audience to be his childhood friends, to hold up the moon to light his way, and into his dreams, brushing the dust from his clothes…and taking the stage.
“A remarkable story told with irrepressible charm” – The Stage
Palestine Minus One
With Mazen Maarouf, Anwar Hamed, and Basma Ghalayini.
A unique evening of stories and discussion at the Bluecoat, launching Comma Press’s new anthology, Palestine Minus One – an exploration of the event that underpins Israel’s 77-year-long occupation of Palestine: the Nakba of 1948. As a prequel to Comma’s award-winning Palestine + 100 science fiction project, this anthology asks ten Palestinian authors to revisit the build-up to the catastrophe of 1948 as well as its immediate and long-term repercussions, using fantastical, supernatural and speculative tropes.All of these writers had grandparents or great-grandparents who were forcibly displaced during the Nakba, and all offer new ways of re-processing that trauma. At this event, we’ll hear from two of the most prominent Palestinian authors out there: Mazen Maarouf and Anwar Hamed, along with the anthology’s editor Basma Ghalayini.The discussion at The Bluecoat on Wednesday 16th July will be chaired by Comma Press founder, Ra Page.
Good Chance presents... A Grain of Sand حبة رمل By Elias Matar
Commissioned by London Palestine Film FestivalSupported by Liverpool Arab Arts Festival
Adapted from A Million Kites: Testimonies and Poems from the Children of Gaza by Leila Boukarim and Asaf Luzon
Renad, a young Gazan girl, embarks on a dangerous journey. Carrying only the echoes of her grandmother’s tales and the spark of her own imagination, she searches for her family and the ‘Anqaa’ – the mythical Palestinian Phoenix.
A Grain of Sand is a one-woman show that takes an intimate look at war through the eyes of a child, blending Palestinian folklore with real-life testimonies from children in contemporary Gaza. Renad’s story is one of resilience, hope and the right of children to be children. The show will be performed at the Unity Theatre on Friday 18 July.
The Alexandrian
In this free exhibition, Mohamed Gohar utilises his artistic visual language alongside architectural and heritage experiences.
He examines the dynamics of present-day Alexandrian society and their influence on the evolution of the city’s urban and built environment. The aim is to observe and analyse the communal behaviours of the city users, focusing on fostering an objective understanding of the changing values and cultures.
The exhibition at Yamama Café and Bar runs throughout the festival’s duration and includes an informal artist talk (and a complimentary hot or soft drink!) on Wednesday 16 July, at 4pm.
Palestinian Tatreez (Embroidery) Workshop
This adult workshop at Bluecoat will teach the basics of Tatreez (traditional Palestinian embroidery) and explore how this ancestral craft can connect us to heritage, resistance, and each other. Stitch your own pattern, and discover the powerful history woven into every thread.
The workshop on Sunday 13th July from Tatreez Collective consists of two parts: a short presentation that covers the history of Tatreez and its role in Palestinian society, followed by a practical session, teaching participants how to embroider a Palestinian traditional pattern (Basic stitches on Aida fabric, the usual fabric to make frames).
All levels are welcome – no experience needed, just curiosity and care. Materials will be provided.
For full festival listings visit here
The full 2025 lineup has now been released with more information about the festival in both English and Arabic here.