Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF) has received a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a major new project exploring and preserving the festival’s history and the stories of Liverpool’s Arab communities.
The project, developed in partnership with Bluecoat, National Museums Liverpool, and representative community partner organisations, comes as LAAF marks 25 years of the festival and will focus on collecting, safeguarding and sharing the memories, experiences and cultural contributions that have shaped the organisation since it began in 1998.
Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, the project will work closely with young people of Arab heritage, giving them the opportunity to explore LAAF’s archive, record oral histories and help shape a public programme of exhibitions, events and digital content leading up to a major public launch in 2027.
Over more than two decades, LAAF has become an important cultural platform for Arab artists and communities locally, nationally and internationally. Through music, theatre, visual arts, literature, film, food and community projects, the festival has created space for dialogue, creativity and cultural exchange in Liverpool and beyond. In 2025 alone, the festival reached audiences of more than 35,000 people across 32 events.
At the heart of the heritage project is a desire to ensure these stories are not lost. Young people will work alongside artists, founders, community members and heritage specialists to document personal memories and explore materials from LAAF’s archive. These stories and materials will then be preserved and made accessible through partnerships with National Museums Liverpool, Liverpool Record Office, Bluecoat and community organisations, including the Liverpool Arabic Centre, the Merseyside Yemeni Community Association, and the Syrian Community in Liverpool.
Alongside preserving heritage, the project will also support young people of Arab heritage to develop skills and confidence in areas in which they are underrepresented, including oral history, heritage practice, event production and creative programming, helping open up future pathways into the cultural and creative sectors.
Afrah Qassim, Chair of Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, said: “For 25 years, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival has created space for Arab stories, artists and communities to be celebrated shared and understood. This project is about making sure those stories are preserved for future generations and giving young people of Arab heritage the chance to actively shape and share that history themselves. We’re incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this possible.”
Bryan Biggs, Director of Cultural Legacies at Bluecoat, said: “As co-founder of the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, the Bluecoat is delighted to participate in this project to explore the festival’s history through the lens of local community engagement. LAAF is a valued member of the creative community based in our building and we look forward to supporting this important opportunity for it to tell its story in such an imaginative and inclusive way.”
Liz Stewart, head of Museum of Liverpool said: “The Museum of Liverpool is delighted to be involved in this celebration of the story of LAAF. This is an important moment to capture the history of this significant cultural festival on its 25th anniversary. The project’s opportunities for young people to lead on exploring histories and programming community activity around it, is very exciting.”
Founded in 1998, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival is the UK’s longest-running annual festival dedicated to Arab arts and cultures. Alongside its annual festival, LAAF delivers year-round artistic, educational and community programmes that aim to celebrate identity, challenge perceptions and create meaningful cultural exchange.
LAAF is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and receives support from Culture Liverpool through Liverpool City Council’s Culture and Arts Investment Programme.