Event type: Festival

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2025

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, the longest running annual festival of Arab arts and culture in the UK, returns for its 23rd year this July.

Founded in 1998, the festival exists to support and champion creatives from across the Arab region and its diaspora, in the belief that art and creativity have the power to express a shared humanity.

The festival also celebrates Liverpool’s unique identity; a city, with a global community and brimming with artistry, that looks outwards across the world and welcomes and accepts all who arrive within it.

This year’s festival theme is Nostalgia, which will be explored through a diverse range of disciplines, including music, theatre and performance, visual art, literature and film – with the programme culminating at the ever-popular free Family Day.

RAWD Charity Launch

 

Introducing RAWD, The Charity…

RAWD has spent over a decade co-creating joyful, inclusive spaces where disabled artists can thrive.

We believe creativity is a powerful vehicle for independence, confidence, and expression – enabling people to dream bigger, communicate more freely, and take up space that’s rightfully theirs. 

In July 2025 we officially launch as a charity.

To celebrate we are launching with a month-long programme of events during Disability Pride Month. We welcome you to come along and celebrate with us…

5pm – FREE Drinks Reception

6pm- Launch Event Begins

Join RAWD for an evening showcasing what’s to come this July 2025.

 

Penny Lane Weekender

3 DAYS | 4 VENUES | BOSS MUSIC – 8TH, 9TH, 10TH AUGUST 2025

TICKETS | MORE INFO

This August, Penny Lane continues to sustain its global musical legacy with a 3-day music festival, spotlighting local and independent artists and bands. Returning for its third year, the festival will take over venues all located on or around Liverpool’s iconic Penny Lane.

The 2025 lineup promises an eclectic mix of Indie, Rock, Punk, Electronica, Dance and Pop including local frontrunners The DSM IV, infectious spiky sci-fi rockers SILENT-K, Japanese psych-rock band Qujaku and the hosts themselves, Pleasure Island.

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2025

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.

 

 

 

A Carnatic Quartet – A Concert for Children and Families

 

 

An exciting introduction to the magic of South Indian classical music.

Join us for a special concert designed just for children and families, featuring the dynamic Carnatic Quartet – Shreya Devnath (Violin), Mylai M Karthikeyan (Nadhaswaram), Praveen Sparsh (Mridangam), and Adyar G Silambarasan(Thavil).

This interactive performance is a joyful, high-energy introduction to the fascinating world of Carnatic music. Expect stunning sounds, fun rhythm games, and plenty of chances to get involved – whether it’s clapping along to the beat or discovering how these powerful instruments work together.

Perfect for curious young minds, budding musicians, and anyone ready to be amazed, this is a rare chance to see four incredible artists bring music to life – up close and unplugged. Let the rhythms spark imagination and the melodies open up a world of wonder.

 

 

 

Daughters of Albion: O’Hooley & Tidow, Frankie Archer and Hannah Scott

 

A celebration of English Folk music.

The Music Room has always been a beloved home for folk music – and today we’re finishing our tour of Britain’s folk tradition by returning home to England. In two exciting shows, we’ll see female folk artists – both established stars and up-and-coming talent – come together on stage in inspiring showcases of the English folk genre, its history and its future too. Tonight, we welcome O’Hooley & Tidow, Frankie Archer and Hannah Scott back to the Music Room stage​.  

 

Daughters of Albion: Kathryn Williams and Sarah Smout

 

A celebration of English Folk music.

The Music Room has always been a beloved home for folk music – and today we’re finishing our tour of Britain’s folk tradition by returning home to England. In two exciting shows, we’ll see female folk artists – both established stars and up-and-coming talent – come together on stage in inspiring showcases of the English folk genre, its history and its future too.  This afternoon, we welcome Kathryn Williams and Sarah Smout.

 

They Say It’s Our Birthday: Baked a la Ska

 

Today’s the day – it’s officially the Music Room’s tenth birthday! And what better way to celebrate this anniversary than with an all-out, irresistible party hosted by none other than Baked A La Ska – the incredible group who have brought so much fun and joyful energy to the venue over the years.  

With their annual Christmas show, and plenty of other visits besides, they’ve introduced us to vintage ska sounds and an eclectic platter of covers – and now they’re back, marking a decade of the Music Room with a specially-curated, never-before-seen show. In this very special performance, they’ll be sprinkling some ska dust on Beatles hits and rarities, and travelling through their own back catalogue, bringing you tracks from all five of their albums. Get ready for a real extravaganza, from one of the tightest rhythm sections in Manchester.  

Please note that this is a standing event. If you have any access needs, please contact the Box Office on 0151 709 3789.

 

One Night on Sugnall

 

Nurturing talent, giving a platform to local artists – roles that the Music Room has embraced over the past decade. As part of our celebrations, we’re welcoming back some of our city’s most exciting young stars – artists who have all risen up through the Music Room, and have each headlined their own show in the space. Come along as Ellis Murphy, Astles, MT Jones and Motel Sundown perform as you’ve never seen them before.

Please note that this is a standing event. If you have any access needs, please contact the Box Office on 0151 709 3789.

 

Hope St. Blues: Catfish Keith and Jo Harman with very special guest Connie Lush

 

Foot-stomping, heartbreaking, spellbinding – some Music Room legends return to sing the blues. On this tenth anniversary, the pioneering Catfish Keith makes his tenth appearance on our stage, and award-winning, best-selling blues/soul vocalist Jo Harman performs for us for the third time too. We’re also delighted to welcome back Connie Lush from retirement to perform a couple of songs. She was the artist who performed the very first test event at the Music Room’s launch and treated us to a Christmas residency in 2019.