Shubbak (meaning ‘window’ in Arabic) supports and celebrates the diversity of Arab and South West Asian & North African (SWANA) artists’ creativity and innovation through its professional, participatory, and engagement programmes, national touring, and biennial multi-artform festival. Working nationally and internationally, Shubbak commissions, initiates, and develops projects that encourage a wide range of creative approaches in an artist-centred, audience-focused process.
From vibrant public squares to intimate galleries, from gardens to theatres, and into digital realms, Shubbak 2025 highlights art as a site of connection and transformation.
The festival opens at the Southbank Centre on 24 and 25 May with MILK مِلك, a visually arresting performance by Palestine’s Khashabi Ensemble. Directed by Bashar Murkus and Khulood Basel, it marks the largest Palestinian theatre production staged in the UK in over 25 years. The play delves into the rupture of disaster, exploring how catastrophe fractures time and dissolves the future into endless repetition.
The People’s Catwalk: 3EIB in collaboration with Creative Space Beirut & Nol Collective, Nafs Space & Trashy Clothing (Southbank Centre – Friday 23 May @ 6.30pm) kicks off the festival with a celebration of the bold creativity of SWANA fashion. 3EIB, in collaboration with Creative Space Beirut and Nol Collective, presents The People’s Catwalk, an alternative public fashion show. This powerful showcase features designs modelled by members of the Arab and SWANA community across all ages, shapes, sizes, and (dis)abilities. Commissioned by Shubbak Festival. Supported by Drosos Foundation, British Council, Galilee Foundation, and Arts Council England.
Ali Chahrour’s The Love Behind My Eyes (24 May, The Lowry & 28 May @ 8pm, The Place, 17 Duke’s Road, WC1H 9PY) presents a powerful exploration of love, loss, and longing. Inspired by the tragic story of Mohamed Bin Daoud, an Iraqi jurist consumed by forbidden love, the performance examines the violent endings of such love. Rooted in Arabic lyrical poetry, Chahrour’s work draws from the rich traditions and political tensions of his heritage. Supported by the British Council.
Salim Djaferi’s Koulounisation (23 & 24 May @ 7.30, Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, SW11 5TN) interrogates the weight of words and the unspoken histories they carry. Franco-Algerian artist Salim Djaferi examines how language shapes historical narratives and invites audiences to reflect on the profound impact of language on identity and memory. Supported by Wallonie-Bruxelles International.
PalArts Fest x Shubbak (26 May – 2 June, Theatro Technis, 26 Crowndale Road, NW1 1TT) features a curated programme including:
- Application 39 (For the 2048 Gaza Summer Olympics) by Ahmed Masoud (26 May-1 June @7pm): A dark comedy imagining The State of Gaza City hosting the Olympics in 2048. Masoud is a Palestinian-British writer whose previous works include Go to Gaza, Drink the Water and The Shroud Maker.
- Return to Palestine by The Freedom Theatre School (28 May – 1 June, various times): A tragi-comic exploration of Palestinian identity created after extensive story-gathering directed by Micaela Miranda and performed by graduates from TFTS.
- Tarweedeh Collective – Nabad (30 May @ 8.30pm): A performance combining Palestinian dance and poetry, with music by El-Funoun Palestinian Dance Troupe and Siwar Association for Culture & Arts.
- Sami Abu Wardeh’s Merguez (26, 27 & 31 May @ 8.30pm): What would you do if you looked identical to an internationally wanted assassin? Our man Mergue suffers greatly from this problem. A solo show about mistaken identity and the search for belonging from popular comedian, writer, and clown.
Home (30 May @ Various times, Grand Junction, Rowington Close, W2 5TF) reflects on diasporic identity through the eyes of a child. Supported by Arts Council England.
So Many Ways to Move (31 May, Kunstraum, 21 Roscoe St, EC1Y 8PT) explores art and activism through electronic music and poetry. chamæleon is a poetry and electronic music duo formed by Palestinian poet Farah Chamma and Brazilian music producer LIEV. Co-commissioned and supported by Counterpoints.
Reimagining Ibn Battuta’s Travels (4 & 5 June @ 7.30pm), Grand Junction, Rowington Close, W2 5TF reimagines the medieval Arab traveller Ibn Battuta’s journeys through the experiences of Arab diaspora communities in West London. Co-created with participants, it challenges dominant narratives of migration and belonging. Presented in partnership with Seenaryo and supported by Drosos Foundation, Arts Council England, and Porticus.
From The Lips To The Moon (7 June @ 8pm, Grand Junction) blends live electronics, unearthly melodies, twisted beats, and fierce poetry. Curated by Pouya Ehsaei and Tara Fatehi, each show features a unique lineup of guest artists.
For Sudan (10 June @ 7pm, Grand Junction) honours Sudanese cultural heritage through performance and reflection, amplifying voices of resilience and envisioning a future of liberation for Sudanese communities.
Maqam Editions presents Al-Mu’allaqat (12 June, Grand Junction): Maqam Editions, London’s newest Arab publishing house, presents a majestic night of books, art, music, poetry, and storytelling inspired by Souk Ukaz, the historic annual market of the Hejaz. The evening celebrates Maqam’s five inaugural publications, including a groundbreaking English translation of all ten Mu’allaqat, a compilation of seven pre-Islamic poems.
Marah Haj Hussein’s Language: No Broblem (13 & 14 June @ 7.30pm, Battersea Arts Centre & Tues 17 June @Bradford 2025) explores the complexities of multilingualism, reflecting on how languages transform under systemic control, shedding light on colonialism’s impact on native tongues. Supported by Flanders State of the Art.
Sarab (‘Mirage’) by The Palestinian Circus School (14 June 10am- 7.30pm, Jacksons Lane Arts Centre, 269a Archway Road, N6 5AA) tells stories of survival and resistance and the ongoing struggles faced by refugees worldwide.
Nazar by Lara Habib Kobeissi (June 2025, LADA – Live Art Development Agency, The Garrett Centre, 117A Mansford Street, E2 6LX) is an immersive 1:1 VR performance that engages all your senses on an intimate journey into Kobeissi’s childhood home, exploring the relationship with her mother over three decades of regional conflicts and migration. Supported by the British Council and Arts Council England.
Memory of Birds by Tania El Khoury (13 – 15 June, 9-5pm, Richmond Arts and Ideas Festival) is an immersive sound installation in trees in collaboration with a trauma therapist and migrating birds. El Khoury is a live artist who creates installations that reflect on the production of collective memory and the cultivation of solidarity.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
