LAAF 2026 proves home is where the art is

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF) returns to city venues this month – and the full programme has now been confirmed.

This year’s festival takes place between July 17-26 and will include a varied programme including performances, talks, workshops and family-friendly activities across art forms such as theatre, music, the visual arts and film.

The 2026 theme is Home.

LAAF chairman Afrah Qassim says: “Home is a place we often imagine as a sanctuary of safety, stability and identity or where we belong. It is our roots, our memories, and the stories we carry with us wherever we go.

“Today, we must also recognise the painful reality facing many in our beloved homelands, those who have lost their homes, their families, and the sense of identity that a place can hold.

“LAAF is proud to be a platform that gives artists the space to tell their stories. Through art and storytelling, we create a space for our audience for reflection and conversation exploring the ‘what; behind the artist’s story and how it reflects upon their own.”

This year's festival will open on Friday, July 17 with LAAF favourite the Al-Awhadel Band returning to perform a mesmerising set at St George's Hall Concert Room. The band, which showcases the sound of the oud, is led by Yemeni artist and composer Yaser Awhadi who learned the instrument at the knee of his celebrated musician father Ahmed Omar Awhadi.

On Saturday, July 18 learn about Sudan's eclectic cuisine and literature in an event at the Black-E and centred around the work of British-Sudanese food archivist Omer Tijani, author of The Sudanese Kitchen.

Meanwhile there will also be a script-in-hand reading of 40 Days and 40 Nights in the Royal Court Studio.

Then on Sunday, July 19 LAAF once again collaborates with At The Library to bring The Journey Home, a family-friendly film screening, to the Plaza Cinema at Crosby, followed by a creative workshop.

The Bluecoat hosts My Father and Quaddafi film screening and Q&A on July 21, and on July 23 The Book of Damascus - an evening of readings, translation and discussion celebrating storytelling from the Syrian capital.

And the festival will present the world premiere performance of the hugely anticipated second album from the UK’s Tamsin Elliott and Egypt’s Tarek Elazhary at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall’s Music Room on Friday, July 24.

Above: The Al-Ahwadel Band. Photo by AB Photography.

Elliott and Elazhary (pictured, top) explore the intriguing parallels and idiosyncrasies of Egyptian Maqam and English folk traditions in a captivating fusion of songs, tunes and textures.

Rough Trade is the venue for Rhythms and Mixes with Simona Abdallah (who will also be in conversation in the afternoon), DJ Hiba Salamah and MUSYS on Saturday, July 25.

Meanwhile the ever-popular annual LAAF Family Day returns to Sefton Park Palm House on Sunday, July 26.

A free afternoon of music, performance and authentic Arab culture will be complemented by a range of stalls offering Arabic and Middle Eastern food, arts and crafts, traditional practices such as calligraphy and dance, as well as activities for children, including storytelling and workshops.

Founded in 1998, LAAF is the UK’s longest running festival of Arab arts and culture and 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’.

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival runs from July 17-26. More details HERE