The UK’s first Arabic music festival, Mahrajan, arrives in London with a landmark line-up showcasing SWANA talent and celebrating the diversity of Arabic sounds.
A first for the UK, London’s Crystal Palace Bowl will host the debut edition of Mahrajan, an all-day outdoor festival featuring established artists and rising stars including Cheb Khaled, Saint Levant, Lella Fadda, Omar Souleyman, Manal, Zeyne, Nour, DYSTINCT and Bayou.
Meaning ‘festival’, ‘celebration’ or ‘carnival’ in Arabic, Mahrajan is the vision of Live Nation and ABU Recordings and marks the UK’s first festival dedicated entirely to Arabic music.
Its launch comes as artists from across the SWANA region are gaining international recognition, while many major UK music festivals continue to fall short in reflecting the diversity of the communities they serve.
That issue is part of a wider debate around inclusion within the festival industry.
In recent years, events such as Glastonbury have faced criticism over the diversity of their audiences and line-ups. Writing in The Guardian, arts and culture journalist Stephanie Phillips explored why some major festivals continue to feel “overwhelmingly white,” referencing comments from actor and entertainer Lenny Henry about the lack of Black and brown audiences at some of Britain’s biggest music events.
As this conversation has grown, attention has also turned to alternative platforms where artists outside the mainstream have found global audiences.
However, despite shining a light on this extraordinary talent — not to mention Nooriyah’s iconic set, where she was joined by her father playing the oud live alongside her during the opening minutes — Boiler Room’s role within the scene became more complicated.
After its acquisition by festival operator Superstruct Entertainment, it faced criticism from some artists and audiences over concerns about its ownership by investment firm KKR and campaigners’ claims linking KKR’s investments to companies connected to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and the arms industry.
For some, the controversy also raised questions about whether platforms created to support independent and underrepresented artists can maintain their original values as they become part of larger commercial organisations.
Against this backdrop, Mahrajan offers something different: a festival built on ethical principles and free from associations with organisations linked to human suffering and violence, while creating a space for audiences to engage with Arabic music on its own terms.
Ahead of the festival launch, The New Arab spoke to music journalists and SWANA writers about why Mahrajan’s UK debut matters.
A long-overdue celebration
Touching on why a festival like Mahrajan matters for SWANA communities, particularly in a diverse city like London, Elias Jahshan, editor of the groundbreaking anthologies This Arab Is Queer (Saqi Books, 2022) and This Queer Arab Family (Saqi Books, 2025), argued that the festival reflects London’s position as one of Europe’s key hubs for SWANA diaspora communities.
Comparing the city to a “new fertile crescent,” he argued that a festival of this scale feels like a natural development for a place where cultures from across the region have long intersected.
“Along with Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and possibly even Stockholm, London is one of the many hubs across western Europe where there’s a huge diaspora of communities originating in the Middle East or North Africa,” Elias said.
While cultural events celebrating SWANA communities already exist across London, Elias believes Mahrajan stands out because of its scale and ambition in bringing these communities together through music.
“It’s not the first cultural event of its kind for our communities, but it’s arguably the first outdoor festival of this scale — and that’s a big deal,” he added.
Suzie Bakos, this year’s festival host, similarly believes Mahrajan arrives at a significant moment for SWANA communities in London, where a festival dedicated to the region on this scale has long been missing.
“This is the first time we’re seeing a festival on this scale dedicated to the SWANA region, and it feels long overdue,” she said.
“London is the perfect place for it because the city is so beautifully diverse and such a global hub for music and culture.”
For Suzie, however, Mahrajan is about more than creating a stage for artists — it is also about celebrating the communities and cultures behind the music.
“It’s not just about giving SWANA artists a stage; it’s about celebrating our communities and sharing our vibe, creativity and culture with people who genuinely want to experience it,” she said.
Beyond the festival’s role as a celebration of SWANA communities, Arabic music journalist Danny Hajjar believes Mahrajan can also help artists reach audiences beyond language barriers and introduce listeners to the richness of the region’s music scene.
“It’s also an opportunity for these artists to grow their fanbase to audiences who may not fully speak or understand Arabic but are enthralled by the music,” Danny said.
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The future of culture is community-led
Turning to the wider conversation around platforms like Boiler Room and the importance of communities creating their own cultural spaces, Suzie said that safeguarding their authenticity and values has become increasingly important.
As Suzie puts it, “We’re living in a time when fewer and fewer spaces feel truly grassroots. When cultural platforms are bought by large corporations, there’s always a risk of losing the authenticity, community, freedom of expression and sense of identity that made them meaningful in the first place.
“That’s why it’s so inspiring to see people creating and investing in their own spaces. It’s not about gatekeeping culture; it’s about protecting it and ensuring it remains in the hands of the communities that built it, rather than those who see it purely as a commercial opportunity,” she said.
Echoing this sentiment, Elias highlighted the importance of community-led cultural spaces, independent of companies that face criticism for their political and ethical ties.
“You can’t underestimate the importance of having cultural spaces that are not tied to firms complicit in Israeli war crimes or the global arms trade. I refute the argument that we supposedly need their ‘sponsorship’ or ‘financial backing’ to make them happen. It’s just a ridiculous argument. Cultural events and spaces that are community-driven and led are entirely possible, and Mahrajan is one such example of this,” he said.
Similarly, Danny emphasised the importance of creating spaces where Arab artists can share their work authentically, particularly in preserving the connection between music, language and culture.
“I can say more broadly that it’s always great to see our artists and musicians create spaces where the Arabic language and Arab art can thrive in an authentic and open way, and in a way that remains consistent with moral clarity,” he explained.
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No permission needed
Turning to challenging narratives about Arabic culture and showing a different side of the region, Elias argued that Arab communities should not always have to explain or justify their culture to wider audiences in order to be understood.
“I am not one for having to ‘humanise’ our people and culture all the time — why should we have to constantly do that to gain the empathy and solidarity of people, for them to see us as equals?
“I hope the festival plays a role in just providing a space where we can just be, without having to worry about what outsiders would think of us, or if we meet their standards to be able to be seen as equal human beings. In other words, I hope this festival challenges those gatekeepers,” he said.
He added that Mahrajan’s importance lies in creating a space where Arab audiences can celebrate their culture without seeking approval from outside audiences.
“We don’t need to wait for their permission to celebrate and love our music — we will do it with or without them,” Elias added.
Suzie similarly believes Mahrajan can help introduce audiences unfamiliar with Arabic music to the diversity of sounds and styles coming from the region.
“Mahrajan is a chance for people who may not know much about Arabic music and culture to really experience it for themselves,” she said.
Highlighting the festival’s line-up, she explained that the range of artists reflects the diversity and evolution of contemporary Arabic music.
“From the nostalgia of Khaled to the experimental sounds of Manal, the poetic world of Zeyne and the infectious energy of Dystinct, the line-up shows just how rich, diverse and dynamic the region is,” she said.
“There’s something for everyone, and everyone is invited,” she added.
Old roots, new sounds
Reflecting on the end goal of Mahrajan and what audiences should take away from experiencing the festival, particularly in recognising the creativity, diversity and evolving sounds of artists from across the SWANA region, Elias said: “We’re super talented. We don’t have to conform to Western ideals of how to create music or make Western-sounding music. We have our own styles, our own sounds — and they’re worth celebrating and amplifying.”
Suzie similarly believes audiences should look beyond the familiar names often associated with Arabic music and recognise how much the scene has evolved in recent years.
“Arabic music is often represented through the icons we all grew up with — Fairuz, Nancy Ajram, Amr Diab, Kadim Al Sahir — and while we absolutely adore them and the foundations they have laid, the scene has evolved so much,” she said.
Suzie pointed to the growing presence of Arabic sounds within global club culture, where contemporary artists are introducing new audiences to different sides of the region’s music scene.
“We’re seeing international DJs remix timeless Arabic classics and play them in iconic venues like Fabric to audiences from all backgrounds. Every artist on the Mahrajan line-up brings something completely unique, and I hope people leave having discovered a new favourite artist and a side of Arabic music they didn’t know existed,” she explained.
Danny similarly highlighted how Mahrajan can help artists connect with listeners beyond language barriers, allowing audiences unfamiliar with Arabic music to discover the depth and diversity of the region’s sounds.
“Ultimately, audiences should see that there is richness among emerging Arab artists and that music travels no matter what the language,” he shared.
“The goal with any kind of festival is for listeners to go home and continue digging into these artists and these scenes and engage thoughtfully and actively in these spaces.”
Tickets for Mahrajan are still available – secure yours now and keep an eye on The New Arab’s social media channels for festival coverage
Zainab Mehdi is a British Iraqi journalist and the Associate Features Editor at The New Arab. She holds a BSc in Modern History and International Relations from the University of Essex and an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS
