MENA Acts at Utrecht's Le Guess Who? Festival 2025 November 6th-9th

Renowned as one of Europe's most forward-thinking festivals, Le Guess Who? has unveiled the full lineup for its 2025 edition, taking place from November 6th to November 9th across 20 venues in the heart of Utrecht, the Netherlands.

This year’s program brings together six visionary guest curators alongside a sweeping roster of over 100 artists, reaffirming the festival’s reputation as a hub for experimental and cross-cultural music, and a platform dedicated to spotlighting overlooked talents from across the globe. Among the guest curators are American-Indian musician, activist and community organiser Amirtha Kidambi, who presents her subversive interpretation of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s concept of ‘Outernationalism’, while South African drummer Asher Gamedze spotlights Cape Town’s progressive music scene, and Edna Martinez introduces the infectious Caribbean PICÓ sound system culture to Utrecht. Additional curators include Gyrofiel, Lonnie Holley, Tianzhuo Chen, Valentina Magaletti and Ziúr.

The initial lineup already featured a global spread of performers from Fatima Al Qadiri, Dirar Kalash, and Saint Abdullah to Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Ensemble, and Nicolas Jaar collaborating with Ali Sethi. Now, the latest wave of names pushes the bill even further, with new additions including Egyptian experimental trio The Dwarfs of East Agouza, along with Syrian DJ and producer Noise Diva and Lebanese artist Sara Saleh, who will be presenting a joint audiovisual performance titled ‘Neither on the Ground nor in the Sky’. Additionally, Sudanese punk artist MAHA and Ghanaian highlife cult figure Ata Kak take to the stage, while Polish pianist, composer, and vocalist Hania Rani will introduce her dark-tinted electronica alter-ego Chilling Bambino onstage.

The festival will also feature the return of the ‘Sounds of Places’ project with a new sonic narrative placing the audience within Palestine’s Cremisan Valley.

While four-day passes for the festival are already sold out, you can still get day passes at a reduced price for specific venues. Tickets are available at Le Guess Who? Official website.