Habibi Festival Brings an All-SWANA Lineup to NYC October 8th-12th

Habibi Festival, a NYC-born music, arts and culture festival dedicated to spotlighting talents from across the SWANA region and its diaspora, has announced the full lineup for its 2025 edition, running from October 8th to October 12th.

Taking place as part of The Public Theatre’s artistic program, Joe’s Pub, this year, Habibi Festival is bringing a roster of prominent Arab artists, spanning various sounds and genres, from classical and alternative to electronic. Featured on the bill are Egyptian indie pioneer Maii Waleed, Palestinian rock rouser Rasha Nahas, and Palestinian revolutionary oudist and composer Huda Asfour, as well as Mai Elgizouli, Mohamed Abozekry Sextet, Maryam Turkey, and Layale Chaker. 

“When we started the Habibi Festival five years ago, we wanted to address a gap in NYC’s cultural ecosystem by honouring the living, breathing nature of Arab music," Yacine Boulares, Meera Dugal and Alex Knowlton, founders of Habibi Festival, tell SceneNoise. "Narratives from this region are often one-dimensional, and we hope that Habibi Festival provides a space for omnivorous music fans to hear what is propelling musicians from this region forward in this moment, straight from the source.”

e performances, the festival will also host a series of thought-provoking conversations and talks in collaboration with Afikra, highlighting the diversity of the Arab world’s cultures and histories. 

Tickets are now available via Habibi Festival’s official website.