In a vibrant celebration of multiculturalism and community cohesion, the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) hosts The Refugee Week Festival 2023. This year, the focus will be on welcoming Afghans and Ukrainians to the UK. The two-day event takes place on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 June in West London’s Gunnersbury Park, Popes Lane, W5 4NH

The event marks Refugee Week, an annual celebration of the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees which, this year, is themed around ‘compassion’. The first day of the combined arts festival will focus on Afghanistan, the second on Ukraine. The family friendly event will showcase music and dance, traditional Afghan and Ukrainian food and crafts, and entertainment for children. 11am to 7pm each day.

Tickets: £15 adults per day, £5 children (age 5-16) per day, free for under-5s.

As those in Afghanistan continue to suffer under the Taliban and people in Ukraine struggle in their war-torn country, it has never been more important to celebrate the very cultures that are in danger of disappearing. The festival will be attended by evacuees who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, those afraid of persecution by the Iranian regime, and Ukrainians who came to the UK after Russia invaded their country in 2022.

The festival is held against the backdrop of the Gunnersbury Park Museum, a Grade II listed mansion in Hounslow which showcases the history of West London in its collection. The fabulous line-up includes Fayaz Hamid who began his music career after participating in the TV show Afghan Star; the hugely popular Afghan artist, Negar Mandegar; Delsa, the London based Afghan opera singer who also works as an NHS doctor and the Ukrainian band Atmasfera. As well as musical performance, there will be food and craft stalls demonstrating the distinctive contribution that refugees make to their new communities. Alongside stalls, local businesses will have the opportunity to advertise products and services.

Director of the ACAA, Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, said, “The festival is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate diverse cultures and to build relationships within our community in West London. The challenges facing migrants settling in the UK are immense and events like this are part of the solution, enabling refugees to feel welcome in the UK and call it their home.”