News / Bristol Refugee Festival
Global music lineup takes over Queen Square
Queen Square will resonate with the sounds of Hong Kong, Iran, Palestine, West Africa and more this weekend.
Bristol Refugee Festival will once again be taking over the square for its grand annual shindig that brings global music and dance, family fun and food from round the world into the heart of the city.
The event is the culmination of this year’s festival fortnight which has united neighbourhoods under the banner ‘CommUnity as a Superpower’ with picnics, films, sport, exhibitions, craft workshops and gigs.
The theme encompasses, organisers say, “the extraordinary strength that can be found in uniting together to build inclusive, strong and vibrant communities”.
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Each June Bristol Refugee Festival runs a cross-arts events programme with refugees at its heart that brings communities across the city together to connect, share skills and celebrate culture.
The ‘grand finale’ all-day event on Queen Square, Celebrating Sanctuary, has become a much-loved fixture on the city’s cultural calendar that attracts thousands of people of all backgrounds each year.
This year the mainstage lineup features West African dance music from Hélélé, a band formed by Alphonse Daudet Touna that blends vibrant traditional Cameroonian rhythms with contemporary grooves.
Their high-energy show ‘celebrates the rich musical heritage of West Africa and the power of rhythm to unite.’
East meets West: Dawn from HK perform as part of a jampacked programme of music from round the globe – photo: Dawn from HK
Dawn from HK, a quartet from Hong Kong, features an eclectic mix of saxophone, accordion and flute.
They embody “the fresh light of dawn, symbolizing the awakening and merging of Hong Kong’s rich musical and cultural heritage with the eclectic and dynamic rhythms of the UK,” the band says. “We aim to be the harbingers of a new cultural synthesis, where East meets West in harmony and innovation.”
Zaid Hilal – nicknamed ‘the songbird of Palestine’ – and Raji Majed Ghareeb will serve up some Palestinian music and Iranian folk fusion comes from the Vilk Collective, a duo – appearing with special guests – inspired by Persian funk, Czech jazz and punk as well as their native folk song.
Their sound, comprising captivating vocals, complex beats and lush guitar soundscapes, has been called “a virtuoso trip, utterly beautiful” by BBC Introducing.
Vital Beats has joined forces with Refugee Women of Bristol and the all women drum, dance and song ensemble Tolo Ko Tolo to present Super Women Drummers, an ‘uplifting, empowering’ experience combining traditional Somali songs and rhythms with Guinean dance and original music.
Dance comes from the children’s capoeira group, a project run by Move Free CIC that offers accessible classes in the Afro-Brazilian art form, originally designed by enslaved Africans to maintain their cultural identity and has come to represent freedom, community and playfulness.
And Movema will showcase a performance of the world’s carnival dances before running an interactive session that encourages everyone to get involved.
In between performances DJ Stephy will be spinning global sounds to keep the day’s energy high.
Celebrating Sanctuary is renowned as a joyful community gathering where everyone is welcome and encouraged to get involved – photo: Diego Pena
While performances take place, Queen Square will be alive with global cuisine to sample, a marketplace of global crafts, children’s activities and a range of community information stalls.
“Celebrating Sanctuary is a free event and open to all. Brings friends, family and a picnic blanket,” said director Jules Olsen. “This is more than a festival – it’s a celebration of diversity and connection. A joyful space where cultures meet, stories are shared and everyone is welcome.”
The event falls on the last day of national Refugee Week, which this year runs from June 16-22, with events taking place across the country on World Refugee Day on June 20, celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
Bristol is an official City of Sanctuary and the Queen Square day festival embodies a spirit of welcome, inclusion, community and celebration – photo: Bristol Refugee Festival
Celebrating Sanctuary Queen Square takes place from 12.30-6pm on Sunday, June 22. Find all details at bristolrefugeefestival.org
Donations ensure Bristol Refugee Festival can continue creating spaces of welcome across the city: localgiving.org/charity/bristol-refugee-festival
Main image: Bristol Refugee Festival
Read next:
- Bristol’s month in World Music – June 2025
- Review: Eric Chenaux / RÓIS, the Cube – ‘Channelling the celestial’
- Review: Sam Kelly, Thekla – ‘Huge-hearted euphoria’
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