Take-over Weekend at River Stage Festival

Take-over Weekend at River Stage Festival

Multiple artists

Shubbak Festival launches with a takeover of the National Theatre River Stage featuring an exciting range of free concerts and activities for all ages. 

The festival will be kicking off its multi-artform programme with a weekend of music, performance, workshops and installations at the National Theatre River Stage. Activities for all ages, bands, dance and late DJ sets bring the best of London’s and international Arab cultural scene to this iconic setting.

Friday 23 June

Host: Houda Echouafni

18:05-18:50 Taroo

With a fusion of acrobatics, Chinese pole and urban street moves, this show is not all that it seems. Performed and created by Moroccan circus artist Said Mouhssine, this very special London version of Taroo has been developed in partnership with the Babylon Project.

19:15-20:15 Gnawa Blues All Stars

Headed up by the brilliant Songlines Music Award nominee, Simo Lagnawi, expect a boundary-pushing set fusing music from Gnawa, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, India, Japan, and Venezuela.

20:30-21:30 Zahed Sultan

In collaboration with choir singers, string players and more, Zahed Sultan presents a series of live performances that celebrates people on the margins. Weaving together diverse musical genres and art forms, the performances will thread seams of social unity and cultural understanding

21:30-22:45 Saliah

From Boiler Room to international stardom, British-Lebanese DJ and producer Saliah will be bringing a high-energy performance that seamlessly blends between SWANA classics, remixes and modern club sounds.

Saturday 24 June

Afternoon Host: Lara Sawalha

Jordanian-British actor Lara returns to kick off the opening of Shubbak Festival at River Stage and will introduce some of the brilliant and eclectic artists that will be performing on Saturday afternoon.

Evening host: Houda Echouafni

12:00-19:00 Art of Borders – Aya Haidar

Hosted by Aya Haidar, little ones are invited to create origami herons that will migrate across multiple locations commemorating lives journeyed and lost across seas. All guests are encouraged to stitch around the border of a spherical fabric resulting in a tapestry encapsulating and transcending borders.

12:45-13:30 Hawiyya Dance Company

All-women Hawiyya Dance Company draws upon traditional dabke and contemporary dances to address inequalities, offer solidarity and amplify anti-colonial struggles. All ages are invited to join in the celebration of resilient cultures and ancestral histories.

14:00-14:45 Haya Zaatry

Palestinian singer, songwriter and composer Haya Zaatry, brings her debut album “Rahwan” to the UK. Haya’s songs transcend the complicated themes of history, time and geography to pay tribute to generations of mothers and matriarchs from the Levant.

Presented in partnership with The Sonic Agent.

15:15-16:30 Rain Crew Dance

Using Breaking, House, Krump, and Hip-hop as a tool for social change, Rain Crew builds community with a focus on equity, decolonisation, and anti-racism. Expect innovative and quality dance that challenges the norms of hip-hop.

17:00-17:45 Badiaa Bouhrizi

Tunisian singer, composer and musician Badiaa Bouhrizi presents her latest album, Kahru Musiqa, an electrifying interpretation of musical defiance and innovation. Badiaa’s distinctive vocal style and lyrics are a mixture of local traditions, classical Arabic music, jazz, soul, electronica, and reggae.

Presented in partnership with The Sonic Agent.

18:15-19:00 Berber Diffusion

Berber Diffusion are the UK’s first traditional Amazigh band, leading the scene with their unique blend of Amazigh pentatonic scales with Gnawa traditional music.

19:15-20:15 Extremely Special Guests!

MARSM and Shubbak present a very special guest performance that’s bound to get everyone up and dancing on the South Bank.

21:45-22:45 Sarra Wild

Sarra Wild is a cultural curator, sound designer, DJ and founder of club night OH141, a celebratory space focussing on showcasing groundbreaking talent by and for women, BPOC and LGBTQ+ artists. Sarra brings heady non-Western melodies, Afrofuturism and fearless experimentalism to the River Stage.

Sunday 25 June

Host: Lara Sawalha

Jordanian-British actor Lara returns to kick off the opening of Shubbak Festival at River Stage and will introduce some of the brilliant and eclectic artists that will be performing on Saturday afternoon.

12:00-17:00 Art of Borders – Aya Haidar

Hosted by Aya Haidar, little ones are invited to create origami herons that will migrate across multiple locations commemorating lives journeyed and lost across seas. All guests are encouraged to stitch around the border of a spherical fabric resulting in a tapestry encapsulating and transcending borders.

12:15-13:00 Intibint

Intibint is a singer-songwriter and producer based in London and Glasgow. After a year-long hiatus, she’s back and ready to reconnect with her audience with a stripped-down acoustic set. Her work blends a range of genres, including experimental, electronic and R&B.

13:15-14:30 Rain Crew Dance

Using Breaking, House, Krump, and Hip-hop as a tool for social change, Rain Crew builds community with a focus on equity, decolonisation, and anti-racism. Expect innovative and quality dance that challenges the norms of hip-hop.

14:30-15:15 Beirut Groove Collective

DJ Ernesto Chahoud is known for his longest-standing strictly vinyl club night dedicated to underground soul-fuelled 60s, 70s and 80s clubbing music from the SWANA region. Join Ernesto as he digs into his extensive record collection for a set of varied genres from Ethio-Jazz, Lebanese Psych to Armenian Estradayin.

15:30-16:15 Amira Kheir

Amira Kheir has been enchanting audiences around the world with her unique sound inspired by traditional music from her Sudanese homeland. Her music seamlessly blends between jazz, soul, rock and the traditional music of Sudan, with themes of liberation, love, freedom, connection and belonging.

16:45-17:45 Gnawa Blues All Stars

Headed up by the brilliant Songlines Music Award nominee, Simo Lagnawi, expect a boundary-pushing set fusing music from Gnawa, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, India, Japan, and Venezuela.