NEW YORK ARAB FESTIVAL (NYAF) 2023 Begins This Month

The second annual New York Arab Festival (NYAF) 2023 Edition takes place in venues across NYC from April 7 through early May to honor and celebrate Arab American Heritage Month which coincides with Ramadan this year. New York Arab Festival (NYAF) is programming multiple live in-person events in partnership with several pioneering institutions across NYC, the USA, and internationally.

New York Arab Festival (NYAF) was established in 2022 to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month and fight the erasure of Arab and Arab American identities from New York City, a place that Arabs have called home for over three centuries. NYAF is a multidisciplinary festival of art, culture, design, food, philosophy, and intersecting industries. It programs artists from the entire Arabic-speaking region, the Arab diaspora, and Arab American artists, particularly artists working and living in New York City.

The festival was founded by Arab, Arab American and American artists, curators and cultural operators. Namely, artistic director and curator Adham Hafez, urbanist Adam Kucharski, senior producer Cindy Sibilsky, and cultural manager Marwa Seoudi.

This year, NYAF is programming events in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. It invites an array of pioneering artists, designers, thinkers and industrialists including Felukah, Samar Haddad King, Leyya Mona Tawil, Jadd Tank, Nora Alami, Ahaad Alamoudy, Obaid Al Safi, Adam Elsayigh, Sarah Aziza, Jenna Hamed, DJ Nadia, and many more.

NYAF 2023 includes partnerships and support from La Mama ETC, World Music Institute, Nublu, MBC Studios, Arab Film and Media Institute, Brooklyn Arts Council, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Movement Research, Onassis Foundation, McNally Jackson, Yaa Samar Dance Theater, Brooklyn Maqam, Cairography, Critical Correspondences, Cafe Kitsune, Zooba, The Opening Gallery, and others.

NYAF 2023 runs from April 7- May 17, 2023. Audiences are invited to discover and engage with the art and culture of Arab and Arab Americans across all creative disciplines and from all backgrounds in the Arab diaspora. The festival kicks off on Friday, April 7, with an energetic concert at NuBlu in partnership with World Music Institute as part of their "Let's Dance" series. It features a live set from Egyptian genre-bending neo-soul rap artist Felukah with DJ Nadia & DJ meëraj spinning beloved New York and Arab dance tunes.