A new festival which celebrates Muslim art and culture is coming to Manchester this summer.

The Salaam Festival will take place between 20 to 25 July at various venues across the city.

The festival will explore the 'future of Muslim art and culture' through a programme of events and international collaborations.

The five-day line-up includes a range of performances from artists including Yazz Ahmed and Kamaal Williams, as well as Grammy-award winning artist Arooj Aftab. The festival will also showcase five ‘New Works’, including an immersive opening ceremony titled ‘Mehfil’.

This festival will debut  new commissions, including a brand new composition based on poet Mohammed Iqbal’s work and an installation by Jameel Prize nominated artist Sofia Karim.

It will also feature five nights of music at venues across the city centre, free programming in the ‘Medina’ – the festival hub, and a series of daily conversations called ‘Sohbet’.

Rizwan Iqbal, Artistic Director, Salaam Festival said: “This is a landmark occasion in our multicultural city. In order to change the way we engage, experience and interpret art, it is important to be seen and heard through producing relevant and high quality work”.

Highlights

Mehfil

Manchester Central - GMEX, Manchester, M2 3GX - Wed 20th July 2022 6:30PM

Salaam Festival opens with Mehfil, a feast for the senses inviting 500 guests to experience a gathering rooted in the festivals exploration of Muslim arts and culture - past, present and future.

Artistic directors Jean-Hervé Vidal and Mehdi Ben Sheikh of Zaman Productions present to us acoustic and visual artistry in sacred forms by Noureddine Kourchid and the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus, sufi singers Deba from Meyotte and Tunisian street artist Mohamed Koumenji aka Koom.  Complimenting the performances, award-winning chef Anissa Hellou will treat guests to a sumptuous Moroccan-inspired multi-course meal.

Sanam Marvi X Elaha Soroor & Kefaya

02 Ritz - 21 July 2022 (Doors open at 19:00)

An opening night of music features one of the finest performers of sufi, ghazal and folk music from Pakistan. Sanam Marvi transcends the ordinary, drawing listeners from outside of the cultural world of the South Asian sufi saints into a universal soundscape through her melodious voice.

The evening will start with the UK’s own award-winning Afghan star, vocalist Elaha Soroor with the music collective Kefaya

Arooj Aftab X Somi

Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, M3 1SX - Mon 25th July 2022 7:30PM

See the Grammy award winning artist, Arooj Aftab and Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist, Somi, perform live on the closing night of the festival. 

The music of Aftab floats within several liminal spaces you might not have imagined—between New Age and classical minimalism, between Sufi devotional poetry and electronic trance, between singer-songwriter structure and states of pure being. We are thrilled she is joining us in the beautiful and ethereal setting of Manchester Cathedral.

You can view tickets for all the events by clicking here