A unique opportunity to experience Arab culture during a three-day festival in Espoo
Espoo Cultural Centre will host a rich cultural offering when the Arab Cultural Festival brings together organisations and participants across cultural boundaries in Tapiola between 20 and 22 August 2026. The programme includes music, dance, art, literature, workshops, children’s programmes and contents introducing the cultural traditions of different countries.
According to Mania Al Khatib, Executive Director of the Finland-Syria Friendship Association, this is the first Arab cultural festival organised on this scale and with this concept. The Finland-Syria Friendship Society and various actors have previously organised individual events related to Arab culture in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
“The Finland-Syria Friendship Society was founded in 2010, and it has provided Arabic-language advice, service coordination and group activities for ten years. Through our activities, we have identified a need for an event that strengthens inclusion, increases encounters between different population groups and makes Arab culture a visible part of the diverse cultural life in Espoo.”
Mania says that Espoo Cultural Centre has proved to be a natural venue for the festival because of its good location, accessibility and strong cultural profile. Read more about Espoo Cultural Centre.
A window to the Arab culture
The Arab Cultural Festival begins on Thursday 20 August with an event for invited guests. The programme for Friday 21 August is organised in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco and Suomen Marokkolaisten Liitto (Association of Moroccans in Finland). The programme features a panel discussion, a Moroccan kaftan workshop, and Moroccan music and folk dance, among other things.
On Saturday 22 August, the programme includes a cultural bazaar, a puppet theatre performance, a comedy monologue, a panel discussion, a Yemeni folk dance performance, the Haneen Suomi choir (in the photo), the Watan Dabke folk dance group and the Eastern Melodies orchestra. In the craft workshop, visitors can design their own canvas bag inspired by Arabic art. A discussion on Arab culture in modern theatre and arts will be organised in cooperation with & Espoo Theatre.
During the festival, there will be food stalls offering Arab food at the Kulttuuriaukio square and an exhibition entitled Suuntana Lähi-itä (Towards the Middle East), organised in cooperation by the Tapiola Camera Club and the Finnish-Arabic Society, at the Cultural Centre from 5 to 22 August.
For more detailed information, visit the website of the Finland-Syria Friendship Association (link in Finnish)(external link, opens in a new window).
The festival has free admission.
A significant language group in Espoo
The festival is based on a strong belief that culture is a common language uniting people and promoting understanding and dialogue between communities.
“Speakers of Arabic now make up a significant part of Espoo’s population, and the festival aims to strengthen their inclusion while also offering all Espoo residents an opportunity to learn about Arab culture in an open and communal environment. We hope that in the future, we will be able to organise a festival where Finnish and Arab culture meet in the same programme, but you have to start somewhere,” Mania says.
Arabic is spoken as their mother tongue by the second largest group of foreign-language speakers in Espoo. The city is home to about 6,500 Arabic speakers. (Statistics Finland 2025)
Leena Hoppanen, Manager of Cultural Services at Espoo’s Cultural Venues and Services, welcomes all Espoo residents to join the festival. People from further away are also welcome, of course.
“With this event, we want to open a window to the rich Arab culture. Its diverse shades will help us understand each other’s thoughts and customs. The event is a meeting place for everyone, as Espoo is everyone’s home.”