Refugee Festival Scotland’s anniversary 2025 programme is out now with over 150 events taking place across Scotland.

Everyone is invited to join this Scotland-wide celebration of art, culture and community. This year’s festival runs from 13-22 June – across ten days you can expect over 150 mostly free events and celebrations to take place!

Take a look at the programme listings to find out what’s on near you.

Refugee Festival Scotland 2025 is a particularly special edition, marking 25 years since the Festival started and Scottish Refugee Council’s 40th anniversary. This year’s theme, MILESTONES, is an invitation to celebrate milestones in communities across Scotland, as we commemorate decades of cultural enrichment, renewal and welcome, made possible through providing sanctuary in Scotland.

Scottish Refugee Council Chief Executive, Sabir Zazai said: “When we celebrate Refugee Festival Scotland, we don’t just share stories  but we build bridges and bonds. In the face  of divisions, we chose unity. We remind the world that refugees are people like all of us. People with hopes, dreams, aspirations and families looking to rebuild their lives in safety and dignity. 

Refugees bring along with them opportunities, unique gifts and talents to strengthen communities with resilience, hope and humanity. This festival isn’t just an event, it is a statement and one that says we stand together, that Scotland will continue to extend a hand of friendship to those seeking sanctuary but also allow people the opportunity to thrive and realise their ambitions.” 

A Festival For everyone

Refugee Festival Scotland offers a vibrant mix of events for all tastes—from community feasts and traditional dance to listening events, choir performances, football tournaments, and exclusive screenings featuring acclaimed, award-winning filmmakers.

The Festival brings together people from a whole range of backgrounds and cultures, creating a space for people to connect, share, and celebrate. It’s a chance for everyone to enjoy and explore the music, dance, food, art, languages, and stories that asylum seekers and refugees contribute to life in Scotland.

Refugee Festival Scotland Manager, Mónica Laiseca said: “The programme is interwoven with memories, heritage, personal and collective legacies, as well as glimpses into the future. Events span mural painting, textile making, exhibitions, radio shows, walking tours, poetry, musical theatre, film, cooking, outdoor gatherings, school activities, sports, and so much more. At a time when conflict is more prominent across the globe, including close to home, yet migration is under scrutiny, the Festival’s vibrant array of arts and cultural activities show thriving communities at their best, making visible a movement of welcome across the breadth of Scotland.”

This year’s festival programme is one of our biggest and best yet. See what’s happening near you.

Here are just a few highlights: 

Building Solidarity & Kinship programme of 5 events is curated by Esraa Husain and it will be delivered between the Highlands and the Central Belt, and includes one online event that can be access from anywhere in Scotland and beyond. It explores themes connected to finding refuge, wellbeing and establishing a sense of belonging via literary readings, performances and film screenings. Join us on the 19th of June for an unforgettable evening featuring local poets and spoken word artists at the Listen Gallery in Glasgow, followed by a panel discussion and a tasty community meal.

Horses, Home & Heritage: A Day of Connection, Lamberton: Eat, Sleep, Ride is hosting a unique and relaxed event that helps refugee families connect with horses in the beautiful setting of Lamberton. Attendees can meet and stroke horses, share stories, and enjoy a barbecue around a welcoming fire. This event focuses on fostering belonging and shared experiences through nature, building connections and community.

Coffee and stories: Eritrean Coffee Ceremony / ቡና እና ታሪኽታት: ኤርትራዊ ቡና ስርኣት, Glasgow: Everyone is invited to come to an Eritrean Coffee Ceremony! This will be led by members of the UNESCO Chair, in a friendly and inclusive gathering where people will share stories and freshly brewed coffee. The event will explore the coffee ceremony as a place of peace, of support and community, as a way to connect to one another and to learn from each other’s cultural practices.

World Refugee Day Cup – Football Tournament, Dundee: Come join us for the first-ever intercity Refugee and Asylum Seeker Football Tournament in Dundee, celebrating World Refugee Day! This event will bring together teams from across Glasgow and the Tayside area – for a day of unity, inclusion, and fun. Come join the celebration at Change Centre Dundee’s football pitches where there’ll be free food and a buzzing atmosphere. Support the teams, meet new people, share a meal! No need to book – just turn up!

LIVE IN ART, Glasgow: This will be a collaborative exhibition showcasing the work of displaced artists from Ukraine, Iran, Vietnam, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, united in their exploration of resilience through contemporary art. Curated by multidisciplinary artist and cultural activist Syeda Sadaf Zaidi, the project is the culmination of a two-month creative residency at Common Ground. If you’re interested in visual art and the role of creativity in rebuilding lives, don’t miss this exhibition. 

Take a look at the full festival programme to see what events are taking place across Scotland

Image credit: Syeda Sadaf Zaidi: The voices of displaced artists are expressed through calligraphy and color, reflecting resilience, cultural memory, and the power of creativity to rebuild and connect.

Refugee Festival Scotland 2025 is made possible with support from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Glasgow City Heritage Trust, and Flutter UKIs Cash4Clubs programme (delivered in partnership with Sported). Many thanks to all our generous funders.