Hubb Festival

The Draper Residents Association presents a one-day, free, summer festival celebrating Arabic art and culture in the Elephant & Castle neighbourhood.

Hubb is translated from Arabic as 'The Love' and with this theme, the DRA aims to encourage intercultural understanding between the diverse community of 400 residents on the estate and the wider neighbourhood by recognising the rich contribution the music, dance, art and food of the Arabic world makes to our community and across the world.

The band 47SOUL will be headlining the festival.

Fresh from appearing at the Glastonbury Festival, 47SOUL combine Debka, the traditional Palestinian street music and dance with electronic beats mixed with sounds of the Middle East, from Iraqi Choubi to Mijwez. Their lyrics, are in Arabic and English and focus on celebration, freedom and the struggle for equality.

Hubb Festival will have a Bedouin-styled tent at its heart, pitched on the Draper Green Triangle and guests will be able to try mint tea and Arabic sweets.

There will be live Arabic calligraphy demonstrations and workshops, henna hand painting, Arabian Nights storytelling by Elias Mattar, Egyptian Baladi dancing and traditional Oud playing from the Taqasim Music School.

Stalls in the 'souk' will include Alef Bookstores with its Arabic and bilingual books and Hiba Express will host a Lebanese street-food stall.

For the children there will be exotic animal handling from ZooLab who have worked in primary schools in the area helping young people have 'innovative, sensory experiences' with animals from across the globe.