WASLA Festival 2026 takes place at Expo City Dubai on Saturday 28 November.
Marcel Khalife headlines alongside Le Trio Joubran, TootArd and Fatima.
Produced by BRAG, the festival supports UNHCR’s work with displaced families across the region.
Partner Content: See Marcel Khalife, Le Trio Joubran, TootArd and Fatima at Expo City Dubai this November.
Dubai’s live music calendar has a date for Arabic music fans to save. WASLA Festival returns on Saturday 28 November 2026, with Marcel Khalife headlining a line-up that also features Le Trio Joubran, TootArd and Abu Dhabi artist Fatima. Taking place at Expo City Dubai, the event will support UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its work protecting displaced families across the region.
WASLA takes its name from the Arabic word for “connection”. Originally launched as a celebration of Arabic music, art and culture, the festival has provided a meeting point for regional artists and their audiences. Its 2026 edition develops that purpose through a collaboration with UNHCR, placing solidarity with people forced to flee their homes.
For Marcel Khalife, music and humanitarian concerns have long been intertwined. The Lebanese composer, singer and oud player formed Al Mayadeen Ensemble in 1976, helping establish a repertoire that resonated across the Arab world. His settings of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s words include enduring songs such as “Ummi”, “Rita w’al-Bunduqiya” and “Jawaz al-Safar”. Named a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2005, Khalife’s decades of work have made him a significant voice in Arabic music, with songs that connect personal longing to questions of belonging and identity.
Le Trio Joubran carries a different musical inheritance. Palestinian brothers Samir, Wissam and Adnan descend from four generations of oud makers and players, turning a shared family tradition into an internationally recognised ensemble. Their performances centre on the interplay between three ouds, with each musician contributing to an intricate instrumental conversation. Compositions such as “Masar” and “AsFar” offer an introduction to their repertoire. Through international performances and recordings, the brothers have helped introduce new audiences to the oud and to Palestinian musical expression.
The programme shifts towards the dancefloor with TootArd, formed by Syrian brothers Hasan and Rami Nakhleh from the Golan Heights. Their music has evolved from desert blues into a sound that combines Arabic melodic traditions with synthesisers, disco and funk. The album Migrant Birds is a useful starting point, with tracks including “Moonlight” and “Wanderlust” illustrating that approach. Drawing on the legacy of musicians who introduced electronic instruments into Arabic music, the brothers explore migration and freedom through music made for movement.
Representing the UAE’s contemporary music scene is Fatima, formerly known as FAFA. The Abu Dhabi artist draws on her Emirati and Honduran heritage, weaving R&B and soul with Arabian jazz influences. Her work focuses on self-worth, healing and finding peace within, giving the festival a more personal perspective on its wider themes. Tracks to discover include “LCS”, which examines accountability in relationships, and “Kisha (Dancin)”, a celebration of self-empowerment. Her project The Veiled Essence develops those ideas through songs about shedding the emotional burdens that can obscure a sense of self.
FACT is a media partner for the festival.
Where: Expo City Dubai, Al Wasl Avenue, Madinat Al Mataar, Dubai South
When: Saturday, 28 November 2026
Contact: http://platinumlist.net