The Palestinian Forum in Britain launches its 21st festival: Heritage, arts and a relief appeal for Gaza

The Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) will hold the 21st edition of its annual Palestine Festival in London on Saturday 28 November 2026. The festival this year places an emergency winter relief appeal for Gaza at the centre of its programme.

The next day, Sunday 29 November, the festival’s third Scottish edition will take place in Glasgow. Both dates coincide with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

The festival brings together two aims. The first is preserving Palestinian identity and reviving heritage among the community in Britain. The second is solidarity with Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine. The programme includes artistic and heritage performances, awards for organisations and initiatives that support Palestine, and a fundraising drive for relief in Gaza.

Why is Gaza relief at the heart of this year’s festival?

The festival’s main segment is dedicated to raising donations for the people of the Gaza Strip and delivering emergency aid through trusted charities. It comes as winter sets in. Rain and storms have flooded thousands of tents sheltering displaced families, and the siege continues.

The Forum had already launched a winter relief campaign with the charity Action For Humanity. The charity works inside the Strip through its field team and its own distribution network. According to the Forum, the campaign provided the following within two weeks:

•  960 tents, with a further 1,040 tents being distributed this week
•  960 blankets for 480 families, along with winter kits
•  3,000 hot meals a day
•  3,000 loaves of bread a day

The Forum says donations are welcome now and are not limited to the day of the festival. Click here to donate .

The suggested amounts are:

• £60 for a basic winter kit for one family
• £95 for an enhanced winter kit with tent insulation and heating support
•  £200 for heating and protection for three families

Who is being honoured in London?

The London edition will honour several organisations and initiatives for their work for the Palestinian cause, their service to Palestinians and their support for Palestinian steadfastness.

Health Workers for Palestine, represented by Dr. Amira Nimerawi, is recognised for mobilising the health sector in defence of Gaza and its medical staff.

The Palestine group in the Green Party, represented by Lubna Speitan, is recognised for carrying the Palestinian cause into British political life.

PalMed Academy is part of the Palestinian Doctors in Europe network. It is recognised for teaching medical students in Gaza remotely. The project was started mainly from Britain.

The Palestinian Youth Movement is recognised for the activism of its young members and their continuous work for Palestine.

Architects for Gaza is represented by Dr. Nasser Golzari and Dr. Yara Sharif. The group brings together volunteer architects, designers, planners, engineers and researchers from Palestine and around the world. It is recognised for its research, design and education work towards rebuilding Gaza and healing its cities and land. That work puts local people and local expertise at the centre of recovery and reconstruction.

What place do Gaza’s students have in the programme?

A dedicated segment will honour students from the Gaza Strip who have been studying in Britain and have completed their degrees, most of them with distinction. Those attending will go on stage to receive certificates of recognition. The organisers describe this as a symbolic gesture celebrating their determination to pursue education despite the war, bereavement and separation from their families.

What will visitors see and hear?

The festival will feature a varied artistic programme celebrating Palestinian heritage and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The line-up will bring together music, traditional dance and theatre, with performances by:

• Rapper Lowkey, performing songs with national and resistance themes.
• Singer Waheeb Nasan, presenting a selection of songs celebrating Palestine and its heritage.
• Watar, a musical duo comprising two young Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, Usaid Maher and Islam Shaaban.
• The Jafra Dabke Troupe, performing traditional Palestinian dabke.
• The Fatafeet Troupe, presenting a theatrical performance inspired by the Palestinian cause.

The programme will also feature an exhibition of Palestinian heritage objects and artefacts, offering visitors a glimpse of the culture and traditions of Palestine.

What message does the Forum want to send?

Adnan Hmidan, head of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, said the festival “carries a double message this year: that we preserve our identity and heritage here in Britain, and that we stand in practical terms with our people in Gaza, who are facing winter in flooded tents, under a siege that has not stopped.”

“We want everyone who attends the festival to leave having contributed something real,” he added. “That is why we have dedicated the main segment to donations, and we are working with an organisation that is on the ground in Gaza, so that help reaches families within a short time.”

Hmidan said this year’s awards were “a message of thanks to those who have stood with Palestine from the heart of Britain: the doctors, the architects, the politicians and the young people.” He said honouring Gaza’s students who graduated with distinction “despite everything their families and their country have been through is the most beautiful thing we offer at this festival, for these students are the image of a Gaza that does not break.”

He called on Arabs and Muslims in Britain, and on all those in solidarity with Palestine, to take part in large numbers and to bring their families and children, “so that the new generation stays connected to Palestine, its heritage and its cause.”

How long has the festival been running, and how can you attend?

The PFB is a community organisation. It serves the Palestinian community in the UK, works to preserve that community’s identity and supports the Palestinian cause.

The Palestine Festival has been held in London every year for 21 years. It has been held in Scotland for three years: the first two editions took place in Edinburgh, and this year it moves to Glasgow for the first time.

In London, doors open at 1pm and close at 7pm on Saturday 28 November, with the official programme starting at 3pm.

Timings and venue details for the Glasgow edition on Sunday 29 November are available on the Forum’s website.

Tickets for both events can be bought through the Forum’s official site.