The NAWA FESTIVAL explores the intersections between various contemporary musical genres and art forms through innovative formats. Its geographical focus is on the art scenes of North Africa and West Asia. NAWA stands for North Africa & West Asia, and in Arabic and Persian, the word also means song, melody, and sound, among other things.
The festival is scheduled to take place once a year in Vienna; the third edition of the NAWA FESTIVAL is set to take place from June 18 to 21, 2026, at Porgy & Bess & Theater Spektakel. With its geographical focus and interdisciplinary orientation, it fills a gap in Vienna’s arts and culture scene. While it is not the first festival in Austria with such a regional focus, it is the only one in which both music and film are given equal prominence and recognized accordingly.
Musicians with immigrant backgrounds are often viewed as exotic in Europe, and their art is often dismissed as frivolous. The Nawa Festival, however, believes that contemporary art is an integral part of every culture and strives to empower contemporary artists from the Nawa region through the festival.
The nawa Festival is not a world music festival. It is a festival that showcases the diversity and inclusivity of contemporary music. Its aim is to present and celebrate the breadth and diversity of contemporary musical styles without limiting itself to traditional genres or geographical boundaries. We believe that music is a universal language that connects people from different cultures and backgrounds, and the Nawa Festival is a platform that fosters and celebrates this connection.
The Nawa Festival’s music program is characterized by its diversity and its focus on highly skilled musicians from the Nawa regions. We place special emphasis on including people of different genders, cultural backgrounds, age groups, and people with disabilities in our program.
The musical program will feature a fascinating blend of the diverse timbres, microtonal melodies, and complex rhythms of the Nawa regions, combined with elements of jazz and contemporary European music. This creative fusion promises a unique and inspiring auditory experience for the audience. For example, instruments such as the kamanche, the qanun, and the oud from the Nawa regions will add new sonic dimensions.
Each year, the NAWA Orchestra will be assembled to foster teamwork through a diverse lineup. We will perform compositions by artists from the Nawa region, and Mahan Mirarab will also arrange eight pieces composed by the festival’s main participants. This collaboration offers a unique opportunity to bring together the cultural diversity and musical expertise of the participants. The joint rehearsals and performances not only foster musical skill but also strengthen intercultural exchange and mutual understanding.
As every year, the festival will conclude with a concert by the NAWA Orchestra—a powerful expression of the festival’s vision as a platform for diversity, collaboration, and cultural exchange.