The festival originally began in Australia and the UK in 1998, and is now celebrated across Europe every year. It forms part of a global movement whose aim is to highlight the contributions, creativity, and resilience of refugees through arts, community, cultural activities, and social events. It aims to create spaces for us to connect beyond labels and inspire a culture of care amongst people seeking sanctuary who live in Malta and Gozo.

The theme for this year’s festival is Compassion and the celebration of our ability to put compassion into action.

The producers, Dance Beyond Borders, are adopting a grass roots approach to develop such a large scale event, collaborating with various organisations, to nourish a more holistic community. 

As part of the festival’s programmes, Friends of the Earth Malta will be hosting ‘Rooting Kinship’, a herb growing workshop followed by a potluck vegetarian BBQ.  Attendees must bring any vegetarian dish or drink to share.