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Archived Event: Welcome Home Festival!

This event has already taken place, and is shown here for information only.

Date: 23 Jun 2024

Time: 14:00-18:00

Venue: Chaul End Community Centre, 515 Dunstable Rd, Luton, LU4 8QN (free parking available)

Luton is a proud place of sanctuary and welcome. Celebrate Refugee Week with us at the Welcome Home Festival! 

A day filled with great company, delicious food, music, performances and much more.

This event is for everyone! All ages welcome, entry and all activities are free of charge!

Travel Support

If you are currently seeking asylum and live in Luton please email [email protected]  to arrange support with travel costs to attend the festival. The budget is limited but we will provide as much support as possible.

What’s happening…

This event will take place outdoors, the weather is forecasted to be 24c and sunny, please wear appropriate clothing and sunscreen!

For kids

Parents/guardians must supervise children during all activities 

  • Bouncy castles
  • Face painting / Glitter tattoos
  • Nurse Dessie storytelling
  • Arts and craft activities (t-shirt / totebag decorating and other activities)
  • Friendship bracelet making

For everyone

  • Exhibition of traditional clothing and embroidery created by Ukrainian artists
  • Messages of welcome from local school children
  • Cheer on teams taking part in the Luton Refugee Week Football tournament
  • Enjoy a specially curated playlist with traditional music from around the world!
  • Conversation Club – English Language taster sessions

Food & Drink

Visit our World Cafe and enjoy some good home-cooking!  A delicious tasting menu (small dishes to try), lovingly prepared by expert cooks from refugee communities in Luton.

Flavours from:

  • Ethiopia
  • Eritrea
  • Honduras
  • Sudan
  • Ukraine

Programme

12:30-15:00 Luton Refugee Week Football Tournament, managed by Luton Town FC Community Trust (teams pre-arranged, spectators only)

14:00-15:00 World Cafe is open! Come and try some delicious food and drink. Service will stop for the performance at 15:00.

14:00-16:00 Glitter tattoos and face painting 

14:15 every 30 minutes until 17:45 English Language Conversation Club with Oasis Drop-in. Learning English can be fun! Laugh your way to learning or improving your English, make new friends at our taster sessions.

14:30 and 15:30 Meet Nurse Dessie and enjoy Windrush storytelling from Mary Seacole Housing Association Luton

15:00-16:30 A variety of performances from Sanctuary Got Talents – supporting and showcasing the talents and skills of people seeking sanctuary in Leeds, West Yorkshire and the UK. (X / TikTok)

16:30-18:00 World Cafe is open again! Come and try some delicious food and drink.