Refugees & People Seeking Asylum
Creative projects and practical support for refugees and People Seeking Asylum.
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Refugee Week 2025 – what’s happening at the Playhouse?
11 Jun 2025
The theme for this year’s Refugee Week is ‘Community as a Superpower’.
For us, community is everything, and our superpower is… togetherness.
As the world’s first Theatre of Sanctuary, we are committed to being a place of safety, hospitality and support for refugees and people seeking asylum.
This week we’re coming together to share stories, sing joyously, enjoy chilled film nights, and have a chat at a Mega Conversation Cafe.
Refugee Week events at the Playhouse
- Monday 16 June, 6-9pm: Leeds City of Sanctuary Network film screening night
- Tuesday 17 June, 11am-12.30pm: Mega Conversation Café
- Wednesday 18 June, 5-5.30pm: Hearts Youth Group (supported by The Children’s Society) sharing & film night
- Thursday 19 June, 1.30-2pm: Solace Music Therapy Group sharing
- Friday 20 June, 1-2.30pm: Asmarina Voice & Playing Me sessions
Throughout the week art is being displayed on Level 2 (Playhouse Kitchen) by Solace Art Therapy Group and the City of Sanctuary Maternity Stream.
For more information about Refugee Week 2025 at Leeds Playhouse, please email Playhouse Connect.
If you are a refugee or are seeking asylum and would like practical advice and information, please contact Leeds City Council Resettlement Team.
Refugee Week is the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
Established in 1998 in the UK, Refugee Week takes place every year around World Refugee Day (20 June) and has since grown into a global movement.
In 2025, it runs from 16-22 June. The theme for 2025 is ‘Community as a Superpower’.
Refugee Week is a community-powered festival with arts & culture at the heart. It’s an open platform with a decentralised model, which means that everyone is invited to take part and help make the festival happen. From individuals to schools, libraries, arts venues, faith groups, local councils, football clubs, and businesses, everyone is invited.
Refugee Week events and activities are all shapes and sizes and take place in all sorts of spaces. Nothing is too big or too small. Every year there’s everything from city-wide festivals to group walks, exhibitions, film screenings, museum tours, football tournaments, public talks, activities in schools and so much more!
In 2024, there were over 15,000 events and activities and over 1.6 million people took part.
By providing a platform for people who have sought sanctuary to share their experiences, perspectives and creative work on their own terms, our vision is for refugees and asylum seekers to be able to live safely within inclusive and resilient communities, where they can continue to make a valuable contribution.
Through an exciting programme of events, activities and media campaigns, Refugee Week brings together people from different backgrounds to connect beyond labels and foster a deeper understanding of why people are displaced, and the challenges they face when seeking safety.
