Through the co-creation of The Festival of Freedom, Peace and Unity, The Art House will invite its local communities, especially those with lived experience of forced displacement and conflict, to come together to explore what freedom for everyone means today, through art and creativity, storytelling and sharing, food and music.

Celebrating resilience, hope, and unity, the festival will be shaped by a series of informal and welcoming workshops. From collaborative textile-making – taking inspiration from the Studio of Sanctuary community group members who meet every week to explore stitch and embroidery – and sharing food, recipes and stories of home and family, the Festival of Freedom, Peace and Unity will be unmistakably distinctive to its place and will celebrate the blend of traditions, languages, crafts, and stories that have found a home in Wakefield.