10 years of Ons Heemecht - 1 big musical celebration

Two days, dozens of artists, countless flavours, rhythms, stories, and smiles. Ons Heemecht is celebrating an entire decade of bringing people together, and they’re doing it the way they know best: with music, culture, and one big festive weekend you won’t want to miss with a festival entitled “Stëmmen aus dem Heemechten”, (voices from the homeland).

A brief history For anyone new to the organisation, Ons Heemecht started back in October 2015 as a warm-hearted response to the arrival of many refugees in Luxembourg. Their mission is a simple one: to build bridges between cultures through artistic expression. With Serge Tonnar as President, ten years later they’ve become a vibrant hub where communities meet, learn, sing, dance, and create together. It’s only fitting that their 10-year anniversary is celebrated with a festival bursting with intercultural energy.

So what’s going on and who's in the line-up?

Friday, 19 December - Opening night magic

The festivities kick off at Banannefabrik with a cozy Intercultural Happy Hour at 6pm. With global snacks, shared laughs, and the start of something special.

At 7:15pm, the official welcome sets the tone, followed at 7:30pm by a unique musical journey featuring artists from Luxembourg and across the globe — Burundi, Türkiye, Senegal, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, and more. Expect soulful recitals, unexpected collaborations, and an intercultural jam session where anything can happen. Voices meet, sounds collide, and everyone is invited into the moment.

Saturday 20 December 2 — A celebration for everyone

Saturday is all about connection, discovery, and joyful togetherness!

• 3pm – Ethiopian coffee and cake ceremony Start the afternoon with warmth, literally and figuratively, through this treasured ritual of hospitality.

• 3:30pm – Ukrainian choir and Kannerchouer Bouneweg Children’s voices, traditional melodies, and harmonies directed by Olena Afanasyeva and Claudine Schott. It’s uplifting, touching, and full of emotions.

  
  

• 5pm – Ukrainian dances by Yuri Skobel The Beregyni Folk Dance Company brings colour, movement, and tradition to the stage.

• 6pm – Circle singing with Nicolas Billeux

  A collective musical experience where every voice belongs.

• 7pm – Percussion workshop with Amit Dhuri

  Feel the beat, move with the rhythm, and maybe even reach a little trance.

• 8pm – Choraoke

  Karaoke… but with a live band and a choir. Yes, it’s as fun as it sounds.

• 9pm – Dance with DJ SaQi

  Wrap up the night on the dance floor — from world beats to pure party energy.

A line-up as diverse as the stories behind It

This anniversary brings together an extraordinary group of artists, resident in Luxembourg, from around the world. Here are just some of them:

Ignaz Cholet, piano (Burundi)

Bora Demiraslan, piano and tuba (Türkiye)

Armel Sebio, electric guitar (Senegal)

Ahed Kiwan, violin (Syria)

Omid Ghafori, harmonium (Afghanistan)

Uzair Farooq, guitar (Pakistan)

Tohid Tohidi, singer/songwriter (Iran/Luxembourg)

Mehdi Tebyanian, drum and daf (Iran/Luxembourg)

Olena Afanasyeva, singer (Ukraine)

And many more!

When, where, and register now!

The festival takes place on Friday 19 (from 6pm) and Saturday 20 (from 3pm) December at Ons Heemecht HQ - Banannefabrik, located at: 12 rue du Puits, L-2355 Luxembourg.

Entrance is totally free and everyone is welcome but you need to register in advance. Just send an email to: umellen@onsheemecht.lu

Whether you come for the music, the culture, the flavours, or simply to be part of something meaningful, this anniversary weekend is your chance to experience what Ons Heemecht has been nurturing for a decade: a place where everyone belongs and every story matters.

Come celebrate 10 years of togetherness — and help shape the next 10

Why is scene.lu interested? You might wonder, why is scene.lu covering this? Well, sure, this site usually shines a spotlight on Luxembourg’s music scene for the world. But why not also flip the script and help to bring world music to Luxembourg’s own residents? No matter your background, culture, or nationality, great music is for everyone, and scene.lu is all for that!

Ons Heemecht do a lot more for refugees! For more information, and houw you can get involved visit the Ons Heemecht website.