Middle Eastern & SWANA Community Events in NYC

Meetups, gatherings, and the low-key nights where you actually meet your people — community is the whole point. Here's where Middle Eastern, North African, and SWANA New York is coming together, updated every week.

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41 events

Arabic Language Classes – Fall 2026 (Algarabía Language Co-op)

OCT 3 → DEC 10

Workshop · Community

Arabic Language Classes – Fall 2026 (Algarabía Language Co-op)

The People's Forum (in-person) and Virtual, Hell's Kitchen

Various times (Sat in-person 12:30 PM–3:00 PM; Tue/Thu evening 6:30–9 PM; Sun virtual 10 AM–3 PM)

Tickets at $300–$400 sliding scale (10 weeks)

Body Language

OCT 12 → OCT 13

Art · Theater · Community

Body Language

The Tank, Midtown

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Tickets at $33 – $58

Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund

Literature · Politics · Community

Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Midtown

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Sitti's House Turns Two: Anniversary Open House

Food · Community · Party

Sitti's House Turns Two: Anniversary Open House

Bat Haus, Brooklyn Heights

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Clarissa Bitar Vinyl Listening Party with Trans Music Archive, MIRA MIRA

Music · LGBTQ+ · Community

Clarissa Bitar Vinyl Listening Party with Trans Music Archive, MIRA MIRA

Public Records, Williamsburg

Waiting for Lefty

OCT 15 → NOV 22

Theater · Politics · Community

Waiting for Lefty

Lynn F. Angelson Theater, East Village

Varies by performance

Poetry Circle: The Conference of the Birds

OCT 15 → NOV 12

Literature · Spirituality · Community

Poetry Circle: The Conference of the Birds

Qahwah House - Broadway, Upper West Side

Sounds of Cyprus Presents Dialects | The Greek, Turkish, and Arabic Experience

Music · Art · Community

Sounds of Cyprus Presents Dialects | The Greek, Turkish, and Arabic Experience

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), Event Center, Midtown

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Friday Night Hafla

Music · Dance · Community

Friday Night Hafla

Open Jar Studios, 1601 Broadway, 11th floor, NYC, Midtown

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Tickets at $25 – $35

Guillaume Toumanian's "Inwardness"

OCT 17 → NOV 4

Art · Community

Guillaume Toumanian's "Inwardness"

529 Arts, 529 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011, Chelsea

11:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Milk & Honey Gatherings | Fall '26

Food · Community · Wellness

Milk & Honey Gatherings | Fall '26

not specified on page, not specified on page

HERE WHERE WE LIVE IS OUR COUNTRY

Music · Literature · Community

HERE WHERE WE LIVE IS OUR COUNTRY

Barzakh Cafe, Bed-Stuy

8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Tickets at $11.46

NYC Fall Bazaar Hosted by Malik Made

Music · Food · Art

NYC Fall Bazaar Hosted by Malik Made

178 Bleecker Street, West Village

12:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Omar Dewachi - Death of the Clinic

Literature · Politics · Community

Omar Dewachi - Death of the Clinic

Schermerhorn Extension (Room 457), Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, Midtown

6:10 PM – 7:10 PM

'Songs of the Fedayeen' with the Brooklyn Nomads

Music · Community

'Songs of the Fedayeen' with the Brooklyn Nomads

Jalopy Theatre, Brooklyn Heights

7:30 - 10:00 PM

Tickets at $15-35

2026 AMEJA Awards

Politics · Community · Fundraiser

2026 AMEJA Awards

Atolye Venue & Bar , Park Slope

6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Tickets at $24.85 – $250

Our Century: Spiraling Paths Through Armenian Cinema

OCT 23 → OCT 25

Cinema · Community

Our Century: Spiraling Paths Through Armenian Cinema

Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue (at East 70th Street), New York, NY 10021, Upper East Side

Moroccothon

Workshop · Community

Moroccothon

One Penn Plaza, Manhattan

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

baklava social club

Party · Community · Food

baklava social club

4:00pm – 9:00pm

Al-Bait Baitkom Open Mic

Music · Art · Comedy

Al-Bait Baitkom Open Mic

The People’s Forum, Manhattan

6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

Tickets at $15 – $22

YALLAWEEN!

OCT 24 → OCT 25

Party · Dance · Community

YALLAWEEN!

The Deep End, Williamsburg

Tickets at $17.85

MAS Youth Center 25th Anniversary Gala

MAS Youth Center 25th Anniversary Gala

MAS Youth Center, Bensonhurst

Tickets at $100

ARS TSIRAN x ARMADI TSAYN

Music · Dance · Community

ARS TSIRAN x ARMADI TSAYN

DROM, Lower East Side

YA MASKHARA! يا مسخرة! A SWANA Masquerade

Party · LGBTQ+ · Community

YA MASKHARA! يا مسخرة! A SWANA Masquerade

6:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Eat Offbeat: Yemeni Cuisine Dinner + Cooking Demo

Food · Workshop · Community

Eat Offbeat: Yemeni Cuisine Dinner + Cooking Demo

Atelier Jolie Cafe, NoMad

6:15 PM – 9:15 PM

Tickets at $141

Who Killed Alex Odeh?

OCT 30 → NOV 1

Cinema · Politics · Community

Who Killed Alex Odeh?

Quad Cinema, Greenwich Village

Plant Ecologies and Migration

Art · Workshop · Community

Plant Ecologies and Migration

Residency Unlimited, Brooklyn Heights

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

From Disability Justice to Decolonization: Delayed-Death, Disabled Life, and Genocide in Gaza

Politics · Community

From Disability Justice to Decolonization: Delayed-Death, Disabled Life, and Genocide in Gaza

Scheps Library, Room 457, Department of Anthropology, Schermerhorn Extension, Upper West Side

6:10 PM – 7:30 PM

ArteEast 23rd Anniversary Benefit

Art · Community · Fundraiser

ArteEast 23rd Anniversary Benefit

100 Sutton Street, Greenpoint

6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Tickets at $85 – $5000

What We Carry – A Palestinian Music & Storytelling Tour (NYC)

Music · Politics · Community

What We Carry – A Palestinian Music & Storytelling Tour (NYC)

TBA (New York City), Manhattan

Tickets at $100

What We Carry: Palestinian Music & Storytelling Tour – New York City

Music · Politics · Community

What We Carry: Palestinian Music & Storytelling Tour – New York City

TBA (New York City), Midtown

Kutlughan Soyubol – What Is the Soul?

Community · Literature

Kutlughan Soyubol – What Is the Soul?

Fayerweather Hall (Room 513), Columbia University, Harlem

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Friday Night Hafla

Music · Dance · Community

Friday Night Hafla

Open Jar Studios, 1601 Broadway, 11th floor, NYC, Midtown

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Tickets at $25 – $35

Lilit Pipoyan Live in New York City

Music · Community

Lilit Pipoyan Live in New York City

OPERA America's National Opera Center, Chelsea

7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Boutique du Levant

Art · Shopping · Community

Boutique du Levant

873 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, Union Square

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Tickets at $10 – $30

New York Muslim Film Festival – Tickets/Donate

Cinema · Community

New York Muslim Film Festival – Tickets/Donate

not specified on page, Chelsea

Global Liberation Film Series

Cinema · Politics · Community

Global Liberation Film Series

Studio Sabek, Crown Heights

6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

FREE World Cup Watch Party at Pier 86 | Qatar vs Switzerland

Community · Sport · Party

FREE World Cup Watch Party at Pier 86 | Qatar vs Switzerland

Pier 86 at Hudson River Park, Hell's Kitchen

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Palestine, Ecocide, and Interspecies Liberation Symposium

Community · Cinema · Politics

Palestine, Ecocide, and Interspecies Liberation Symposium

cinema antiplastique, DUMBO

3:00 PM (June 7)

PRINT-MAKING OPEN STUDIO w/ DANIEL + FRANCESCA

Art · Workshop · Community

PRINT-MAKING OPEN STUDIO w/ DANIEL + FRANCESCA

The People's Forum, Hell's Kitchen

Arabic Singing Workshop with Hadi Eldebek | April 2026

Music · Workshop · Community

Arabic Singing Workshop with Hadi Eldebek | April 2026

The People's Forum, Hell's Kitchen

Frequently asked

Where can I find middle eastern & swana community events in NYC?: menna maintains a live, weekly-updated list of middle eastern & swana community events across all five boroughs at itsmenna.com/events/community/ — including venue, date, price, and neighborhood for each event.
What kind of middle eastern & swana community events does menna list?: The listings span concerts, festivals, film screenings, food events, community gatherings, and nightlife. Filter or browse by category, neighborhood, or date on the main events page.
How often does the list refresh?: New events are added continuously by menna's team plus an automated scraper that watches Luma, Eventbrite, and dozens of NYC venue calendars. The public site rebuilds daily.