Tickets

SWANA Spaces · San Diego, California

Preserve the heritage by practicing it.

احمِ التراث بممارسته

Mazikaa is a space for people far from home to gather around music from Southwest Asia and North Africa: live bands, vinyl nights, a festival, and a community of musicians.

Tickets · Jan 17 → What is Mazikaa?
Next gathering حارتنا Sunday, January 17
A keyboardist performing in front of the Mazikaa sign at Mazikaa Nights
Mazikaa Nights, San Diego

Next gathering · New date

حارتنا

The Neighborhood

Weather moved us off Sunday, October 11. The full festival is back on Sunday, January 17 at The Soap Factory, with live music, a souq of vendors, food and family activities.

Already have a ticket? It carries over to January 17. You can also keep it for the next Mazikaa event of your choice, or request a refund.

Get tickets · from $10 → Follow for updates

From The Neighborhood · من حارتنا

Swipe →

Two dancers in embroidered vests flank a musician playing the nay
A drummer in an embroidered vest holding a tabl drum
A dancer in a light blue and crystal costume performing for a seated audience
Guests seated on the waterfront deck beneath the Mazikaa sign
A shawarma food truck painted with flames
A tray of fresh kunafa topped with pistachio
A vendor at the souq holding up an Arabic-print t-shirt

The souq has hosted local vendors such as Finjan Coffee, Mr. Shawarma, Kooks Kunafa and Souq Apparel, with live music and dance all day.

Why Mazikaa exists

A portal to a place that looks, sounds and tastes like home, for people living far from their motherland.

Practice ممارسة

Immersive, inclusive events that create a third space for the diaspora: not home, not work, not school, not online.

Preserve حفظ

Looking after the integrity and relevance of SWANA musical heritage through community bonds, curiosity and education.

Our spaces

Five ways to be in the room. Some happen monthly, some a couple of times a year, all built around music from the region.

Guests gathered in an outdoor circle at Mazikaa Nights

ليالي مزيكا

Mazikaa Nights

Live music from our house band, tea and coffee, desserts, card games and a library of books and records. A living room for people far from home.

Monthly
The Mazikaa sign over the waterfront deck

حارتنا

Our Neighborhood

A full-scale festival modeled on the outdoor social spaces of the region: several live lineups, a souq of vendors, food demos and henna.

Jan 17 · Tickets
A host speaking beside vinyl speakers at Sounds of SWANA

أصوات سوانا

Sounds of SWANA

Vinyl listening sessions with talks from experts. Each one follows a single decade, genre, artist or maqam.

See the room
A backgammon game in progress

ألحان مزيكا

Mazikaa Melodies

A vinyl night to unwind, recharge and connect while timeless records play in the background.

Date soon
Musicians playing together

مجلس

Musicians Majlis

A membership community for musicians of SWANA music to jam, trade ideas and meet each other.

Apply on Instagram
Guests dancing in front of the Al-Akhbar sign

الأخبار

Al-Akhbar, our house band

Maqam meets jazz. The band that was born in our rooms, available to book.

Meet the band

Listening sessions

أصوات سوانا

Sounds of SWANA

We sit down with records, projected album art and an expert in the room. One session follows one decade, genre, artist or maqam, with books to browse and time to talk.

Follow for the next one →
A host speaking beside a projector screen and vinyl speakers
A listening-room audience lounging on couches in warm light
Books of Rumi and Gibran beside a candle and clipboards
A packed room listening to a talk with an album cover on screen

1,500

Sold out

Production · Partnerships

ليلة التراث

Padres MENA Heritage Night

Our heritage night with the San Diego Padres sold out 1,500 tickets and brought the region's music and culture to a stadium crowd. It was covered by CBS 8 and ABC 10News in San Diego.

Flute and saxophone players performing
Guests dancing in front of the Al-Akhbar sign

House band · Maqam × Jazz

الأخبار

Al-Akhbar

The name means "The News" in Arabic. It was chosen to turn news from a bearer of sorrow into a messenger of celebration and togetherness.

  • Salem KhattarVocals · Oud · Nay
  • Tamir PersekianKeys
  • Naji ChaabanDrums
  • RivaSaxophone
  • Hank Lee NelsonBass
Book Al-Akhbar →

Booking: mazikaaenterprises@gmail.com

In the press

Coverage of Mazikaa and our heritage nights.

Also inKQEDMilleworld
Rooms filledSan DiegoLos AngelesSan FranciscoOaklandNew York
Worked withBaklava appSDFCSan Diego Padres