Scotland's First ESEA Festival 'Liquid Identities' to Showcase Creative Talent Across Arts Disciplines

©️Poster Designer: Dahl Palfrey

ESEA Creatives announces Liquid Identities, Scotland's first festival dedicated to showcasing Scotland-based East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) talent across creative industries. The free one-day festival will take place on Sunday, 28 September 2025, at Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, during UK ESEA Heritage Month.

The festival brings together over 30 ESEA artists working across film, visual arts, literature, music, dance and performance, exploring themes of identity, belonging and creative expression in contemporary Scotland.

"Liquid Identities is the first festival of its kind in Scotland, celebrating the creativity of East and Southeast Asian artists," says Adrian Leung, Festival Director. "The work you'll see, hear, and feel offers an intimate glimpse into our lives – how we adapt, shift, and grow within our environments, whether as immigrants, people of mixed heritage, or Scots-born and raised as people of colour."

The festival responds to the significant underrepresentation of ESEA creatives in Scotland's cultural sectors. In film, East Asians account for just 1.5% on-screen and 0.8% off-screen (Creative Diversity Network), while Southeast Asians are so underrepresented they often don't appear in national data. In music, ESEA artists rate their cultural representation at just 4 out of 10 (ESEA Music's Re(Orientated) Survey).

"When our identities and our communities don't see themselves reflected enough, this work becomes about asking who gets to tell our stories and creating space for those voices and identities to emerge in intersectional ways", says Abie, community engagement curator, arts worker, and festival curator.

"Liquid Identities is about cultural depth – many of us have come here not temporarily, but to put down roots and build futures for the next generations. This festival celebrates both the preservation of our cultures and the creation of something new. Rather than focusing on marginalisation or fitting into diversity checklists, we invite audiences to value the quality, richness, and distinctiveness of our art.", says Lok Pui Lo, Festival Programmer & Producer, multi-disciplinary artist.

The festival's theme celebrates the fluid, evolving nature of identity – how ESEA individuals navigate multiple cultures, languages, and experiences to create new forms of selfhood that resist rigid categorisation. Festival Highlights including: Film screenings, Visual arts exhibition, Panel discussion on art and belonging, Literature programme with book readings and spoken word , Live music performances, Dance performances, DJ afterparty, Food Nam Vietnamese Restaurant, Food by Ling (Chinese food), Taiwan Mart and other ESEA vendors.

"Liquid Identities is a celebration of relationships, the invisible threads that bind us across languages, history, and cultures," explains keynote speaker Uuganaa Ramsay (Mongol Identity). "It reminds us that identity is not something we hold alone, but something we weave together in every encounter of openness, respect, and love."

Event Details

• Date: Sunday 28 September 2025

• Time: 1pm – 11pm

• Venue: Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

• Tickets: Free with donation option

• Booking: Eventbrite - http://bit.ly/4napPeW

• Ages: All ages welcome

Sponsors & Partners

The festival is supported by Big Lottery Community Fund through the 'We Are Here For You' project in partnership with Mongol Identity, Edinburgh Council's Local Open Event Fund, besea.n Peiwen Legacy Fund, Wu Pacific, Tattu, Remedy Drinks, We Are Here Scotland, and EHFM.

About ESEA Creatives:

ESEA Creatives,the community-led network behind the festival, launched in February 2025 to support ESEA artists, creatives, and cultural workers across Scotland. The festival aims to build alliances, encourage collaboration, and foster new projects among ESEA creatives.

Positioned after Edinburgh's major festival season, Liquid Identities leverages the city's creative ecosystem to provide a platform for ESEA voices while fostering a stronger, more visible creative community.

Social Media: Instagram: @eseacreatives LinkedIn: ESEA Creatives