About Us
Harem of No One was founded in May 2021, during the COVID lockdown, with their debut event being an online cabaret show and party streamed from the basement of the iconic drag art venue of East London: The Glory.
The goal of that first event was to support the drag queens and queer performers from Istanbul who have lost their stages and left with no government support and to feature their performances for that purpose.
Since then, with the end of the lockdown in the Summer of 2021, Harem of No One went on to create a non-stop series of real-life events that has created a community for Turkish, Kurdish, Cypriot and the widespread Southwest Asian immigrant and diaspora members, intersecting with the LGBTQIA+ community and the drag scene.
In addition to their monthly cabaret shows that brought different aspects and eras of Southwest Asian culture to the spotlight, they garnered quite a reputation in a short time, which has secured them invitations to appearances from notable venues and happenings such as Soho House (September 2022), Mighty Hoopla Festival (June 2022 and upcoming in June 2024), Southbank Centre (July 2022), Camp Bestival (July 2022), UK Black Pride (August 2022), Enfield Council’s Enfield Pride (June 2023), Hackney Council’s Hackney Pride 365 (November 2023), Clapham Grand (December 2023). Blending drag, Southwest Asian music, live singing, live electronics, live instruments (Piano and drums), burlesque, belly dance, pole dancing, improvised comedy, collaborative storytelling and performance art, they are currently unique in their positions as being the only one to do so.
With 26 shows curated by them and more than 20 appearance invitations in less than three years, they are also putting their energy into discussions within the community and supporting every effort to highlight the culture and struggles of migrant communities within the UK.
Starting with 5 performers, they have grown steadily both in number and diversity of identities, with 11 regular performers, 5 supporting members and over 30 total performers who have participated in their events.
Currently, Harem of No One’s regular members are from Turkish, Kurdish, Cypriot, Syrian and Turkish-British communities, with supporting and guest members joining from the widespread SWANA and Asian communities.
Notable Appearances
Harem of No One in Press
Meet Our Performers
Born in a Basement, Now Thriving Together! Discover the talented drag artists and performers who bring Harem of No One to life! Explore their stories and be inspired by our vibrant & inclusive community.
