Sadiq Khan tours exhibition documenting the October 7 massacre and meets survivors and bereaved families, urging Londoners to attend
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has visited the Nova Exhibition in Shoreditch, a travelling display documenting the massacre at the Nova Music Festival in Israel on 7 October 2023, in which hundreds of young people attending an outdoor music event were killed or taken hostage.
Khan was accompanied by Andrea Simon, the Victims’ Commissioner for London. During the visit he met with survivors of the attack and with family members who lost loved ones that day.
What the Nova Exhibition Contains
The Nova Exhibition is a travelling memorial and documentary display that has toured internationally since the attack. It presents firsthand accounts, photographs, personal belongings, and video testimony connected to the events of 7 October 2023, when an attack on the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im left hundreds of festivalgoers dead and others taken into Gaza as hostages.
The exhibition has been displayed in multiple cities worldwide and arrived in London as part of ongoing efforts by survivors and bereaved families to document what occurred and ensure it is witnessed by international audiences.
At the Shoreditch venue, exhibits include personal belongings recovered from the site — clothing, trainers, and mobile phones belonging to those who attended the festival. Many of those killed were teenagers and young adults in their late teens, twenties, and thirties who had attended the event to listen to trance and electronic music.
What the Mayor Said
Speaking during his visit, Khan urged people across the UK to attend regardless of their personal background, beliefs, or political views, describing the exhibition as being about bearing witness to what happened to human beings who went to a concert with nothing but love and joy.
He described several moments during the visit that he said would stay with him — particularly the personal belongings on display, including trainers belonging to an 18-year-old victim. He said these objects served as a reminder that behind the footage and news reports were individual human beings.
Khan drew a direct parallel with the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, noting that both tragedies involved young people who had left home to attend a music event and never returned. He described the common thread running through both attacks — the targeting of people who had gathered around music, shared experience, and joy — and said too many people around the world are working to divide communities while music and shared cultural experience represent what human beings have in common.
He said what would stay with him from the visit was both the hope and optimism he encountered among survivors and the horror of what had been done.
The October 7 Nova Music Festival Attack: Background
The Nova Music Festival — a Sukkot holiday outdoor music event — took place in the early hours of 7 October 2023 near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel. The attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 364 festivalgoers and the abduction of others taken into Gaza. It was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Israel’s history and the single largest loss of life at a music event in modern times.
Attendees came from across Israel and included foreign nationals. The victims ranged in age from teenagers to people in their fifties, united by their attendance at what was intended as a peaceful celebration of music.
The event has become a reference point in international discussions about the protection of civilians, the targeting of cultural and social gatherings, and the long-term psychological impact on survivors and communities.
London’s Connection to October 7
London is home to one of Europe’s largest Jewish communities, as well as significant Israeli and Middle Eastern diaspora populations. The events of 7 October 2023 were felt acutely across many London communities, with vigils, memorial events, and community support initiatives taking place across the capital in the weeks and months that followed.
The Nova Exhibition’s presence in London represents an opportunity for Londoners from all backgrounds to engage directly with testimony and evidence from the attack, at a time when public understanding of the human impact of the events remains important.
Andrea Simon, Victims’ Commissioner for London, accompanied Khan during the visit, reflecting the exhibition’s relevance to the capital’s work around victims’ rights, trauma support, and community solidarity.
How to Visit the Nova Exhibition London
The Nova Exhibition is currently open to the public in Shoreditch, east London. Admission details, opening hours, and booking information are available through the exhibition’s official website and associated social media channels. The exhibition is free to attend.
Organisers have noted that survivors and bereaved family members are sometimes present at the exhibition, as was the case during the Mayor’s visit, providing visitors with the opportunity for direct, personal engagement with those who experienced the events firsthand.
For more on how London’s civic leadership responds to significant public safety and community issues, see earlier reporting on the London Mayor’s road safety plan to eliminate traffic deaths by 2041.
