Ukrainian Refugees Launch Children's Entertainment Business in Luxembourg

Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee their homeland due to Russia's full-scale invasion continue to rebuild their lives and establish businesses in Luxembourg; Chronicle.lu explores their experiences and challenges in this series.

28-year-old Anastasiia Voinalovych and her 32-year-old husband Khussam Al-Shiriti have been living in Luxembourg for the past three years. Due to Russia’s military aggression, they were forced to leave their home in Irpin, Kyiv region, together with their daughter Eva, who was fifteen months old at the time, in search of a safer place. They also had to leave behind their business: since 2017, they had run their own event agency specialising in children’s parties, which later expanded to include events for adults as well.

During relocating to stay with relatives in a calmer part of the country, they learned they were expecting a second child. Eventually, they made the decision to leave Ukraine. The family spent some time in western Ukraine, while Khussam's parents were the first to go abroad. "My parents left first while we were still sorting out the paperwork," Khussam explained. "They spent two weeks in Germany and then, through someone’s suggestion, they came to Luxembourg. They waited for us, and that’s how we ended up here. To be honest, we didn’t know anything about this country before. We had never even considered coming to Luxembourg.”

After arriving in Luxembourg at the end of March 2022, the family initially stayed at SHUK (Structure d'hébergement d'urgence au Kirchberg) and in a refugee camp. They also spent five nights in a school gymnasium before being accommodated in a hotel near the airport, where they stayed for around three months. “We arrived in March [2022], and by 8 July [2022] we had already moved into a house,” said Khussam Al-Shiriti. “At that time, housing was still being provided, and five families, including ours, moved in here. We’ve lived here like that ever since. No one has moved out or been replaced since the beginning.”

In mid-November 2022, the family welcomed their second child. Anastasiia focused on caring for their newborn son Martin, while her husband registered with ADEM and spent two years working as a gardener. Through the Ukrainian community in Luxembourg, he was introduced to Elena Berkovitch, Director of the Ukrainian School Mriya, who invited him to teach acting classes for Ukrainian children on Saturdays. Khussam Al-Shiriti holds a degree in acting and has extensive experience working as a host at events. He has also volunteered as an event host at various Ukrainian events organised by LUkraine, the association representing Ukrainians in Luxembourg.

According to Anastasiia Voinalovych, although they managed to bring some of their performance costumes over from Ukraine during their time in Luxembourg, they did not initially consider starting a business in Luxembourg. At the time, they still hoped the war would end soon and they would be able to return home. A turning point came in late spring 2023, when she travelled to Ukraine with her daughter for rehabilitation.

"It felt so good, everything was so familiar, almost like a celebration inside," she recalled. "But then the air raid alerts started and my heart began to race. You’re afraid, primarily for your children, and only then for yourself. We have two young kids and that fear is constant."

During her visit, Anastasiia saw her relatives in Kyiv and returned briefly to their apartment in Irpin, which had been damaged in the attacks. "I realised this place is still home and it hurts deeply, but it also belongs to our past life. We have to start a new one, because this won’t end any time soon. We don’t know when..."

Khussam Al-Shiriti added that it was only after accepting the reality that they would not be returning to Ukraine in the near future that they began to think seriously about establishing themselves in Luxembourg. "We had many ideas, but it was only once we finally let go of the thought that we might return soon - and realised we would most likely be staying - that things became clearer," he said. "Luxembourg is a great country for children and ultimately, the main reason for staying is the kids."

According to the couple, it was the support and encouragement of the local Ukrainian community in Luxembourg that inspired them to take the first steps. “It was really thanks to our people, the Ukrainians here, they encouraged us and gave us the push to start,” said Khussam Al-Shiriti. They began modestly, using their costumes to visit friends during the New Year holidays, including appearances as Santa Claus. They also volunteered at events for Ukrainian children, which gradually sparked interest among others. “People started asking: what do you do? Do you organise events?” he recalled. Their local commune also hosted fairs, where they brought along large mascot costumes. “Karim [Khussam] just put on a bear or rabbit costume, grabbed a speaker and started dancing,” Anastasiia Voinalovych explained. “The locals were surprised, but then joined in, clapping, singing, jumping. They were genuinely happy.” Over time, these informal appearances, including visits to friends, community gatherings and Independence Day celebrations, evolved into something more regular. “We did it two years in a row,” she added.

The couple officially launched their business under the name Art Party Lux Sàrl-S, a creative, family-run event agency founded in spring 2025. However, preparations had begun a year earlier, when they were getting ready to take part in UA Days with the organisers of LUkraine. At that time, they started working on their logo and investing in new costumes, clear signs they were already laying the groundwork for the business.

They met the lawyer who helped them with company registration and documentation entirely by chance. “I was standing in a shop with my daughter, singing a Ukrainian song and encouraging her to sing along,” recalled Khussam Al-Shiriti. “A man came up and said, ‘You’re singing so nicely with your daughter.’ We started talking, and it turned out he was a Ukrainian lawyer.” He added: “That’s how the lawyer actually found us and he’s the one who opened the company for us.”

When it comes to the work itself, the couple noted that in Ukraine the events industry was more competitive and clients tended to be more demanding, but at the same time, it was easier to be creative and generate ideas in their native language. While competition is lower in the Grand Duchy, they remain committed to maintaining the same standards. “We don’t simplify things compared to how we did them in Ukraine,” said Anastasiia Voinalovych. “Many people tell us, ‘Why bother? No one will really appreciate the effort.’”

Khussam Al-Shiriti continued: “But from our training, starting with the Academy of Variety and Circus Arts in Kyiv and all the way up to 2025, we were taught to be professional. Being a professional means doing your job properly. So when people say ‘don’t overdo it, they won’t even tip you,’ I believe that our main goal is to bring happiness to people. The financial part is simply a bonus for a job well done.”

At this stage, Art Party Lux focuses primarily on the children's segment, offering private event services such as professional children's entertainers, mascot character performances (including Bear Teddy, Bunny, and Mickey Mouse), and themed show programmes. Their current range includes bubble shows, ribbon shows with neon effects, glow-in-the-dark discos, and balloon twisting performances featuring large sculpted figures. Several new acts are in development, including illusion, chemistry, and cryo shows. The agency also runs a variety of creative workshops aimed at children, such as slime-making, soap and candle crafting, eco bag and T-shirt painting, and bottle decoration - all designed to support fine motor skills and offer creative, therapeutic experiences.

For Ukrainians considering starting a business in Luxembourg, Anastasiia and Khussam offered the following advice: if you come up with a good idea, analyse the market, identify your target audience and move in that direction. “The bureaucratic side of things is just a matter of time - it gets resolved,” they noted.

“We didn’t have much money or resources either,” added Khussam Al-Shiriti. “But we had an idea and motivation. We realised that even if we saved €200 a month, little by little, we could gradually invest, buy materials, place orders. And with time, things just started to come together. The key is to take the first step.”