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DUBAI’S HAG AL LEILA CELEBRATIONS DRAW STRONG ENGAGEMENT ACROSS CITYWIDE ACTIVATIONS

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Families and children queue around a colourful HAG AL LEILA activation inside a Dubai shopping mall, where staff distribute sweets and lead festive activities in a decorated central atrium

Dubai’s Hag Al Leila celebrations concluded this week with strong engagement across a wide-ranging programme of community, cultural, and destination-based activations, marking the opening moment of the Season of Wulfa and setting the tone for the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Observed across the city, Hag Al Leila in Dubai brought residents and visitors together through shared moments rooted in generosity, participation, and the exchange of sweets. From heritage-led experiences and neighbourhood gatherings to activations in major destinations, the programme reflected how the tradition continues to be lived and shared across generations.

Across the programme, activations recorded strong footfall and sustained participation, with high levels of engagement from families, children, and wider communities. Public response reinforced Hag Al Leila’s role as a shared cultural moment, experienced through familiar rituals that encourage connection, participation, and a gentle transition into the reflective rhythm of Ramadan.

Key activations across Dubai helped translate the tradition into diverse contemporary settings while remaining grounded in cultural authenticity. Dubai Hills Mall hosted one of the season’s most visible celebrations, adapting the traditional door-to-door custom into a guided, child-led experience within a major retail destination. Cultural institutions led by Dubai Culture delivered neighbourhood-rooted programming, including heritage trails, workshops, and creative activities designed to introduce younger audiences to the meaning and rituals of the occasion.

Dubai Municipality activated public spaces and community venues across the city, embedding Hag Al Leila within everyday neighbourhood life and ensuring broad public access to the celebration. At the Museum of the Future, the tradition was reimagined through an interactive cultural programme combining storytelling and hands-on activities, while the Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s student design initiative, delivered in collaboration with Patchi, engaged young people directly in cultural storytelling through contemporary creative expression. More than 45 activations unfolded across retail destinations, cultural venues, and community hubs, delivered in collaboration with a range of public and private partners as part of the wider Season of Wulfa programme.

Muna Faisal Al Gurg, CEO of the Museums and Heritage Sector at Dubai Culture, affirmed the Authority’s commitment to raising awareness of Hag Al Leila’s cultural significance, saying: “Hag Al Leila represents an authentic Emirati tradition that reflects the essence of our heritage and embodies generosity, kindness, and tolerance. It is also a powerful expression of our pride in our national identity. Through this initiative, we aim to strengthen community engagement, introduce the youth to our customs, and deepen their sense of belonging.”

Al Gurg added: “Each year, we celebrate this occasion through programmes hosted across our cultural sites to highlight the meaning, symbolism, and beauty of Hag Al Leila. We seek to preserve the custom in the Emirati collective memory, underscore its value, and showcase how it fosters harmony within the community. These efforts also help future generations connect with their roots and cultivate national pride.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said: “Hag Al Leila continues to resonate because it is experienced in familiar, shared spaces across the city. This year’s programme demonstrated how simple, community-centred moments can create meaningful connections, particularly for younger generations. The strong engagement we saw across activations reflects the city’s appreciation for traditions that bring people together and naturally set the tone for the Holy Month of Ramadan.”

With Hag Al Leila setting the tone across the city, the Season of Wulfa now moves into its next phase, as Dubai prepares to observe Ramadan through a programme of cultural, community, and citywide experiences shaped by reflection, connection, and shared responsibility.

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Hospitality

TWG Tea Unveils the TWG Tea Gallery, Its Largest Flagship and First-Ever TWG Tea Museum at Singapore Changi Airport

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TWG Tea, the finest luxury tea brand in the world, unveils its largest global flagship, TWG Tea Gallery, at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3, marking a significant milestone in the brand’s international growth. Welcoming travellers around the clock, the TWG Tea Gallery is strategically located within one of the world’s leading aviation hubs, underscoring TWG Tea’s continued investment in travel retail as a key pillar of its global expansion strategy. Spanning 2,700 square feet beneath a soaring 23-foot-high ceiling, the new flagship represents the brand’s most ambitious retail expression to date, setting a new benchmark for luxury tea in the global travel retail landscape.

Envisioned as an immersive expression of TWG Tea’s craftsmanship and savoir-faire, this destination invites discerning travellers into a luminous world where rare harvests, exquisite blends and timeless rituals converge. Its landmark TWG Tea Museum showcases more than 170 antique tea wares and over 50 antique Russian samovars from the 17th to 20th centuries, personally curated by the brand over the past 15 years from around the world. TWG Tea Gallery also introduces a selection of exclusive creations, including the Grand Voyage Tea from the Grand Mode Tea Collection, the Singapore Surprise Gift Set, and specially created tea-infused macarons, ice cream and sorbet.

Bringing together the Tea Boutique, curated tea accessories, bespoke gifting and a Takeaway experience, this flagship also introduces Singapore’s only Tea-Infused Ice Cream & Sorbet concept, designed for travellers on the go. An impressive tea wall displaying more than 1,200 tea tins anchors the space, transforming the space into a compelling new expression of TWG Tea for today’s global traveller.

“The TWG Tea Gallery represents the most definitive expression of TWG Tea to date. More than a Tea Boutique, the flagship brings the past, present and future of tea into one immersive experience, celebrating the stories, traditions and artistry that have shaped tea over the centuries, brought to life through its landmark TWG Tea Museum. Singapore has remained central to TWG Tea since its founding, and we are honoured to present our largest global flagship at Changi Airport, an icon of aviation excellence and an extraordinary platform to bring the world of TWG Tea to travellers from around the world.”
—Taha Bouqdib, President & CEO of V3 Gourmet and Co-Founder of TWG Tea

“Changi Airport is proud to be home to TWG Tea’s largest flagship store in the world and its first-ever TWG Tea Museum. As one of Singapore’s most recognised brands, TWG Tea offers travellers a uniquely Singapore experience. Together with TWG Tea, we are delighted to introduce a collection of exclusives created specially for Changi Airport, including Singapore’s only tea-infused ice cream and sorbet concept. This new flagship transforms a retail visit into an immersive journey through the heritage, artistry and culture of tea, reflecting the innovation and hospitality that define both TWG Tea and Changi.”
—
Hung Jean, Managing Director of Airside Concessions at Changi Airport Group

A Voyage Through Design

This location within Changi Airport was chosen to house TWG Tea Museum to form a defining part of the flagship experience, showcasing more than 170 antique tea wares and decorative objects spanning cultures and eras. The collection offers a compelling window into the artistry and cultures that have shaped tea over the centuries, adding a rich traditional dimension to the contemporary travel retail experience.

Among its highlights are Yixing clay teapots, traditionally marked by their makers and prized for their craftsmanship and provenance, alongside Chinese and Western tea wares tracing evolving traditions of form and decoration from the 18th century to the present day. Blue-and-white ceramics shaped by Chinese-Islamic artistic exchange sit alongside porcelain once prized in Europe as “white gold,” revealing the movement of ideas and aesthetics across cultures through the rituals of tea.

The collection also includes more than 50 antique samovars from Russia, with notable 19th- and early-20th-century examples from the celebrated workshops of Tula and beyond. Works by makers such as the Batashev and Shemarin brothers bear distinctive hallmarks attesting to their provenance and craftsmanship, offering a further perspective on the decorative traditions surrounding tea.

This dialogue between cultures continues in the flagship’s design, crowned by a hand-painted ceiling depicting a luminous world tea map. As its defining architectural feature, the composition traces the global journey of tea through intricate motifs and rich colour, extending the museum’s narrative of cultural exchange into the contemporary setting of Changi Airport Terminal 3.

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Hospitality

MI AMOR: ORILLA INTRODUCES A NEW WEEKLY LADIES’ NIGHT IN JVT

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Orilla is turning Wednesday nights into an occasion with the launch of Mi Amor, a new weekly ladies’ night bringing together free-flowing drinks, live entertainment and an elevated late-night atmosphere at the restaurant’s rooftop setting in Jumeirah Village Triangle.

Launching on Wednesday, 7 October from 7:00pm onwards, Mi Amor invites ladies to dress up, gather their favorite people and settle into an evening designed around good energy, flowing drinks and memorable moments.

Set on the 27th floor of Hotel Local, Orilla provides the backdrop for the new weekly ritual, combining panoramic surroundings with the restaurant’s lively Latin-inspired atmosphere. For the launch evening, guests can expect free-flowing drinks for ladies, sensational entertainment throughout the night and a room dressed for the occasion.

More than simply a midweek drinks offer, Mi Amor is designed as an opportunity to make Wednesday feel like the start of the weekend. From the first cocktail to the final song, the evening brings together music, entertainment and an upbeat social atmosphere for groups of friends looking to make the most of their night.

The launch will set the tone for what guests can expect from Mi Amor as it becomes a regular fixture at Orilla — a night built around celebration, connection and a little indulgence.

Mi Amor Ladies’ Night launches on Wednesday, 7 October, from 7:00pm onwards, with free-flowing drinks available for ladies and entertainment throughout the evening.

Event Details

  • What: Mi Amor Ladies’ Night | When: Every Wednesday, launching 7 October 2026 | Time: From 7:00pm onwards | Where: Orilla, 27th Floor, Hotel Local, Jumeirah Village Triangle, Dubai | Ladies’ Offer: Free-flowing drinks | Entertainment: Throughout the evening | Reservations: +971 4 575 2986 / +971 55 104 7521 | Email: reservation@orillarestaurant.com
  • Limited tables are available. Guests are encouraged to reserve in advance and join Orilla for the first taste of Mi Amor. 
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Hospitality

From AMAYA to MYA: Dubai Mall Dining Destination Refines Its Global Identity

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AMAYA is now MYA. As the brand expands its regional and international presence, a unified name gives every location one voice and every guest one clear promise. MYA supports consistency across its growing portfolio of destinations while preserving the energy, hospitality and attention to detail established in Dubai.

The Dubai-born dining and lifestyle brand has refined its name as part of its continued growth: one concise name that can be recognized, remembered and expressed with equal confidence in every market. MYA is shorter by design, creating greater clarity across destinations, partnerships, communications and digital platforms.

The refinement is precise. MYA carries forward the same founder and leadership, the same team, the same concept, the same culinary direction, the same standards and the same distinctive guest experience. Everything that earned the trust of AMAYA’s guests remains at the heart of MYA.

“Strong brands grow through clarity, consistency and trust. MYA gives the name we have built a sharper global expression. Our people, standards and guest experience remain exactly the same. One name. One vision. One uncompromising standard, built in Dubai and continuing forward as MYA.”               

–  Murat Tutuncu and Moe Ezzat  | Founders & CEO, MYA

MYA’s purpose is clear – to give the established Dubai-born hospitality brand a shorter and more consistent name as it grows across destinations. The shorter name increases recognition, the unified name strengthens consistency, and the same standards give the brand the foundation to grow confidently across cultures and geographies.

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