Source: Dubai Food Festival website.
The second Dubai Food Festival (DFF) will showcase celebrity chefs and new events in addition to popular experiences from the previous year, according to the Dubai Festivals and Retails Establishment (DFRE), a branch of Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
New additions include Dubai Food & Film, the first foodie film event in the area, and Fatafeat Kitchen, a new program for 2015 and a first in the Middle East, featuring nine consecutive celebrity chef cooking events. The Festival will also include the Food Truck Convoy, with a selection of the city’s most popular food trucks. Another highlight will be the Dine On The Creek program, where famous chefs will take over the kitchens of floating restaurants on Dubai Creek.
The 23-day city-wide celebration will also bring back popular events from 2014 like Beach Canteen, Dubai Food Carnival, Taste of Peru, GulFood, and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF).
Michelin-starred Jason Atherton, award-winning Greg Malouf, TV personality Sanjeev Kapoor, queen of Arabic cuisine Manal Al Alem, chef and author Silvena Rowe, and Saudi Arabian Super Chef Yousef Khumayes are among the DFF 2015 headliners.
Her Excellency Laila Mohammed Suhail, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, noted that this year’s DFF will feature a diverse and extensive schedule of activities that showcase the best of Dubai’s culinary scene. The Festival will honor the variety of flavors found on Dubai’s menus, which are derived from the cuisines of the city’s 200 nationalities, as well as the customs of Emirati cuisine and hospitality. In addition to hosting a number of well-known international chefs, including some who have opened eateries in Dubai.
The Festival’s schedule has been created to highlight the variety of flavors that influence Dubai’s menus, which are drawn from the cuisines of the 200 nationalities that call the city home, as well as the traditions of Emirati food and hospitality, which are becoming a more significant component of our tourist offering. We are eager to share the breadth and depth of our city’s culinary offerings with residents and visitors from the area and beyond in February.
This year’s DFF will center around four themes:
Emirati Cuisine
Made In Dubai, a new event taking place on February 27 and 28 at Zabeel Park, will honor Emirati culture and hospitality by presenting 96 delectable but frequently overlooked Emirati foods through tastings and masterclasses with local chefs.
The Beach Canteen, which will be bigger and better in 2015 and will be located at Kite Beach for the duration of the Festival (February 6–28), will play host to nine of Dubai’s best homegrown eateries and ideas. The Beach Canteen will also feature temporary restaurants run by Atherton (February 26–28), Kapoor (February 21), and Khamayes (February 6–7).
Similar to this, the Urban Bazaar local foodie street market, which will be held on February 6 at The Archive in Safa Park and on February 27 at the Creekside in Bur Dubai, will feature booths showcasing local businesses.
Multicultural Dining & Street Food
The Food Truck Convoy will feature food trucks from Dubai, including favorites like Moti Roti, Raw Coffee, and Burger Fuel (various dates). Throughout the Festival, the trucks will show up at important locations like Tecom, JLT, and Emaar Square to dish up street food.
Street Nights will feature street art and street food in the city’s arts district, Al Quoz (February 20–21). A display of street-food photographer Penny De La Santos’ most striking pictures of the diverse eating and street food available in Dubai will be on exhibit at Dubai Airport in February to go along with the culinary theme.
International Chefs & Restaurants
Nine local and foreign celebrity chefs will give live cooking demonstrations at the first Fatafeat Kitchen (February 20–21), including Egyptian food expert and Chef Salma Soliman. Dine On The Creek, another first-time event at the Festival, will feature renowned chefs like Kapoor, Al Alem, and Khumayes preparing their award-winning cuisine in classic Emirati settings (various dates, to be announced soon).
According to Debra Greenwood, Director of the Dubai Food Festival 2015, “Along with expanding 2014 event favorites, such as the highly popular Beach Canteen, DFF 2015 will see the addition of some truly memorable events and activities that, while inspired by global foodie trends, will have a distinctly Dubai flavor.”
In the upcoming weeks, as the Festival draws near, further Dubai Food Festival 2015 events and information will be revealed. Visit www.dubaifoodfestival.com for the most recent information on this year’s DFF.
Key Festival Dates and Venues
- Beach Canteen, February 6 to 28, Kite Beach, Jumeirah
- Dubai Food & Film, February 6 to 28, various outdoor locations throughout the city
- Urban Bazaar, February 6 – The Archive, Safa Park and February 27 – Creekside, Bur Dubai
- Food Truck Convoy, February 8 to 12, 15 to 19, 22 to 26 – Emaar Boulevard, Academic City, JLT Park, Knowledge Village, Studio City
- GulFood, February 8 to 12, Dubai World Trade Center
- Mystery Dining Tours, February 9, 14, 17, 18, 23, Various locations
- Dubai Food Carnival, February 12 to 14, Dubai International Marine Club
- Taste of Peru, February 12 to 14, Madinat Jumeirah Amphitheatre
- Street Food Photography Exhibition, throughout February, Dubai Airport
- Global Restaurant Investment Forum, February 16 to 18, Conrad Dubai
- Fatafeat Kitchen, February 20 to 21, Galeries Lafayette, The Dubai Mall
- Street Nights, February 20 to 21, Street 4B, Al Quoz
- Masala! Food Fair, February 20 to 21, Zabeel Park
- What’s On Black Hat Guide Launch, February 22, Cargo – Pier 7
- Made In Dubai, February 27 to 28, Zabeel Park
- Dine On The Creek, dates to be announced soon, Dubai Creek