Category: Information

Last year I got a tour of Messilah Beach and shared photos of the space, and since then quite a bit has changed. Messilah Beach is now set to open this coming weekend, and the biggest update since my last visit is that there will no longer be a ticketing system to enter. It’s now open entry for everyone.

The Messilah Beach project includes various water play zones, kids play areas, tennis, football and basketball courts, plenty of restaurants, and a large beach area. Visitors will be able to explore the different facilities and only pay for the activities they take part in.

Not everything is open yet. Right now, Fun Quest, Trampo at The Beach (which looks incredible), Oliver restaurant, 1% Coffee, Trolley, and the sports courts are open. Over the next few weeks more concepts will be opening including Chocomelt, Ananas, Zooba, Frost Gelato, Good Stuff, Mr. Holmes, Soul Juice, Potato & Sweet, Thai Wok, &Cookies, and Just Juice. A fun entertainment park will also be popping up on the beach this winter.

The soft opening is this weekend and there will be various activities taking place from sunset to 10PM, including DJ performances, sea-themed parades, and food trucks right by the shore. So if you’re looking for something to do this weekend, you can pass by and check the place out. @messilahbeach

For more photos, click here.

JŌN, the seaside experience that launched last year near Kuwait Towers, is back for a new season. The project is by Gastronomica, the same group behind many of our favorite food spots like OFK, Burger Boutique, Cocoa Room, Lazy Cat, and Slider Station. This year, the project has expanded to become four times bigger and now includes two dining experiences instead of one.

There are now two entrances to JŌN. Last year’s entrance is now exclusively for OFK, while the second entrance takes you to the newly expanded area called Seef AlJŌN. The new area features retail partners like JADEBOTANICS, Atyab AlMarshoud, Hamsa, and Velvet Desert, along with the return of BRW, their coffee concept, which has a new look this season. There’s also a lot more seating now, with benches incorporated into the landscape and spread throughout the project. But the biggest surprise for me was finding out they’re bringing back their Pan-Asian concept, RÉPUBLIQUE, for this season of JŌN.

RÉPUBLIQUE was my favorite part of the tour and I think it’s going to be a huge hit this winter. Walking in felt like being back on vacation in Marrakesh. The open roof courtyard has a garden-like area in the middle, giving it the feel of a riad with colors, furniture, and materials that are beautifully curated. Even the main dining room was covered in beautiful wallpaper, and had large floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the water. Both areas are literally by the sea. If you’re sitting outside on the patio, you’re just a few feet from the sand and water. There isn’t anything like it in Kuwait.

Here are some important details:

OFK: Similar to last year, they’ll continue offering their signature dining experience, with pricing that varies depending on the scheduled events under JŌN Theatre.

RÉPUBLIQUE: Reservations are required, there is a KD 15 reservation fee per table. updated

Seef AlJŌN: Entry is free, so you could go in, explore, shop and grab a coffee if you want.

JŌN is opening this Saturday, November 1st. To stay posted on their activities as well as the booking links, head to @jon.kuwait. To check out more photos, click here.

Two people contacted me asking me if it’s true the Cake Picnic Tour is coming to Kuwait. There is a website and account promoting the event for November but it seems to be based off Dubai Cake Picnic, which is different from the official Cake Picnic Tour (@cakepicnictour).

According to the official Cake Picnic Tour website, Dubai is a potential future stop, but there are zero details at the moment, no dates, times or locations. Kuwait isn’t even listed as a potential future stop.

If you want to stay updated on Cake Picnic Tour’s future stops, here is the link to their website. cakepicnictour.com

Finally, I’ve been waiting for this to happen since Aramex acquired MyUS. One of the benefits to using MyUS over Shop&Ship was that they were based in Florida which meant we didn’t have to pay a sales tax. Awhile ago I got an email from Shop&Ship letting me know they’ve now changed their US mailbox address from being based in New York to now being based in Florida. This means any shipments sent to your Shop&Ship US address will no longer be taxed.

I wonder if Amazon offering free shipping to Kuwait was the reason they decided to finally shift from NY to Florida.

The new address is now:

Name: Firstname Lastname
Address Line 1: 4297 Express Lane, Sarasota
Address Line 2: Your S&S Mailbox Number
City: Sarasota
State: Florida
Country: United States
Zip Code: 34249-2602
Phone: 9413262501

You should update your address immediately.

Camel racing is back for the 2025/2026 season, running from October to March, with races taking place every Saturday at the Kuwait Camel Racing Club. Since the weather is still hot during the day, this Saturday the races start at 5:30 AM with a total of nineteen scheduled. As the weather gets cooler, the races will start later in the day (check my weekly “Things To Do” weekend list for updated timings).

There’s no entrance fee, and you can either watch from the sidelines, drive up to the starting line to see the start, or follow the race around the track in your car (it can get a bit chaotic).

It’s really fun, especially if you’ve never been before. It’s never that busy, everyone there is pretty friendly, and it’s fairly easy to get to.

To find the location and entrance to the race tracks on Google Maps, just search for “Kuwait Camel Racing Club”.

You’ve probably noticed this strange futuristic-looking building on your way to the airport (Google Maps). It’s always been kind of a mystery to me since, although there’s quite a bit of information about it online, there aren’t that many photos of it. This is the Amiri Terminal, also sometimes called the VVIP Terminal.
 
The Amiri Terminal was built to host reception ceremonies on a presidential level. Construction started back in 2007 and was completed three years later.

 
The terminal was designed by the firm TAEP who had to take into account Kuwait’s extreme temperatures and sandstorms. Since it’s difficult to plan a typical outdoor reception ceremony throughout the year, they came up with an alternative solution by designing the building around a huge reception hall.
 
The terminal was shaped by a large dome that allowed them to create a hall with a 24-meter-tall interior, helping eliminate the feeling of being in a closed indoor space. To further enhance the sense of openness, the ceiling was painted black and 250,000 fiber-optic light points were embedded into it to recreate the feeling of a desert night sky.
 
The terminal is made up of six buildings: the Amiri Hall, the glass reception area, the parking lot, baggage check, services, and the plane hangar.
 
The Amiri Reception Building consists of three floors. The first floor includes the protocol and reception halls, the dining area, the Amiri meeting room, a press conference hall, a hall for ambassadors, a protocol hall, a women’s waiting hall, and a multipurpose hall.
 

The ground floor houses the main kitchen, offices for the Amiri Guard, a screening room, a waiting room for journalists, a Civil Aviation staff room, a resting room for the plane crew, a rest room for the guests’ guards, a first-aid room, a security room, and offices for the Interior Ministry.
 
The second floor contains the guest wing and the operations room.
 
The glass dome on the outside which you can spot in some of the photos is part of the reception area. The first floor is connected to an air bridge, while the ground floor is for guests arriving on smaller planes.
 
To check out more photos, click here.

Last week I posted that Akon was coming to perform in Kuwait, and I just found out that tickets to the concert are going on sale tonight at 7PM.

@fame.entmt and @quantumconkw are the ones bringing Akon to Kuwait, and he’ll be performing at The Arena on November 21. Tickets will be available through thearenakuwait.com

Update: Tickets are now on sale, they start from KD 35 Link

The new redeveloped Shuwaikh Beach is reopening tomorrow Wednesday, October 1st. The project is part of Kuwait Municipality’s efforts to enhance the leisure and recreational spaces in Kuwait. The 1.7km-long project got upgraded facilities, including a running track, bicycle track, mosques, and several main areas tailored to community needs like sports fields, recreational areas, and extensive green spaces.

I took a stroll around the park and although it’s not covered in trees like the original renderings were, there were plenty of grassy areas to sit and chill. Barbecuing isn’t allow but picnics are. I saw two main play areas for kids each located at opposite ends of the park. There were also two volleyball courts, two basketball courts and a small rock climbing area as well as some outdoor workout equipment.

There will be a 1km walkathon tomorrow as part of the official opening and that will take place from 4PM to 7PM. Here is the location on Google Maps. For more photos, click here.

Frankie’s was one of my favorite breakfast spots in the city before they went on hiatus 3 years ago. Now they’re back after finding a new home in Cantina. Previously, Frankie’s would pop up in the mornings at Little Ruby’s, and now they’ll be popping up at Cantina in the mornings.

Some of the original signatures will still be on the menu, like their French toast and breakfast tacos, but I’m looking forward to the new items specially the Steak & Eggs which look amazing in the photo. Chef Basmah also mentioned the new menu will feature Palestinian za’atar and family heirloom recipes.

If you’re looking for a new breakfast spot to try, Frankie’s will be serving breakfast from 8AM to 12PM starting this Friday and Saturday. @cantina_kw

Looks like this winter is going to be packed with big events. Jon Batiste, the American musician, composer, and television personality, is coming to perform live in Kuwait this November.

If you haven’t heard his music before, it’s a mix of jazz, soul, R&B, and pop, and he has a way of blending it all together that makes his sound unique and uplifting.

Jon also won a number of awards over the years. In 2020, he teamed up with Nine Inch Nails members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (one of my favorite bands), composed the score for the Disney and Pixar film Soul. The three went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score. In 2022, Batiste was the most nominated artist at the Grammys with 11 nominations and took home the most awards with five, including Album of the Year. In total, he’s won seven Grammy Awards to date.

If those accolades weren’t enough, Jon has also recorded and performed with big names like Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, Lenny Kravitz, ASAP Rocky, Ed Sheeran, and Lana Del Rey. He was also the bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2015 until 2022.

According to Batiste’s website, he’ll be performing in Kuwait on November 29 at JACC. More details, including ticket information, will be available soon on the organizer’s Instagram @epicx.event

Yesterday Carrefour stopped operating in Kuwait. They don’t list a reason for why, but it’s assumed the boycott hurt them a lot.

A reader emailed me to let me know that some Carrefour locations are now branded Hypermax. Hypermax like Carrefour is also owned by Majid Al Futtaim and is their own brand, not a franchise.

I previously mentioned that Spinneys would be taking over the Carrefour location in The Avenues. I think the chances of that happening now are really high.

It’s now official, Saint Levant is coming to perform live in Kuwait.

Fame Entertainment, in collaboration with Live Nation, is bringing Marwan Abdelhamid, AKA Saint Levant, to Kuwait. He’ll be performing at JACC on December 5.

Tickets just went on sale a few moments ago on the JACC website starting from KD 30. Based on the engagement my earlier post on Saint Levant got, I’m pretty sure they’ll sell out quickly, so if you want tickets you’ll need to move fast. Link

The Chinese food delivery service Keeta launches in Kuwait today, taking on Talabat, Deliveroo, Jahez, and Cari.

Keeta is the overseas brand of the Chinese company Meituan, the world’s largest food delivery platform. They launched in Saudi Arabia last year and it took them just four months to become the third-largest food delivery platform there. So I’m very curious to see how they’ll perform locally.

At launch, they’re offering a discount on your first order plus free delivery. After that, you’ll continue to get free delivery on all orders of KD3 or more (with no subscription needed). @kw.keeta

Kuwait Airways just won an APEX Five-Star award for outstanding passenger experience. That may come as a surprise, depending on how you feel about them, but according to APEX this was based on “neutral, third-party passenger feedback and insights.” So not one of those awards you can buy just for PR purposes.

Etihad Airways and Gulf Air were two other airlines from the region that won an APEX Five-Star award. Qatar Airways and Emirates were strangely were not listed. Not sure why, but both did win APEX Best awards:

‎Best Entertainment: Emirates
‎Best Cabin Service: Korean Air
‎Best Food & Beverage: Qatar Airways
‎Best Seat Comfort: Eva Air
‎Best Wi-Fi: Delta Air Lines

APEX stands for Airline Passenger Experience Association and they were the first airline rating program to based solely on certified passenger feedback. The last time Kuwait Airways won an APEX Five-Star award was in 2021.

Ulta Beauty Kuwait has an official opening date and it’s Friday, November 7.

Kecia Steelman, the CEO of Ulta Beauty, announced the date at a pre-launch party in Dubai this past weekend. Their first location in Kuwait will be at The Avenues, taking over the spot where Dean & Deluca used to be. It will also be the first Ulta Beauty location outside the U.S.

I visited Ulta Beauty for the first time a few weeks ago while I was in LA. The store felt like a mix between Boots and Sephora and wasn’t that visually appealing, but I’ve been told the Kuwait and Dubai locations will have a more premium look.

Ulta Beauty’s Middle East instagram account is @ultabeautymiddleeast