Category: Things to do

Kuwait Karting has been under construction for a pretty long time but it’s finally open. Located inside Kout Mall, Kuwait Karting is an indoor track that is composed of multi-levels with an overall length of 512m making it the largest of its kind in the region.

There are two tracks, a small junior track for kids and a larger one for adults. The junior track is for children 7+ and can hold up to 5 cars at a time with sessions that are 6 minutes long. The adult track is for ages 13+, can hold 16 cars at a time and the sessions last slightly longer at 8 minutes. Both tracks use electric karts.

They’re open Saturday to Wednesday from 1pm to 10pm and 2pm to 11pm on Thursdays and Fridays. They’re opening later today for the first time so I don’t have their prices yet, but once I get them I’ll update this post. For more info they’re on Instagram @q8karting

Update: Here are the prices

Adult Track
Weekday: KD 6
Weekend: KD 8

Juniors Track
Weekday: KD 3
Weekend: KD 4

One of the nicest museums in Kuwait, Al Salam Palace opened right at the start of the pandemic and so had to close again soon after. But, after a long delay, the museum is now open again.

Unlike other museums, Al Salam Palace isn’t a walk around freely museum but requires you to be part of a tour. They have two kinds of tours available, a standard tour or a VIP tour.

Standard Tour (English or Arabic)
Duration: 120 minutes
Cost: KD8

VIP Tour (English or Arabic)
Duration: 120 minutes
Cost: KD20

The English tour is only available on Sundays which is going suck for anyone with a day job since they’re only open from 10AM to 4PM. But, it’s a great place to visit so if you’re interested in booking, their website is aspm.com.kw

For a sneak peek at what’s inside, check out my previous post from when I took the tour. Link

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend you should consider passing by the Amricani Cultural Centre and check out their museum. Amricani is part of the Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah who have a collection of more than 20,000 items of rare Islamic art. Some of these rare items are displayed at the Amricani in rotation, changing every couple of years.

The exhibition area is located on the top floor and spans countless rooms, a lot bigger then you would expect it to be. You can choose to book a tour or just walk in and explore by yourself.

Here are their timings:

Monday to Thursday and Saturday: 10 AM to 7 PM
Friday: 2 PM to 7 PM
Sunday: closed

If you want to book a tour, send an email to both: [email protected] and [email protected]

Here is the location of the Amricani Cultural Center on Google Maps.

Just a quick update on my previous post on the Grand Mosque Tours. You now no longer need to pre-book a Saturday tour, walk-in tours are now available. Check the previous post for more details.

Since the weather is getting cooler the Kuwait Offshore Sailing Association (KOSA) is kicking off its new season this weekend. No sailing experience is needed, neither is a boat since the club has various ones which you get assigned to depending on your experience.

If you’re a non-member the cost to sail is KD20. They have three different outings this weekend with limited spots so if you’re interested, go to kosakwt.com

Also follow KOSA on instagram to stay posted on upcoming outings @kosakwt

A couple of months back the Grand Mosque tours were reactivated again and this time they have a new permanent calligraphy exhibition featuring work by calligraphers from all over the world.

The tours are available by booking only for Saturdays at 10AM while walk-in tours are available on weekdays from 9AM to 11AM and then again 4PM to 6PM. UPDATED CHECK BELOW

In addition to regular Covid health instructions, there is also a dress code: no sleeveless shirts nor short shorts for men, and full-length cloaks and headscarves for women. If you’d like to book a tour you can contact Jenan on 22342367 or just head there during the middle of the week for the walk-in tours.

Here is the location on Google Maps.

Update: Saturday tours no longer require pre-booking, walk-in tours are now available on Saturdays as well.

Over the weekend I tried out the cotton candy experience at Spunsprinkles and it was wayyyy more fun than I thought it would be. I had pre-booked the experience for me and a couple of friends a week earlier since the few available slots they have get booked quickly. The space is pretty small but super cute and we had stools set up for us in front of the cotton candy spinner.

The first thing they made us do was pick the flavor of the cotton candy we wanted from 16 different ones available (not including their secret menu). After picking our favorite we got to choose all the various sprinkles and glitter we wanted with our cotton candy including edible stickers. Once we all chose how we wanted our cotton candy to look, we started building it. Although the experience is mostly catered towards children, it was honestly a lot of fun as adults which is why they get people of different ages booking the experience.

In the end, we all left with huge smiles on our faces and our tubs of customized cotton candy (my watermelon flavored cotton candy was delicious). The experience costs KD1 per person not including the cost of the cotton candy which varies from 1.5KD to 2.5KD depending on what you’re building.

Being stuck in Kuwait for the past 18 months has resulted in most of us looking for anything new and fun to try while here. This is something you definitely should add to your list to try with friends (or your kids). Their experience slots for the week fill up quickly but new slots open every Sunday at 4PM. Check them out on Instagram @spunsprinkles and if you want to book an experience yourself, here is the link.

If you’re bored and looking for a new skill to learn then you might be interested in welding. There is a place in Kuwait called Safety Group that offers welding workshops for both men and women.

The course is for beginners and will give you a background on welding, welding safety, the different kinds of welding techniques, and of course, you get to weld.

It’s a 4-day workshop and costs KD90. It’s in Arabic and if you’re interested check out @q8welder on instagram or get in touch with them on 66644873.

Haraka Center for Movement Arts (HCMA) is a new dance and movement center that just opened up in Shuwaikh. Their classes will focus on ballet, modern, contemporary dance, other dance styles, and movement-based classes.

HCMA is for women of all ages and levels (no classes for men). They started a few days ago and their full upcoming schedule is available on their website harakacenter.com. Drop-in classes are for KD15 while their packages start from KD40. If you’re looking for something to do then check them out, also make sure you follow them on instagram @haraka.center

I’ve previously posted about renting bikes from Extreme Sports on the Gulf Road but there is also an alternative option. Bike Station is another bike rental option on the Gulf Road with two locations, one in the Pearl Marzouq parking lot and the other next to the Kuwait Towers.

Their bikes seem to be in good condition and they charge 3KD for 1 hour or 5KD for 2 hours. If you rent the bike for longer then it’s a flat 2.5KD per hour rate.Because of the summer heat, they’re currently only operating from 6PM to 1AM. For more info check out their instagram @bikestation.kw

If you’re looking for an activity to do this Eid how about renting a jet ski? There are a number of places up and down the Gulf Road and they generally all have the same guidelines.

You don’t need any special license to take out a jet ski but you do need to keep your Civil ID with them as collateral and you also have to sign a waiver. Some locations offer lockers to put your stuff in but I would recommend you keep everything in the car anyway and then either leave your keys with them or get a small waterproof pouch to take your keys with you. Most places also have a tap/shower to rinse off the saltwater and sand once you’re done.

The price for an hour of jet ski rental at the location next to TGIF is 25KD an hour but other locations might be cheaper. They also open daily from 9AM to 6PM and don’t require you to be vaccinated.

Here are three jet ski rental locations on the Gulf Road:
– Villa Fayrouz
– Green Island
– TGIF

Yesterday I was driving by the Abdullah Salem Cultural Center and it was PACKED. There were cars backed up all the way outside the museum entrance, a scene I hadn’t seen since the museum first opened. That reminded me that I should probably post about the fact that museums are finally reopening again! If you’re looking for something to do, below is a list of my favorite museums and their current opening hours:

Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
They’re open from 10AM to 8PM with the last admission at 7PM.
Fridays they only open from 2PM to 8PM and Sundays they’re closed.
You can find photos and information on the museum here.

Bait Al Othman Museum
They’re open daily from 9AM to 1PM and then evenings from 4PM to 8PM.
Fridays they only open in the evenings.
You can find photos and information on the museum here.

Tareq Rajab Museum
They’re open daily from 9AM to 1PM and then from 4:30PM to 8:30PM
You can find photos and information on the museum here.

Al-Salam Palace Museum
One museum I think a lot of people are interested in visiting is the Al-Salam Palace Museum. That museum was set to open just as the pandemic hit. Their Instagram says they’re opening soon but they haven’t mentioned a date. A friend of mine who had previously booked a tour before the pandemic hit got a call recently though to set up a new date so I think right now they might be going through the backlog of people who had booked early last year. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the museum before they opened and you can check that post out here.

Update: Due to high demand, ASCC now opens from 10AM instead of 2PM.

If you’re looking for something to do then this exhibit might be interesting to visit:

SADI is an ambitious program envisioned by AlSadu Society to encourage creativity and innovation in contemporary textile arts and design for artists in Kuwait. Every year, we invite 5 artists from various creative backgrounds to be a part of the program, and explore a particular element of sadu.

Drawing on the unique global circumstances that have both connected and disconnected us, this year’s “SADI 2021: Connectivity Through Art” exhibit features the works of Ahmad AlAjmi, Fatema Al Bader, Sheikha Al Habshi, Razan Al Sarraf, and Fay Al Awadhi who have explored the principles of sadu and connectivity, and how the two interweave with modern art.

Opening: Saturday, May 29th 2021 at 5PM
​​Exhibit Dates: May 29th – June 7th 2021
​​Hours: 10AM – 2PM, 4PM – 8PM
​​Location: Sadu House

You need to pre-book your visit in advance due to Covid restrictions. Here is the booking link.

Li3ib is an app that allows you to book different sports activities around Kuwait. During regular days you could use the app to book tennis, squash, basketball and volleyball courts, football fields and also rent bicycles. But due to the closure of everything sports at the moment, the only thing available is bicycle rental.

I actually wanted to wait and post about this app once sports stadiums reopened so people can make good use of the app but, because the weather is so good right now I know people will want to take advantage of the bicycle rentals. All you need to do to rent a bike with the app is choose a date and a drop-off time and they’ll deliver the bicycle to you and pick it up again the next day. Renting a bike for 24 hours is KD10 which is really reasonable.

If you’re interested in any of the sports I mentioned above or want to rent a bicycle easily to go out riding this weekend, download the app using this link.

Below is this weekend’s list of things you can do. Not as many things going on as last week, but I might have missed a few things, let me know if I did.

Thursday
Treasure Hunt at the Museums
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
BBT Picnic
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive

Friday
Sunrise Beach Yoga
Camping 101
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive

Saturday
Saturday Morning Sailing
TrashTag Beach Cleanup
Camel Races
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Boom Diwan x Nduduzo Makhathini