2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
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
Below is this weekend’s list of things you can do. If I missed anything let me know.
Thursday
Desert Experience
Outdoor Movie: Wonder Woman 2
Treasure Hunt at the Museums
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
BBT Picnic
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Friday
Fun Fishing
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
DJ Flow at JAR
Saturday
Re.Connect Retreat in the Desert
Hidden Secrets of Al Mubarakiya
Beach Yoga (Ladies Only)
Saturday Morning Sailing
Camel Races
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
DJ West at JAR
A lot of cool things happening this weekend, check out the full list below.
Thursday
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
BBT Picnic
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Desert Experience Trip
Friday
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Fun Fishing
Sound Healing Session
Meditation Session
DJ B at JAR
Saturday
Camel Races
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Yoga in the Woods
TrashTag Beach Cleanup
TrashHero Desert Cleanup
Kuwait Raptors Trivia Night
Saturday Sunset Cruising
If I missed anything let me know.
The first time I visited the camel races was back in 2013 and I posted a guide for anyone who wanted to experience it as well. Because it’s been awhile since I last went, I decided to pass by again and publish an updated guide.
This past Saturday I drove out to the Kuwait Camel Racing Club to see how much things have changed. I took my old Alfa because I recently replaced some parts on it and wanted a long trip just to make sure I installed everything correctly. The trip to the tracks took a bit less than an hour and didn’t feel like a long drive at all. Once I got to the tracks I noticed all the main gates were locked. For a second I thought they were closed but then I noticed SUV’s speeding across the desert in the distance and heading in the direction of the track, I figured there might be another entrance and drove in the direction they were all heading. Sure enough, there was a side gate open off the main road and I drove into the racing club.
Once I drove into the track I didn’t see any spectators, racers, employees or even any signs telling me where to go next. So I just started following other cars and ended up driving through another gate and onto a tarmac road adjacent to the race track. I then kept driving till I eventually ended up at the start line. You can watch the video above which shows you how to enter the tracks and get to the tarmac that takes you to the start line. If you don’t have an SUV you’ll be fine since I was able to get to the track in my Alfa.
If you want to watch the races there are two ways:
The second way to watch the races is you drive around the track with the race as it’s taking place. There are four tracks technically, the main track for the camels to race on is a large wide dirt track surrounded by railings. To the right of the race track is a dirt track for the camel owners who drive next to their camels during the race to control the robot jockeys on the camels. To the left of the camel track are two paved roads also separated by railings, one for use by track employees and the camera vehicle, the second is for the spectators to drive alongside the camels during the race. I didn’t do that this past Saturday but I did do that the first time I went to the tracks and you can watch the video above to see how it looks (chaotic basically). The only difference now is the spectators road is paved instead of it being a dirt road like in the video. Back then you could also tune into FM 93.1mhz on the radio and listen to a live broadcast of the actual race as you drive around. I couldn’t test it this time since my Alfa doesn’t have a radio.
The races start at 1PM and last till 3 or 4PM depending on the week. They alternate between 8 races and 16 races a week, the more races the later they finish. This Saturday when I visited it was 8 races, 4 races with the large camels and 4 with smaller ones. The only difference between the two is the starting line shifts closer to the finish line for the smaller camels. Each race lasts around 15 minutes before the next one starts. They’re not that strict with timing, they basically wait till the races end and all the spectators drive back to the starting line before starting the next race. The races take place weekly starting in October and this year will end in the first week of March.
I definitely recommend you check the races out just don’t go with high expectations, it’s nothing fancy. If you have kids they’d probably enjoy seeing camels up close and you can get pretty close to the camels both at the start and finish line. If you want to visit the Kuwait Camel Racing Club, here is the link to Google Maps.
Here is this weekend’s list of things to do. The KMT events don’t allow spectators so if you aren’t participating, you can’t check them out. I’ll keep looking for more things going on and will add them as I find them.
Thursday
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
KMT Drag Open Day
BBT Picnic
Moo “Inside the Box” Popup
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Friday
KMT Car Open Track Day
BBT Picnic
Moo “Inside the Box” Popup
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
DJ Flow at JAR
Tandem Skydive
Saturday
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
360 Fun Run
TrashTag Beach Cleanup
BBT Picnic
Moo “Inside the Box” Popup
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
If I missed anything let me know.