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For those of you in Kuwait for the holidays, below are a bunch of events taking place. If I missed anything let me know in the comments:

Thursday
SnowTown in K-Town
Exhibition: Culture Fair: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Al Farsi International Kite Festival
Comic Con Kuwait
Decopatch
Cinemagics Rooftop Movie: Jackie
Workshop: Introduction to Astrophotography
Ice Skating Rink Celebrations

Friday
SnowTown in K-Town
Al Farsi International Kite Festival
Comic Con Kuwait
Decopatch
National Celebrations Show Jumping Competition
Food Truck Festival
Ice Skating Rink Celebrations

Saturday
SnowTown in K-Town
Yoga with the 3
Al Farsi International Kite Festival
Comic Con Kuwait
Decopatch
National Celebrations Show Jumping Competition
Food Truck Festival
Ice Skating Rink Celebrations

Sunday
SnowTown in K-Town
Al Farsi International Kite Festival
Decopatch
Concert: Los Rumberos de Massachusetts
Ice Skating Rink Celebrations

Monday
SnowTown in K-Town
Al Farsi International Kite Festival
Decopatch
Ice Skating Rink Celebrations

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double check with the organizers.

The openings of Avenues Phase 4, Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Center and the new pedestrian-only street in old Salmiya have all been pushed back. Previously they were set to open during the National holidays but that’s no longer going to happen.

There were also rumors that the inauguration of Kuwait Motor Town was going to take place during the National holidays but those rumors are not true.

I personally don’t mind since they’re all still expected to open soon and I’d rather they open when they’re ready instead of being rushed.

Comic Con Kuwait is taking place this coming weekend from the 22nd to the 24th of February. This is the second time Comic Con is being held in Kuwait and they’re expecting 20,000 people to attend. They’ve doubled the size of the venue compared to last year and they’re bringing in some bigger stars including:

Stan Lee: The comic-book writer who co-created the popular characters Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men

Michael Fassbender: The actor know for playing Magneto on X-Men as well as having main rolls in movies such as Steve Jobs, Assassin’s Creed, Alien: Covenant and many more

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: Know for playing the character Ser Jaime Lannister, in the HBO series Game of Thrones

David Hayter: Well known as the English voice actor for Solid Snake in the Metal Gear videogames

Video of last years Comic Con (starts 1min in)

Ticket prices start at KD10 and go all the way up to KD150 for the Diamond pass. For more info on this event click [Here]

Al Kawakeb is an old ice cream and dessert shop in the city which you’ve probably passed by a number of times on your way to Vol.1 or Street (AlMakan) for dinner. The place has been open since the 50s and their display is filled with old nostalgic sweets.

BROWNBOOK have published a great article on the history of Al Kawakeb along with some great photos. I had no idea the shop was that old and I’m definitely going to appreciate it a lot more now that I’ve read this article. So check it out on their website [Here]

Last year I posted about my favorite zaatar fatayer which was from a place called JS Foods located inside Sultan Center Shaab. But then Sultan Center Shaab closed down and JS Foods closed down which sucked for me. But, I recently found out they had moved and opened up a new location also in Shaab.

It’s a tiny place that’s fairly hidden, their map link on instagram wasn’t working so it actually took me two trips to find the place. JS Foods is a vegan restaurant that serves gluten and sugar-free food items. I picked up a box of freshly baked zaatar fatayer and they were as delicious as I remember them being. They also have a lot of other items on their menu like pancakes, acai bowls, granola bars, bread and more.

So if you’re interested in passing by them, here is their location on [Google Maps]. They have a cute seating area and they’re open from 8AM to 5PM. They also have delivery. For more info, check them out on instagram @jsfoodskwt

This weekend isn’t super busy but there are some interesting events taking place and most of them are free to attend. Check them out below:

Thursday
SnowTown in K-Town
Exhibition: Culture Fair: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Japanese Movie Night: The Chef of South Polar
Cinemagics Rooftop Movie: In the Mood for Love
Jamstart Band
AMG’s Jazz at Home

Friday
SnowTown in K-Town
BAS 5th International Volleyball Tournament

Saturday
SnowTown in K-Town
Yoga with the 3
Community Table: Khaleej Series
AWARE Desert Camp
Dance Show: Musicality
Cinemagics Rooftop Movie: The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki
Beach Ultimate Frisbee

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double check with the organizers.

Screenshot from Black Panther

The movies below are now showing at either Cinescape, Grand Cinemas or Sky Cinemas:

New This Weekend:
Black Panther (7.2)
Early Man (6.4)
The Shadow Effect (4.2) ♦

Other Movies Showing:
Braven (6.5) ♦
Coco (9.1)
Den of Thieves (7.2) ♦
Ferdinand (6.8)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (6.9) ★
Kickboxer: Retaliation (5.0)
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (7.2)
Space Chicken (5.4)
Slumber (4.7)
The 15:17 to Paris (6.2) ♦
The Commuter (6.8)
The Greatest Showman (7.9)
The Post (7.5)
Winchester (5.3) ♦
Wonder (7.2)

The movies below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

A Beautiful Planet 3D (7.9)
Amazing Mighty Micro Monsters 3D (7.4)
America Wild: National Parks Adventure (N/A)
Dream Big 3D (7.9)
Extreme Weather 3D (6.6)
Tiny Giants 3D (8.0)
Watermelon Magic 3D (7.4)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
★ is for movies I’m interested in. ♦ implies movie might contain censorship.

This has to be the first for Kuwait because I haven’t seen one like it here yet. Down the street from my place in Salmiya, right towards the end of the 4th Ring Road, they’re constructing a pedestrian bridge that uses escalators instead of your usual stairs. The pedestrian bridge is also covered so I’m guessing it will probably have airconditioning as well.

I find this odd because the area is pretty ghetto so it’s weird we’re getting such a fancy pedestrian bridge. Now I’m wondering if this has anything to do with the Metro plans. I know in the metro map (pictured above) there is meant to be a station in this area and there is plenty of room around this bridge for one as you can see in the map below. Could this be connected to it?

Back in September, they announced that part of Salem Al Mubarak Street was going to be turned into pedestrian only. I took the video above this morning right outside my apartment building to show you the current status, and as you can see the project has progressed considerably since my last post on the street.

My biggest issue with the project was that they had killed 25 trees on that street that had been there for over 50 years. They’ve now planted new palm trees instead which although is a nice gesture, palm trees just don’t offer any shade and can’t house as many birds as the older trees did. I really wished they had managed to keep those older trees.

In any case, the street is starting to shape up and I think they’re trying to have everything done by February 25th which right now seems unattainable.

But, a new issue is starting to pop up and that is gentrification. Because the street is getting fixed up, the value of real estate around it is also going up. My rent was already slightly increased since my building is suddenly now in a prime location, people are also now bidding on the empty stores in my building which previously nobody wanted. I’d really really hate it if my apartment rent goes up to the point where I’ll be priced out and be forced to move.

On the bright side, they haven’t sorted the parking issue in the area. Parking in my neighborhood has always been historically terrible and now they’ve gone and removed all the parking spots on the main street without adding any new ones. With this street facelift, we’re now going to have even a higher influx of people come into the area than before, so the parking situation will be even worse which is kinda great for me. Hopefully this parking mess is going to help keep the popularity of the area down to a reasonable level, which in return should keep my rent at a reasonable level.

Duckling is a new little restaurant that opened up a couple of days ago that specializes in duck. The place is pretty tiny with just 4 tables, but that’s because their main focus is going to be on delivery once they get on Carriage sometime within the coming week.

I visited with a friend and we ordered nearly everything on the menu but my favorites were probably the Dizzy Dough, which are homemade dumplings stuffed with duck meat, and the Quackola which is a pulled duck sandwich. This isn’t a fancy duck restaurant, it’s a small fast casual place run by a couple of guys who wanted to open a restaurant but didn’t want to open another burger joint. Prices are pretty reasonable but you’re going to need more than a sandwich to fill you up.

They’re not on Carriage yet but they will be soon. If you want to pass by them they’re open from 2PM to 11PM and they’re located right next to Kipco Tower in the city [Google Maps]. To stay posted on their delivery launch, just follow them on Instagram @duckling_kw

The IMPROVengers comedy night is back and taking place tonight. There are still seats available so if you’re looking for something to do tonight, I highly recommend this. Here is the list of all the events taking place this weekend:

Thursday
SnowTown in K-Town
Fishackathon
Session: Heritage Workers
Music Night at GUST
Cinemagics Rooftop Movie: Ghadi
Photography Exhibition: Omar Zuriqi
Live Music with Zak Musawi
Live with the IMPROVengers

Friday
SnowTown in K-Town
Fishackathon
Concert: Russ

Saturday
SnowTown in K-Town
Fishackathon
Farmers Market
Guided Tour: Grand Mosque
Cinemagics Rooftop Movie: Cameraperson
Q8 Readers Book Club – Meet Mr. Saud Alsanousi

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double check with the organizers.

Screenshot from Kickboxer: Retaliation

The movies below are now showing at either Cinescape, Grand Cinemas or Sky Cinemas:

New This Weekend:
Braven (6.5) ♦
Kickboxer: Retaliation (5.0)
Space Chicken (5.4)
The 15:17 to Paris (6.2) ♦
Winchester (5.3) ♦

Other Movies Showing:
12 Strong (7.5)
All the Money in the World (7.1)
Coco (9.1)
Den of Thieves (7.2) ♦
Ferdinand (6.8)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (6.9) ★
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (7.2)
Phantom Thread (8.4)
Proud Mary (5.0)
Slumber (4.7)
The Commuter (6.8)
The Greatest Showman (7.9)
The Post (7.5)
Throne of Elves (6.2)
Wonder (7.2)

The movies below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

A Beautiful Planet 3D (7.9)
Amazing Mighty Micro Monsters 3D (7.4)
America Wild: National Parks Adventure (N/A)
Dream Big 3D (7.9)
Extreme Weather 3D (6.6)
Tiny Giants 3D (8.0)
Watermelon Magic 3D (7.4)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.
★ is for movies I’m interested in. ♦ implies movie might contain censorship.

I’ve seen this building a bunch of times and always wondered what it was. The below was taken from archofkuwait:

Bait Ghaith Bin Abdullah Bin Yousif was built in the 1930s. It is located in Sharq, near the Museum of Modern Art, which was previously Al Sharqiah School for Girls.

Bait Ghaith is one of the old Kuwaiti houses and represents social, economic and cultural features of Kuwaiti society in the past. The house features an intertwined architectural layout typical of the original urban structures in old Kuwait City, particularly in terms of its empty space, its multifunctional features and the way it was built.

The house is located on a 280 sq.m. of land and was adjacent to several stores and houses including the Rashid Al Omer, Humoud Al Mutawa’, and Abdullah Al Madhi houses. The house of the late Ghaith Bin Abdullah Bin Yousif comprised a backyard, two rooms, a store, a bathroom, a kitchen and an upper room for his privacy. The house also contained a cistern to store water.

Ghaith bin Abdullah Bin Yousif was a merchant who used to buy goods and merchandise such as fruits, crates… etc. from ports and ship it to various countries by boats.

Today the Ghaith house maintains its characteristic architectural features, such as the wooden ceiling, the beams, and some of the wooden doors. In addition, the rooms still present the original construction of walls made of sea rocks. The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters refurbished and maintained the building as an example of the old Kuwaiti architecture.

Bait Ghaith before restoration, 2005

For a few more pictures, click [Here]

Earlier this morning I was able to tour the new phase of Avenues, Phase 4. The Avenues extension is set to open on February 25th and so they invited the media today to walk around, explore and take photos.

Avenues Phase 4 includes expansions of existing districts like Prestige, Grand Avenue, and The Souk. But, they’ve also added new districts that include Arcadia, The Grand Plaza, The Forum, Electra and The Cinema, as well as a five-star and four-star hotel.

Phase 4 is HUGE, and its beautiful. They’ve basically taken the Grand Avenue indoor-but-looks-like-outdoor-look and built on it. It’s bright, airy and the main street is wide with lots of little alleyways that connect the various districts.

From what I saw there won’t be much open by February 25th other than a bunch of Alshaya brands, but it will still be a great space to wander about and explore.

If you want to check out more pictures of Phase 4 then check out my story on instagram. I’ve archived the story and so it should be up for some time. Check it out @mark248am

Update: I was just informed that February 25th is the target date but they’re still unsure if they’ll open by then. Also I uploaded a bunch of photos in hi-res which you can view [Here]

This is such a great show, mostly because of how super weird and dark the subject matter is, and yet, its a comedy. This Netflix original focuses on James, a 17-year-old kid who enjoyed killing animals while young and now is considering killing this girl he met called Alyssa, but he kinda likes her. Super weird yet very cute at the same time and I love that.

The series is 8 episodes long and each episode is just 20 minutes so you should be able to get through it in one night. Its super entertaining and pretty fast paced without a single boring moment. The casting director did an incredible job with the show which is filled with great personalities. If you have Netflix, you need to watch this. [Link]