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Gardenia and Qout Market are back again this weekend. There’s also an art festival happening at the Mirror House, so if you haven’t been there before, this is a good opportunity. Check out all the events below.

Thursday, January 15
Gardenia Pop-up
Kidspo Village at Al-Assima Mall
Drifting Championship

Friday, January 16
Gardenia Pop-up
Salt Movies: Matilda
Roll Race Championship
Kidspo Village at Al-Assima Mall
Stargazing Trip
Burning Soles First Run

Saturday, January 17
Gardenia Pop-up
Qout Market
DAI Storytime at Amricani
Mirror House 13th Art Festival
Kidspo Village at Al-Assima Mall
Sama’a Community Wellness Day
Walk with the Barefoot Guy

Yesterday, Henley & Partners released their 2026 Passport Index, marking two decades since they first started sharing this list. Henley releases the list every year, and they rank passports based on how many countries holders can enter without a visa.

For 2026, Kuwait ranked 50 on the list with 96 visa-free destinations. Interestingly, it used to be 102 visa-free destinations back in 2024, so I’m curious to know which countries Kuwait had a falling out with.

Compared to neighboring GCC countries, Kuwait has the third best passport, coming in behind the UAE and Qatar. Singapore had the most powerful passport, while Afghanistan had the weakest.

Here are how some other countries ranked compared to Kuwait:

1 – Singapore
5 – United Arab Emirates
7 – United Kingdom
8 – Canada
10 – United States
46 – Turkey / Russia
47 – Qatar
50 – Kuwait
54 – Saudi Arabia
55 – Bahrain
57 – Oman
73 – Philippines
80 – India
85 – Egypt
90 – Lebanon
101 – Afghanistan

If you want to check out the full list, click here.

La Petite Maison Abu Dhabi is hosting a 50 Best Signature Session in collaboration with MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants, and they’ve invited a Kuwaiti chef to take part in the event.

Chef Basmah Marouf, best known for her concept Cantina, will be collaborating with an international chef on a one night only dinner on February 5. The evening will feature an exclusive four course set menu created especially for the event.

Being invited to take part in a 50 Best Signature Session is a pretty big deal, and since the event is being promoted by 50 Best, it does make me wonder if Cantina might have made it onto their Top 50 Best Restaurants list. We’ll find out for sure when the winners are announced on February 3.

For more info on the dinner, head to @lpmabudhabi. To find out next month if Cantina made it onto MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants, keep an eye on @menas50best.

This past weekend, the second round of the GR Yaris Cup took place at Kuwait Motor Town. The GR Yaris Cup is a racing series by Toyota AlSayer, where 12 drivers compete against each other across multiple races. I previously posted about the first round, and with this weekend’s race done, there are now three more rounds to go.

I personally knew 3 of the 12 drivers competing, but even if you don’t know any of them, it’s still easy to pick a favorite team. Each car is sponsored by a brand, so if you’re a Gulf Bank customer or a Caribou Coffee fan, you can follow their driver. Or you can just watch and cheer for everyone, there are no rules.

All the races are free to watch at the track, and there are usually other activities taking place as well, like food trucks, simulators, and passenger rides around the circuit. The next round is in February, so if you want to stay updated on upcoming races, head over to @toyotakw or @gazooracingkw or their website.

Last June, I posted that Alghanim Industries had launched the brand Sama X and had become the official distributors of Starlink’s satellite internet in Kuwait. The service was meant to launch last year, but when I reached out to them in September, they said licensing and regulatory approvals were taking longer than expected. They were hoping to finalize everything by the end of last year, but according to a contact of mine at CITRA, those issues still haven’t been fully resolved.

Starlink internet works through satellites, making it perfect for places where regular internet can be spotty or completely unavailable. I spent Christmas in Lebanon where the internet was incredibly slow and unreliable, and I told myself that next time I go back, I’d bring my own Starlink with me. Starlink has a small portable unit with roaming packages, which would be perfect for a trip like that. But since there’s still no confirmed timeline for when Starlink will go live in Kuwait, I’ll either have to wait a bit longer or buy an imported unit and pay a premium.

If you want to stay posted on the launch, their website is Sama X

A couple of years ago, I posted photos of an old mosque I came across while browsing the Tareq Rajab Museum’s private photography archive. The photos were taken sometime in the 1970s, and with the help of my Twitter followers, we were able to track down the mosque, which turned out to still be standing in the city.

The mosque was identified as the Ahmad Abdullah Mosque, built in 1915, and located in the area behind the Dickson House. When I passed by, it was in terrible condition and looked like it could collapse at any moment. Someone must have seen my post because restoration work started last summer and was recently completed.

I’m not sure how authentic the restoration was, but the important thing is the mosque wasn’t demolished or left to crumble. It’s now fenced off, and no one is allowed to access the area around it. I’m not sure what the plan is, but they might be keeping is closed until the old city project surrounding it is eventually completed.

If you want to check out my previous post with the old photos, click here.

If you’re looking for a good movie to watch, I watched Predator: Badlands last night and it was really great. Although the trailer was good I wasn’t expecting the movie to be this good because prequels and sequels tend to be butchered. But, I was looking for a sci-fi and this popped up so decided to watch and glad I did. It’s visually stunning and there never was a dull moment throughout the film, it actually felt short by the end.

I streamed the movie on AppleTV but because it’s still new, the cost to rent it was pricey at $25. So similar in price to two people going to watch it in the movies, except I prefer my setup to a movie theater so it makes it kinda ok.

Yesterday I posted that Kuwait Airways will start flying to Mykonos but according to my contact at Kuwait Airways, they’ll soon be launching new direct flights to more interesting destinations, including:

• Beijing
• Maldives
• Moscow
• Phuket

Maldives and Beijing are the two destinations I’m most interested in. Maldives because I’ve been wanting to experience it for a long time, and Beijing because I want to explore parts of China and it would be a great starting point. I do wish they brought back Athens instead of Mykonos though, especially since after deciding it would be my go-to summer spot, they suddenly stopped flying to it.

Kuwait Airways will start flying to Moscow three times a week and Mykonos twice a week, both starting in June. I’m still waiting to hear back on the other destinations, but you can keep an eye on their account for an official announcement @kuwaitairways

There were recently articles in the newspaper about Royal Pharmacy having their license revoked. The article didn’t make much sense to me since it didn’t really explain why their license was revoked. I read a few comments online about people thinking it was because they had too many branches open in the same area, and a lot of people sounded like they were happy their license was being revoked, like they wanted Royal Pharmacy to be punished for their success.

I have a Royal Pharmacy near my house (actually 3) but there is one I pass by the most. So I asked my pharmacist what the issue is and if they were in fact closing down because all three pharmacies near me were still open.

According to my pharmacist the issue is that basically the Kuwaiti owner of Royal Pharmacy had his citizenship revoked. So all the Royal Pharmacy stores no longer had a Kuwaiti partner.

I think the way pharmacies work in Kuwait is that an individual pharmacist needs to be the owner. So for example Royal Pharmacy or Boots are brands names, but each pharmacy is owned by an individual pharmacist. That’s why sometimes you’ll find a pharmacist name on the sign or a window sticker written in a small font.

According to my pharmacist who is an expat, because the Royal Pharmacy owner is no longer Kuwaiti, all the pharmacists need to find a new Kuwaiti partner. So the pharmacies won’t be closing (or most won’t at least), but they will be renamed or rebranded. One of the three Royal pharmacies next to me already had the word Royal removed from the signage. I’d imagine some other big brand might now want to take over the Royal Pharmacy brand.

Anyway, the above is just based on what my pharmacist told me so it might not necessarily be accurate, but it makes sense to me.

Studio Marmi is a newly opened natural stone gallery in Shuwaikh. It’s the largest of its kind, and I found the concept really interesting when they explained it to me. Unlike most natural stone showrooms, Studio Marmi doesn’t display small samples of each stone. Instead, they showcase full uncut slabs, meaning the stone you choose is the exact stone you get.

Most of the time when you’re shopping for natural stone for your home or a commercial space, you pick a stone based on a showroom sample, and since that sample is usually just a display piece, you often end up getting something similar instead. Because Studio Marmi displays the actual slabs, the stone you pick with all its unique characteristics is the one you actually get. Browsing the slabs is a unique experience as well, since they use a crane mechanism to move them around for viewing and selection.

This is also why their space is so large and feels more like a warehouse than a traditional showroom. As you walk around, you’ll see each stone clearly labeled with information on its strength, best uses, and pricing. They carry stones of varying strengths, from softer options like limestone and marble to harder ones like quartzite and crystal, all curated by them and imported from Brazil.

In addition to their impressive space, all their inventory is also available on their website. Once a new slab arrives, it’s photographed and added to their live online inventory along with all the relevant details. They also have a 3D visualizer that helps you see how a specific natural stone might look in a kitchen or home environment.

If you want to pass by their showroom, here is their location on Google Maps. You can also check out their website studiomarmi.com.kw or check out their instagram account @studiomarmikw

Ever since Nando’s reopened in Kuwait, I’ve been a regular, usually ordering my go-to dish, the Espetada with the hot peri-peri sauce. If you’ve never been to Nando’s, the best way to describe the Espetada is that it’s their version of taouk. It’s flame-grilled boneless PERi-PERi chicken thighs served to your table on a skewer hanging from a stand. It’s pretty eye-catching, and you’ll usually notice people glancing your way when it arrives.

Recently, Nando’s launched their most epic Espetada to date, the Espetada A Torre Dukkah Lima, which was created to feel a bit more special than the usual lineup. The dish still features flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken thighs, but this time they’re stuffed with a spiced PERi-dukkah and cream cheese filling, layered with yellow pepper, red onion, and lime, then finished with a PERi and herb tahini pour-over sauce. You also get to choose your sides, and my favorites are the corn on the cob and coleslaw.

It’s a good excuse to try the Espetada if you’ve never had it before. It’s available for dine-in at The Marina Crescent, Assima Mall, The Warehouse Mall, and Al Kout Mall. If you don’t feel like leaving the house, their menu is also available on Talabat. If you want to check out the full menu and prices, they have it linked in their profile @nandos.kw

Similar to last year, I put together a year in review highlighting some of the most popular posts from the past year.

Last year I had one post that went viral internationally, and that was my Gaza Cola post. I still don’t really understand why it took off the way it did, and honestly it brought a lot of unwanted noise with it. I ended up closing the comments and repeatedly hiding and unhiding the post until things finally quieted down. In the end that post got over 2 million views and over 160,000 likes.

I generally don’t like posts going viral since they tend to attract followers outside my usual audience. I love it when a post does really well, but once it goes past around 5,000 likes, things start to get really weird.

When it comes to ads, the most liked ad last year was my post on HBR opening in London which got over 5,600 likes. The runner up posts were for OffTheCoal and Aseer Time. The income I generated last year from ads actually allowed me to quit my job to blog full time. My previous job not paying salaries definitely helped push that decision, but either way, I blog for a living now. The last time I quit my job to blog full time was back in 2012, but back then I still took on a part time job back for the extra income.

Since quitting my job I now live in gym gear, with pants reserved for special occasions. I also don’t play as many video games as I hoped I would, but on the other hand, I think my dog is happy that I now hang out with him all day. Although most of the time he’s just sleeping while I’m working on my Mac.

Other random info: the most shared post for 2025 was my Primark post, which is interesting since the most shared post for 2024 was also Primark related. That shows just how much interest there is around Primark. The most controversial subject last year was gym pricing, with two of the top three most commented posts being gym related.

Finally, I ended 2025 with around 96K followers, compared to 55K at the end of 2024. It’s not double, but I do spend a lot of time removing fake followers, so at least it’s real.

Check out the most popular posts below.

Posts with Highest Views

Gaza Cola is Now Available in Kuwait
2,295,025 views

Primark Kuwait Prices Compared to the UK
598,661 views

Bella Hadid is Coming to Kuwait
417,638 views

Posts with the Most Likes

Gaza Cola is Now Available in Kuwait
160,721 likes

It’s Official – Wingstop is Opening in Kuwait
12,442 likes

More Old Kuwaiti Houses from the 1960s
11,766 likes

Posts with the Most Comments

5 Reasons Women’s Gyms in Kuwait Cost More
433 comments

The Drama Behind the 750s Latte
378 comments

Men vs Women: Gym Prices in Kuwait
372 comments

Posts with the Most Shares

Primark Kuwait Prices Compared to the UK
22,952 shares

It’s Official – Wingstop is Opening in Kuwait
20,434 shares

Bella Hadid is Coming to Kuwait
20,268 shares

Best Performing Ads

Kuwaiti Burger Brand HBR Opens in London
5,608 likes

This Might be the Most Unique Spot in Kuwait
4,488 likes

Aseer Time Just Opened in China
4,112 likes

I haven’t been posting for a few days since I wanted to take a bit of time off to enjoy the holidays. But I’m back now because a lot of people have been asking if there will be fireworks tonight, and the answer is yes and no.

If you’re asking whether there will be a huge fireworks show like the ones previously held at Kuwait Towers or earlier this year at Al Shaheed Park, then the answer is no.

However, similar to last year, there will be several fireworks displays taking place around Kuwait.

The biggest one was expected to happen at KLAND, but they announced late last night that the fireworks show has been canceled.

That means the largest displays are now likely to be at Messilah Beach, Al Kout Mall, and Al Khiran Mall. If you don’t want to drive that far, or you’re looking for something near Kuwait Towers, JON will be holding a short fireworks show that will last a few minutes.

Wherever you end up watching the fireworks from, have a great night and happy new year.

Update: Messilah Beach just announced that their fireworks show is also canceled due to “directives of the relevant security authorities.” I wonder what’s going on🤔

Update2: JON also canceled their fireworks

Update3: Al Kout Mall and Al Khiran also announced the cancelations of their shows

If you still haven’t booked your New Year’s Eve dinner, here are three options worth checking out.

Solange
Solange, one of my favorite restaurants, is hosting a New Year’s Eve evening with a live performance, a curated menu by the visionary Alan Yau, and a countdown to the new year.
Minimum charge is KD 40 per person.
Book Here

Paparazzi
Paparazzi is going with a festive Italian vibe, featuring a live Italian swing band, a welcome drink, a special dessert, and a countdown to the new year.
Minimum charge is KD 35 per person.
Book Here

Giulia
Giulia’s New Year’s Eve includes a live performance, special decorations, a welcome drink, and a countdown to welcome the new year.
Minimum charge is KD 32.5 per person.
Book Here

Every year I pick 6 New Year’s Eve dinners to highlight, but this year there are 7 since I added one extra option that doesn’t require a minimum spend or advance booking. I’ve mixed up the list with different styles and vibes, so check them out below.

The list is in alphabetical order and the prices listed are per person. If you have other recommendations just share them in the comments.

Odachi at SVN
Includes live music and fire show, set menu and welcome drink
KD 40

OffTheCoal
Includes live DJ and a set menu curated by Chef Sebastiano Campanelli
KD 35

Piatti
Includes live DJ, performance by Arabs Got talent finalist magician, Khalid Al-Muhareb and a set menu.
KD 65

Republique
Includes live entertainment with a curated set menu
Outdoors: KD 95
Indoors: KD 85

SALT at Blajaat
Includes photo booth, live DJ, sparklers and party blowers
No minimum spend or reservation required

Solange
Includes live performance, a set menu curated by Alan Yau and a welcome drink
Minimum Charge: KD 40

Table Otto
Includes live music performance, a set menu and a goodie bag
From: KD 55

Update: Table Otto just decided to cancel their NYE dinner so here’s an alternative, Matcho is hosting a rooftop NYE with a live DJ at The Hub. No booking required or minimum spend, they’ll be offering their usual menu.