Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is an annual month long event put together by the Dubai Festivals & Retail Establishment (DFRE), which is a part of Dubai’s department of tourism. During the festival, shops offer discounts on their merchandise, daily car raffles and prize drawings are held to win items such as gold and cars, and there is a fireworks display. There are also a range of family activities and live shows that take place throughout Dubai.

White or beige, but never black, the “desert truffle” is a rare delicacy with a dedicated marketplace in Kuwait, where remnants of the Iraqi invasion and changing weather patterns have decimated local production. Less prestigious and less expensive than its darker cousin, the Middle Eastern truffle is a prized ingredient for bedouins, who integrate it into their traditional rice and meat dishes or in sauces, boiled with onions. On the outskirts of Kuwait City, in the Rai industrial district, connoisseurs begin perusing the truffle souk at 9 a.m., surveying the various weights and colors and using their noses to select the best fungus. Some barter while others go straight for the top shelf, with the “Zebidi” variety especially prized for its use in traditional recipes. Demand is so high in the Gulf emirate’s market that each year hundreds of merchants compete for limited stall space during the cooler winter months. The market was devised by the municipality of Al-Rai, an industrial zone just northwest of Kuwait City, which oversees quality control and guarantees the traceability of the fungus.

Canada’s Great Kitchen Party is a national culinary competition staged in eleven cities in which 5-10 chefs annually are invited to compete in each city. A team of food and wine critics from each city work with national critics to determine the top three winning creations and then a gold, silver and bronze medal-winning chef is crowned. To be invited to compete at a regional level is a notch in the belt. To win the gold is a major achievement! The gold medal winning chef then has the opportunity to go on to compete at the National Finals, the Canadian Culinary Championships – this year to be staged on February in Ottawa, Ontario. Only one chef wins and to be crowned the top chef in Canada is a career changer!

Cain’s Quest Snowmobile Endurance Race has been described as the ultimate in extreme racing. At 3100km of high energy racing in 2018, this race is the longest race of its kind in the world and promises to keep race fans on the edge of their seat. Cain’s Quest is a true northern adventure that gives racers the experience of a life time. Racers push body and machine to the limits in an all out race to the finish for a shot at a hefty prize purse. Teams of two leave the start line pumped with adrenaline and an eye on the prize. Some, with a “take no prisoners” attitude, may quickly learn that when the going gets tough, sportsmanship and help from a competing team is often what it takes to make it through. The race runs day and night guided by GPS and gut instinct to get teams from checkpoint to checkpoint. This event requires a solid strategy, top gun riding skills, the will to keep going, a tough, dependable snowmobile, and a whole lot of luck!

Taste of Dubai is the definitive showcase of the capital’s best restaurants, top chefs, live music and leading food & drink brands. This year, the 3-day event will be hosted between the 7th-9th March 2019, at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. The highlight of the foodie calendar, Taste of Dubai showcases the latest, greatest and most exciting restaurants from the region. Festival goers can expect to be served taster-size signature dishes, whilst world-class chefs cook up a storm live on-stage and, as always, there will be many opportunities to get hands-on with interactive masterclasses and shop from an array of local and international food & drink vendors. Popping up once a year, Taste of Dubai 2019, expects to host over 25,000 fun-loving visitors, with live music from the hottest international acts and fun activities for the whole family.

Easter, also called Pascha (Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as “Holy Week”, which contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper, as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. In Western Christianity, Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the 50th day, Pentecost Sunday. In Eastern Christianity, the season of Pascha begins on Pascha and ends with the coming of the 40th day, the Feast of the Ascension.