Updated on 24 October by The Times of India, the second edition of ‘Emirates Loves India’ is set for 26 October at Dubai’s Zabeel Park and is expected to become the largest single-day gathering of the Indian community in the UAE this year. Organised with support from the UAE Government Media Office, the festival celebrates cultural, commercial and diaspora ties that underpin one of the country’s most important labour and tourism corridors.
India supplies roughly 3.5 million residents—nearly a third of the UAE’s population—and remains Dubai International Airport’s top origin market. Event planners anticipate more than 50,000 attendees, including visitors travelling on recently simplified 30- or 60-day tourist visas. Airlines have added capacity on Mumbai, Delhi and Kochi routes to accommodate demand over the Diwali holiday window.
For corporates, the festival is a prime engagement platform: free-zone authorities, banks and Big 4 consultancies will run booths promoting Golden Visas, corporate-banking solutions and cross-border payroll services. HR teams managing Indian assignees in the UAE could leverage the event for community integration programmes, helping families settle and network.
The initiative also dovetails with Dubai’s ‘Year of Community’ agenda, reinforcing the emirate’s soft-power strategy of inclusivity and multiculturalism. Analysts note that such large-scale cultural diplomacy efforts help sustain talent inflows—critical as competition for skilled migrants intensifies across the Gulf.
Travellers should be advised of expected road closures around Zabeel Park and encouraged to use the Metro or ride-sharing apps; event gates open at 2 p.m., with live cultural performances beginning at 4 p.m.
India supplies roughly 3.5 million residents—nearly a third of the UAE’s population—and remains Dubai International Airport’s top origin market. Event planners anticipate more than 50,000 attendees, including visitors travelling on recently simplified 30- or 60-day tourist visas. Airlines have added capacity on Mumbai, Delhi and Kochi routes to accommodate demand over the Diwali holiday window.
For corporates, the festival is a prime engagement platform: free-zone authorities, banks and Big 4 consultancies will run booths promoting Golden Visas, corporate-banking solutions and cross-border payroll services. HR teams managing Indian assignees in the UAE could leverage the event for community integration programmes, helping families settle and network.
The initiative also dovetails with Dubai’s ‘Year of Community’ agenda, reinforcing the emirate’s soft-power strategy of inclusivity and multiculturalism. Analysts note that such large-scale cultural diplomacy efforts help sustain talent inflows—critical as competition for skilled migrants intensifies across the Gulf.
Travellers should be advised of expected road closures around Zabeel Park and encouraged to use the Metro or ride-sharing apps; event gates open at 2 p.m., with live cultural performances beginning at 4 p.m.
