Your Complete Guide to Onam Celebrations Across the UAE 2025
Meera Pillai
Culture Writer
Sadya venues, cultural programmes, family events and shopping offers — everything you need to celebrate Onam in the Gulf.
Onam — Kerala's most beloved harvest festival — transforms the UAE every September into a little Kerala, with sadyas stretching across hotel banquet halls, pookkalams blooming in community centres, and the rhythm of thiruvathira echoing from Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah.
With Onam 2025 falling on September 5th (Thiruvonam), the preparations are already underway. Here's your definitive guide to celebrating it fully, wherever you are in the UAE.
SADYA: WHERE TO EAT
The quintessential Onam Sadya experience is now offered by dozens of restaurants across all seven emirates. In Dubai, Tharavadu in Al Karama and Chakara in Karama have month-long advance bookings by August. Kerala House near DWTC is a classic. In Abu Dhabi, Arya Bhavan in Madinat Zayed and Kerala Kitchen in Mussafah are community favourites.
For a more authentic community experience, several Malayali associations host sadya events open to the public. The Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre in Sharjah typically seats 2,000+, while the Kerala Association Dubai's main event at the cricket stadium is a landmark of the season.
CULTURAL PROGRAMMES
The Onam season sees the UAE's cultural calendar fill up rapidly. Major performances include classical kathakali at Madinat Jumeirah, mohiniyattam recitals at the Indian Community Centre in Abu Dhabi, and fusion performances combining classical and contemporary Kerala music.
POOKKALAM COMPETITIONS
Flower carpet (pookkalam) competitions are held by most associations. The Dubai Malayalee Samajam competition attracts over 50 entries annually with AED prizes. Participants use marigolds, roses, and chrysanthemums sourced from the flower markets of Deira and Sharjah.
SHOPPING & DEALS
Onam is the biggest shopping season for Kerala businesses in the UAE. Expect 20–40% discounts on traditional wear (kasavu sarees, mundus), Kerala gold jewellery, and home goods. Most Kerala textile stores in Meena Bazaar and Gold Souk areas launch dedicated Onam collections by late August.
Wherever you celebrate this Onam, the spirit of Mahabali's homecoming — one of prosperity, equality, and abundance — is alive and well in the UAE.
Comments (94)
Excellent article! Really inspiring to see how far our community has come in Dubai. The Ravi Menon story is particularly amazing.
Would have loved to see more women entrepreneurs featured. The healthcare and hospitality mentions are great but there are many more!
This brought tears to my eyes. 30 years of hard work by our elders made all of this possible. Proud to be Malayali.
Meera Pillai
Culture Writer · MalayaliBusiness.com