As the festive season approaches, one truth remains beautifully constant across the world: the desire to gather, connect, and share joy. Whether in the glow of lanterns, around a camp fire in the bush, or in the bustle of city streets, people everywhere seek the company of loved ones.

 

For travellers, Jumeirah’s hotels stand at the heart of these traditions, offering a window into the ways the world celebrates togetherness. From Africa’s long summer days, London’s festive winter streets, Bali’s ritual-filled evenings, to the Middle East’s season of open-air feasts.

 

Middle East

Celebrations rooted in warmth and ritual

 

The Middle East stretches wide - deserts and coasts, glittering skylines and ancient souks - yet across its vastness, winter brings a similar rhythm, as cooler days invite life outdoors once more.

 

In Dubai, December evenings carry a festive hum as the Madinat Jumeirah Festive Market transforms Fort Island with music, colour and scents. Families wander past wooden stalls stacked with handmade crafts and fragrant food, while abra boats glide through the canals. Al fresco dining becomes almost ceremonial – lavish brunches and long lunches in which mezze, roast lamb, and fresh seafood speak to the region’s generosity and its deep tradition of hospitality.

 

Further along the coast in Oman, the air is perfumed with frankincense and the evenings unfold with celebration. Courtyards and majlis tents fill with the aroma of shuwa, lamb cooked slowly underground before being unveiled in abundant portions for all to enjoy. Music and dance carry into the night, mingling with the sea breeze over Muscat Bay.

 

To the north in the Gulf of Bahrain, night markets pulse with energy. Manama’s narrow lanes fill with people wandering between stalls of jewellery and textiles, neighbours pausing to exchange greetings as performers play in the squares. The aroma of freshly grilled seafood mingles with the sweetness of Bahraini halwa, while pearl-inspired crafts remind visitors of the island’s rich maritime heritage. Yet, at the heart of celebration, remains the timeless ritual of the majlis – cardamom coffee poured into small cups, dates offered with care, stories carried forward around the fire, and a spirit of warmth and generosity that defines Bahrain’s festive season.

 

 

Africa

Where nature’s wonders bring people close

 

Across the southern hemisphere, summer marks the height of celebration. Days are long, storms pass quickly over wild landscapes, while the coast basks in steady warmth. Nights arrive beneath constellations bright and near, carrying with them the comfort of food, song, and stories passed from one generation to the next.

 

South Africa

At Jumeirah Thanda Safari in KwaZulu-Natal, the festive period unfolds in the bushveld, where game drives take guests in search of the Big Five. Each outing brings wonder - the roar of a lion breaking the dawn, or elephants moving silently through the bush - moments that draw loved ones closer to each other and the wild.

 

During the evenings, guests gather around the fire pit. Across Africa, fire has long symbolised community, a place for stories and wisdom. Here, the braai, South Africa’s cherished custom of cooking over open coals, is especially popular during the festive season.  Flames rise into the night as food is grilled slowly and enjoyed, while conversation flows and Zulu song and dance add rhythm to the night.

 

For children, the Junior Ranger programme brings adventure, teaching them to track animals, identify birds, and read the bush like a living story. And while reindeer belong to northern tales, Africa offers its own festive cast: a kudu with spiralling horns, a zebra with bold stripes, or a giraffe stretching towards the treetops.

 

Tanzania

Jumeirah Thanda Island offers an experience unlike anywhere else: a private island reserved solely for you and your loved ones. With no distractions beyond sea and sky, it becomes an idyllic setting to spend time with those who matter most.

 

Days are warm and the waters welcoming. Whale sharks pass close to shore, while nearby reefs brim with life for snorkellers and divers. Dhows carry guests to fishing villages or hidden sandbanks, where barefoot picnics can be set in the middle of the ocean.

 

Evenings return to the island itself, where Swahili feasts of lobster, grilled fish, and spiced pilau are served beneath the palms. Later, a bonfire burns on the beach and children chase the surf at the water’s edge. Some nights bring open-air films under the stars, others end with the hush of the tide - far from the world, yet closest to those you love.

 

Bali

A time to pause, reflect, and reconnect

 

In Bali, the holiday season coincides with the monsoon, when rain nourishes the land and the island feels freshly alive. Celebration here is both outward and inward. Families share meals and music, but the sense of closeness also means pausing to honour the spirit of place. Each day begins with canang sari - palm-leaf offerings of flowers, rice, and incense - set out at temples and doorways, gestures of thanks and harmony.

 

As the year draws to a close, Denpasar’s festival fills the Heritage Gajah Mada area with parades, dance and street food. On the coast, people gather by the sea, releasing paper lanterns into the sky as a wish for the year ahead.

 

At Jumeirah Bali, connection reflects the island’s relaxed pace. Days are spent exploring temples and terraced hills, evenings marked by an authentic Megibung - a communal Balinese meal where dishes like sate lilit, minced fish satay on lemongrass, and slow-cooked bebek betutu are shared at the table with the Indian Ocean beyond.

 

London

Markets, carols and winter charm

 

In London, the festive season is steeped in the charm of an English winter. Streets glow beneath a canopy of lights, shop windows sparkle with imaginative displays, and the air carries the promise of frost - and, if luck allows, snow. From Jumeirah Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge the city feels at once grand and intimate - with Somerset House and Battersea only a stone’s throw away, drawing visitors and Londoners alike to their glittering ice rinks and bustling markets, the Southbank’s riverside chalets offering hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts, and the great spruce in Trafalgar Square, a gift from Oslo that has lit the city every December since 1947.

 

Back at the hotel, afternoons are marked by the timeless ritual of tea. Seasonal creations - delicate sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream, and feather-light pastries - make this quintessentially British tradition a moment of pause and indulgence before the city’s evening celebrations.

 

As night falls, London comes alive with performance: carols echo beneath the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, pantomimes animate the West End, and choirs raise their voices in candlelit churches across the city. On New Year’s Eve, crowds line the Thames as fireworks bloom above the London Eye and Big Ben strikes midnight.

 

While each culture expresses this spirit of togetherness in its own way, the essence is universal - celebrating life’s most meaningful moments alongside those who matter most.