The Maldives Culture and Food Festival 2025 opens tonight at Hulhumalé Central Park, launching a three-day national celebration that brings together culture, cuisine, and community while marking one of the strongest tourism years in Maldivian history.
Organised by Visit Maldives Corporation in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and Housing Development Corporation, the festival is backed by main sponsor Bank of Maldives, underscoring strong public and private sector alignment behind cultural promotion and tourism growth.
This year’s festival carries added national importance as the Maldives recorded a defining tourism performance in 2025. The country crossed the two-million tourist arrival milestone earlier than ever before, achieved its highest tourism receipts on record with earnings projected to exceed USD 5.8 billion, and secured the title of World’s Leading Destination for the sixth consecutive year. The Maldives remains the only country globally to hold this distinction, reinforcing its dominance in the international tourism arena.
Beyond celebration, the festival serves as a public recognition of the contributions made by local communities, tourism workers, and industry partners who sustained the sector’s momentum throughout the year. It closes the tourism calendar on a note of national pride as the country welcomes the New Year.
The programme features family-focused attractions including children’s play zones with bouncy castles, climbing walls, foam parties, and gaming arcades. Culinary showcases highlight traditional Maldivian flavours alongside fusion cuisine presented by local vendors. Cultural heritage takes centre stage with daytime Boduberu performances, followed by contemporary bands and live music in the evenings.
Across the three days, visitors can also experience interactive entertainment zones, vehicle and watersports displays, a large-scale drone show, a New Year’s Eve fireworks display, and the official countdown to 2026, turning Hulhumalé Central Park into a shared national gathering space.
Open to the public, the Maldives Culture and Food Festival 2025 reflects the continued commitment of national institutions and partners to promote culture, creativity, and community engagement, while reinforcing the Maldives’ global standing as a world-leading destination grounded in strong local identity.
