Feeling a little down in the dumps? This might be just what you need…

Who else was sad when the Happiness Festival had to be cancelled last month because of the weather? Well, your frowns are about to be turned upside down.

The free festival is now happening this weekend at The Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club, and the forecast is looking good this time (hello, sunshine!).

What’s it all about? Making happiness “simple and accessible”, with a huge number of conferences, workshops, training, retreats and consulting sessions taking place.

There will be 65 wellbeing experts hosting sessions throughout the day, with talks and workshops on everything from positive coping strategies, to exercise and group yoga.

Every 40 minutes or so there will be new workshops to try, and the seven different topics covered every hour are: Positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment, the man cave and the kids area.

There are even workshops on ‘How and Why Guys Communicate Differently’ as well as ‘10 Simple Ways to Connect with your Child Every Day’.

Here’s a full schedule of all of the classes happening at the event.

“The Happiness Festival is all about first-hand experience. Not just on the theory of how happiness can impact your life, but the practice,” the event’s website reads.

“Whether your preference is mindfulness or just having fun – it’s all right here.”

Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai Studio City, Al Qudra Road, Dubai. Friday March 10, 11am to 6.30pm. Free (but register here). Tel: (04) 3618111. thehappinesshub.me.

HAPPINESS IN THE UAE

This time last year we saw the UAE government recruit the Minister of Happiness, H.E. Ohood Al Roumi. Her mission? To “channel policies and plans to achieve a happier society.”

Just last week, the first round of Chief Happiness and Positivity Officers (CHPOs) graduated. They will work at federal and local governmental authorities.

Here’s a video showing Sheikh Mohammed meeting with the Happiness team:

It seems that Al Roumi has continued the UAE government’s hard work behind the scenes, with the UAE having ranked highest in the Middle East in terms of happiness since 2012, according to the World Happiness Report.

“Since the dawn of history, happiness is all that humanity has sought,” H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai mused in an article on LinkedIn last year.

“Studies have shown that happy people produce more, live longer and driver better economic development in their communities and countries.”

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