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Sikka Art and Design Festival (previously called Sikka Art Festival) is now in full swing. It is back for its 10th edition running until March 24 at Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. It will be open daily from 6pm to 11pm on weekdays, 2pm to 12am on Saturday and 2pm to 11pm on Sunday.

Here are 5 reasons why you should visit

Arts, lots of art…

Essentially, during the festival, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood turns into an open-air art museum. Throw on those walking shoes and explore the alleyways of Al Fahidi and immerse yourself in art by local and regional artists and more. There are paintings, graffiti, sculptures and outdoor art installations.

The entertainment

In Courtyard B, you will find entertainment spanning Arabic indie-pop to jazz. Sit at the tables with your loved ones and a bite to eat (see below), sit back and relax. There are also poetry recitals.

You can also see a movie under the stars

In need of a break from all that walking? See an arthouse film under the stars in Courtyard A. The screenings span a number of languages from Arabic, French, German and more. A few of them will include English subtitles and some are silent shorts.

The food

An array of culinary delights await at Sikka Art and Design Festival. Refuel on hot grills, sweet treats, coffee, and more. You can even visit XVA Gallery’s cafe for vegetarian food. For a quick refreshment, there’s authentic Taiwanese fruit tea from Yi Fang or cool off with ice cream from House of Pop.

The workshops

If you’re feeling creative after walking through the alleyways of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, have a go at one of the workshops. There are over 60 workshops including pottery, soap making, sketching workshops, cooking classes and much more to choose from.

Tip: Visit just before sundown if you don’t have a lot of time to spend to get the best of the festival in the light and during the night.

You can find a list of what is taking place each day here.