The event, held at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, featured traditional music, cuisine, arts and handicrafts, with organizers framing it as more than entertainment — a recognition of the Iranian community’s longstanding role in the UAE’s multicultural fabric.

Acclaimed Iranian performers Homayoun Shajarian and Ali Ghamsari headlined the program, which also included cooking demonstrations, handicraft displays and family-oriented activities. Martial arts presentations from Dubai’s first Pahlavani studio drew particular attention with synchronized routines and traditional wooden club exercises.

UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan hailed the festival as proof of enduring friendship. “For centuries, our peoples have traded, shared stories, interwoven families, and worked together to foster peace, stability and security. This gathering shows that our friendship is strong and continues to thrive,” he said.

Ali-Reza Mahmoudi, Iran’s newly appointed consul general in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, used the festival as his first public appearance. He described the UAE as a “second home” for nearly 800,000 Iranians now living in the country, praising Emirati leaders for supporting integration and mutual respect.

The festival also offered Iranian businesses a platform to showcase products from traditional clothing to culinary specialties. Organizers said the initiative underscored economic, tourism and cultural opportunities between the two neighbors, which maintain strong links in trade, energy, aviation and entrepreneurship.

Rashed Al Tamimi, director of the social initiative Emirates Loves Iran, which co-organized the event with Dubai Police, called the festival “a message of love and appreciation” and a reflection of the UAE’s vision for inclusivity. “To the Iranian community, we say you are not guests. You are partners in this homeland,” he said.

For many attendees, the gathering carried personal significance. “We have a thriving Iranian community here. We can enjoy everything from home — our food, our culture — and still be part of an international society,” said Yusuf Astaraki, an expatriate living in Dubai for 25 years. Another participant, Mostafa Moradi, a recent arrival from Iran, expressed gratitude for “the peace and prosperity” he found in the UAE.