Alserkal Avenue’s food festival is going back to basics this year. What The Food returns on 31 October and 1 November with a theme that translates to “bread and salt”: Khubz wa Milh.
What The Food 2026 Is All About
The 2026 edition moves on from last year’s theme, Disrupting the Table, and turns towards regional food culture, traditions and the simple act of gathering around a meal. Curator Leen Al Zaben told Caterer Middle East that the programme is designed to bring the community together, with intention and presence behind every activation.
At the heart of the festival sits a long table that will bring visitors and makers together. Alserkal Avenue says the festival gathers chefs, artists, thinkers, farmers and makers around the theme, through talks, workshops and more.
Off The Menu Brings New Events To Al Quoz
New this year is Off The Menu, a series of weekend conversations, collaborations and workshops at Alserkal Avenue in the run-up to the festival. It gives restaurants, chefs and entrepreneurs more opportunities to connect with the district’s wider creative community, well before the main weekend arrives.
Alserkal Avenue director Basmah El Bittar said the festival has grown from a seasonal food programme over its previous four editions, which makes 2026 the fifth. Visitors, she explained, increasingly want the stories, people and perspectives behind what they eat.
What Happened At Last Year’s Festival?
That fits with last year’s edition, which ran on 25 and 26 October and pulled in names such as Asma Khan, Douglas McMaster, Fatmata Binta, Tala Bashmi and Nadir Nahdi for talks on waste, heritage, climate and community. Visit Dubai listed the 2025 festival as a free event. Timings, line-up and entry details for 2026 should be confirmed on Alserkal Avenue’s official channels before you plan your visit.
Also Read: What The Food Dubai 2025: Dates, Theme & Highlights Of Alserkal’s Disruptive Culinary Festival
Make A Day Of Your Visit To Alserkal Avenue
Since you will already be in Al Quoz, make a day of it. Alserkal Avenue has become a proper food destination in its own right. Middle Child, from chef Lynn Hazim, combines a communal table, a gourmet grocery and a cookbook corner. WINDOW is a 32-seat, chef-led restaurant built around live-fire cooking and seasonal menus. Dastarkhan, a small food truck on the Avenue, serves hand-pulled noodles, and its chef was ranked among the world’s top three for noodles by the World Food Championships.
Whether you come for the talks, the long table or just the snacks between exhibitions, this edition looks set to be a slower, more grounded one.
Where: Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1, Dubai
When: 31 October and 1 November 2026