Dubai: Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has announced a new season of its celebrated 'Reading Box' initiative, scheduled to take place at City Centre Mirdif from 28th October to 6th November 2025.
According to Emirates News Agency, the 'Reading Box' is part of the School of Life initiative, aimed at encouraging both children and adults to embrace reading. This effort supports the UAE's National Literacy Strategy 2016-2026, as well as Dubai Culture's mission to promote societal development through literacy.
This season is particularly significant as it marks the 10th anniversary of 'Reading Box.' The initiative was first launched in alignment with the UAE Reading Law, which aims to instill a culture of reading across society, strengthen human capital, encourage national literary production, and contribute to building a knowledge-based economy.
The 2025 programme, aligned with Dubai's Quality of Life Strategy, will feature engaging panel discussions and talks. It will also include poetry evenings and creative workshops, allowing visitors the opportunity to build new skills, explore different cultural disciplines, and interact directly with Emirati and resident writers, poets, and intellectuals.
Since its inception in 2016, 'Reading Box' has evolved into a vibrant platform, attracting over 33,000 participants, including nearly 2,000 students from 70 schools. To date, it has hosted around 380 activities ranging from debates and workshops to cultural events. It has also distributed 3,000 books and recorded a 96% happiness index among participants.
The first edition of 'Reading Box' was held at The Dubai Mall, followed by events at City Walk and Dubai Festival City Mall. Since 2019, City Centre Mirdif has served as its permanent venue, continuing to engage the public, nurture future generations, and support Dubai Culture's vision of positioning the emirate as a global center for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.