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Emirates celebrates Diwali with special menus and entertainment

NITN | @notintownlive | 17 Oct 2025, 12:37 am

Emirates celebrates Diwali with special menus and entertainment Diwali

Special Diwali treats from Emirates. Photo: Emirates website

Emirates will celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, by offering special meals and entertainment on its flights to and from India between Oct 17 and 24, the airline said.

Diwali-themed dishes will be served across all cabin classes and in select airport lounges for passengers travelling between Dubai and nine Indian cities — Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

Passengers travelling on these routes will be served a range of traditional Diwali sweets, Emirates said.

In Premium Economy and Economy Class, the festive menu includes motichoor laddu, a dessert made of fried chickpea flour balls soaked in sugar syrup, flavoured with cardamom and saffron, and garnished with pistachios.

First and Business Class customers will also be offered a Kaju pista roll, a creamy rose flavoured cashew and pistachio roll with dried fruits and nuts, covered in silver leaves.

Lounge Offerings

At the Emirates First and Business Class Lounges in Dubai, the menu features snacks such as onion kachori and paneer potli samosa with tamarind and mint chutneys, along with desserts including mango sandwich, balushahi, kesar rosogolla, and gajar ka halwa.

First Class passengers can also choose from a Diwali cocktail, the Spicy Saffron Martini, or a non-alcoholic Chai Chat Latte, while Business Class customers will be served an Elderflower Gin Fizz or a Berry Basil Splash mocktail.

In the Emirates lounges in Cape Town and Johannesburg, which serve a large Indian diaspora, passengers will be offered gulab jamun or traditional rice pudding, along with mango lassi as part of the Diwali menu.

Festive Entertainment

According to the airline, passengers can enjoy festive entertainment onboard with 167 Indian films and 14 television programmes available across Emirates’ inflight system. The selection includes regional content in nine languages — Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, and Gujarati — along with 40 Indian music albums and playlists for a Diwali atmosphere onboard.