Amilla Maldives celebrates autumn with the Festival of Life
With Autumn comes an array of occasions that celebrate the Earth, love, and light. To commemorate this season, Amilla Maldives presents the Festival of Life – an annual curated selection of programmes and activities encompassing Sustainability Day, Diwali, and Halloween, as well as World Vegan Day and World Kindness Day. Guests can look forward to discovering themselves and other cultures as they holiday on the pristine sands and shimmering waters of this luxury private island resort in the UNESCO World Biosphere of Baa Atoll.
Sustainability Day (26 October)
An EarthCheck silver-certified member of Small Luxury Hotels’ Considerate Collection, Amilla Maldives will mark Sustainability Day by inviting guests to share in its commitment to sustainability and the environment.
Using produce from the resort’s own organic garden, guests can explore the traditional cuisine of the Maldives in a garden-to-table cooking class – or simply indulge in a Zero Waste Menu of exquisite Italian classics with local and island-grown ingredients at the resort’s waterside restaurant, Barolo. Those who like getting their hands dirty can contribute to protecting Amilla Maldives’ home – the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll - by joining a clean-up of an uninhabited neighbouring island.
Children will be imbued with a love for Mother Earth at the Sultan’s Village Kids Club, where tots can enjoy sustainable crafts and tweens can learn about nature and plant coconut trees on the beloved island.
Halloween (31 October)
Originating from the Celtic festival of Samhain, Halloween ushers in the darker half of the year and honours loves lost. Guests can embrace their creative sides at pumpkin painting and carving sessions, as well as a graveyard chocolate pudding-making class. There will be costumes galore as everyone is invited to don Halloween fancy dress for themed activities like Scarecrow Yoga, Witches Social Tennis, Shadow Dancing Class, and Frankenstein Football.
The night begins with a parade of Alebrije – the Mexican folk sculptures popularised by Pixar’s Coco – and trick or treating for the kids. Adults can look forward to an evening of parties, from the Haunted House cocktails at Baa Bar to the Halloween Gala Dinner and chilling Ghost Walk finale at Baa-zaar.
Diwali (12 November)
An important Hindu festival, Diwali is a celebration of good triumphing over evil and a time for family and friends. At Amilla Maldives, the ‘Festival of Lights’ starts with a morning yoga session at Javvu Spa to immerse guests into Indian culture and reconnect them with their bodies; while at Barolo, the resort’s chefs will teach guests how to make savoury samosas.
Adults and children alike can paint their own colourful circles with vibrant powders and petals at a rangoli painting class, craft Diwali cards and get henna tattoos as the beats of Bollywood come alive across the resort. Guests will be enthralled by the theatrical art of dancing with light and ‘fire’ (without the fire) at Baa-zaar, or drop the bass with a Punjabi Songs DJ class at Baa Bar, before Indian special guest DJs take the night away at parties at East and Baa Bar.
Amilla’s Festival of Life will also include celebrations to mark World Vegan Day on 1 November and World Kindness Day on 13 November. Amilla embraces the dietary lifestyles of all guests - spanning vegan/vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb/keto or paleo offerings - with a thoughtfully crafted array of distinctive Wellness Your Way menus offered at all restaurants on the island.
For further information on Amilla Maldives’ Festival of Life programme, view brochure here.
