Dubai night market draws Filipino community back
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Frel Villaflor, owner of DSF Al Rigga The Night Market in Dubai’s Deira district, created the venue to connect Filipinos with their culture and provide opportunities for small businesses.
Since opening in 2006, Villaflor has built a space where Filipinos can gather, share meals, and enjoy entertainment reminiscent of the Philippines. She estimates that around 80 percent of the market’s visitors are Filipino, many of whom live in the nearby Deira area.
The night market, now in its seventh season, reopened on October 17 and offers Filipino food, retail stalls, and live performances. Visitors like Kyrene Luna, who has lived in the UAE for ten years, enjoy the market as a way to maintain cultural ties and introduce their families to familiar traditions. Luna recently visited with her partner and four-month-old baby, making it their first outing as parents.
Leah Mae Castillo, a nurse in Dubai, regularly visits the market with her family, seeing it as a chance to reconnect despite busy work schedules. The market also attracts visitors from other countries, like Deepika Suresh from Chennai, India, who discovered the venue while exploring Dubai and enjoyed experiencing a new cultural atmosphere. Villaflor hopes the market provides a sense of belonging for Filipinos living abroad, creating “a little piece of home” in the UAE.
