Kaynouna
Background
Dubai, with its fancy skyline, and 7 star hotels, hosts a nightlife that's synonymous with luxury and spectacle. But beneath the surface of this glamorous entertainment landscape, there was a void just beyond the surface — a missing link to a more meaningful cultural experience. This backdrop set the stage for Kaynouna: a concept aiming to infuse Dubai's nightlife with a sense of culture, spirituality, and community that was simply absent.
Drawing inspiration from the Arabic term of "Kaynouna"—meaning to exist—we sought to create an atmosphere where existence transcends the superficial, building a space for more meaningful engagement and connection.
Approach
At the heart of Kaynouna's was to blend art, community, and spiritual connection into an all-in-one event. We developed a strategy that introduced evolving themes each season, like "The Art of Chilling," "We are Roots," and "Cosmic Conscious," to immerse audience in different dimensions of spirituality.
Each theme was brought to life across all media, ensuring a cohesive and engaging experience. The festival's centrepiece, the Art Hub, served as a host to free open-air yoga sessions, sound meditation, and a variety of artistic expressions, transforming it into a daytime place of peace before transitioning into a stage for music performances and collaborative installations at night. The hub also facilitated photography exhibitions, wellness, and boutique showcases, bringing the Dubai art community closer together. Our aim was to turn Kaynouna into a playground where self-expression in all its forms was celebrated, equally valuing the power of music and the arts.
Results
Kaynouna quickly evolved from a passionate project among friends to a solid fixture in Dubai’s event calendar. The festival's success is reflected in its growth from an event that sold 150 tickets in 2017 to a sell-out show in 2019, hosting over 2,000 attendees in the year before the pandemic. Collaborations with sponsors like Uber, Absolute, Careem, and Budweiser showcased the significance of the brand in Dubai's cultural landscape.
Through Kaynouna, we showcased the potential of integrating music with deeper cultural and spiritual dimensions.
