Dubai Culture Marks 10 Years of ‘Reading Box,’ Inspiring a Love for Books

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has announced a new season of its celebrated ‘Reading Box ‘ initiative, taking place at City Centre Mirdif from 28 October to 6 November 2025. Part of the School of Life initiative, it encourages children and adults to embrace reading, supporting the UAE’s National Literacy Strategy 2016–2026 and Dubai Culture’s mission to promote societal development. 

This season holds special significance as Dubai Culture celebrates the 10th anniversary of ‘Reading Box,’ first launched in alignment with the UAE Reading Law that aims to instil 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 multiple engaging panel discussions and talks, alongside poetry evenings and creative workshops. Visitors will have the chance to build new skills, explore different cultural disciplines, and engage directly with Emirati and resident writers, poets, and intellectuals.

Since its launch 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 activities. It has also distributed 3,000 books and recorded a 96% happiness index.

The first edition was held at The Dubai Mall, followed by City Walk and Dubai Festival City Mall. Since 2019, City Centre Mirdif has served as its permanent home, where it continues to engage the public, nurture future generations, and support Dubai Culture’s vision of positioning the emirate as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.