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Fari Islands Festival debuts with global creatives and unforgettable experiences
Patina Maldives and The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, have partnered to launch the inaugural Fari Islands Festival – a celebration of culture, creativity, and conscious living – taking place from 19-22 September 2025. This first edition will bring together internationally renowned contemporary creatives and thought leaders, including Canadian poet and illustrator Rupi Kaur, British DJ Kim Turnbull, and Tokyo-born fine food movement Wagyumafia. The Fari Islands Festival is set to establish itself as a distinctive new moment on the Indian Ocean’s cultural calendar.
This unique collaboration unites two leading resorts in a shared commitment to fostering an inspired and mindful Maldivian experience, set within the serene and forward-thinking Fari Islands archipelago.
Designed not as a spectacle but as an experience of resonance and reflection, the Fari Islands Festival invites discerning guests to immerse themselves in a world of ideas and artistry.
The four-day programme has been thoughtfully curated to offer guests opportunities to connect with contemporary thought leaders, creators, and innovators in immersive, considered, and wholly original ways.
- Creative Artistry: Internationally celebrated poet Rupi Kaur will lead the festival’s creative discourse, delivering a series of intimate readings and reflective dialogues that explore language, emotion, and personal truth.
- Body, Mind, and Soul: The Bamford Experience, hosted by wellness expert CJ Jones-Leake alongside sustainability advocate and former professional athlete Anthony Mullally, offers a daily rhythm of grounding rituals, including breathwork, movement, and integrative therapies.
- Nature Amplified: National Geographic Explorer and shark scientist Gibbs Kuguru, in partnership with the Olive Ridley Project, will guide a series of explorations designed to deepen awareness of the Maldives’ marine ecosystems. Guests will be invited into a renewed relationship with the ocean through guided snorkelling trips, conservation workshops, and reflective discussions.
- Sonic Immersion: British DJ and creative force Kim Turnbull will curate the island’s sonic identity, shaping ambient soundscapes and live performances that align with the gentle cadence of the natural environment.
- Culinary Exploration: Gastronomy will become performance with Wagyu Mafia’s celebrated Kobe beef ritual, presented through a limited series of curated dinners. Meanwhile, award-winning cocktail studio Nutmeg and Clove will reimagine the island’s bar culture through sensorial storytelling and spirited artistry.
The festival will be hosted across the Fari Islands, a rare example of architectural clarity and community-led design. At the heart of the archipelago lies Fari Marina Village, a shared destination that seamlessly connects both resorts through curated experiences in dining, design, and the arts.
The Fari Islands is the only destination in the Maldives where two distinct resort philosophies coexist in effortless harmony. Patina Maldives embodies transformative luxury and artistic curiosity, encouraging guests to look beyond the moment and create lasting memories. In gentle contrast, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives embodies heritage, craft, and natural flow, guided by the principle of the Circle of Life.
Together, the two resorts offer a fluid experience of rare depth, inviting guests to cross between both resorts and engage in a dynamic yet intimate cultural programme crafted to nourish both inner and outer worlds.
According to Anthony Gill, General Manager of Patina Maldives, “Patina Maldives was created as a place of purposeful presence, where guests are invited not only to passively experience but to participate. This festival extends that vision, encouraging guests to connect actively and meaningfully with ideas, artists, and the natural world.”
Oscar Postma, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, adds, “At The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, we honour the rhythm of nature and the richness of human connection. The Fari Islands Festival reflects that ethos, a gathering where culture, creativity, and community come together with intention. It is an invitation to slow down, to listen deeply, and to be moved by the beauty of meaningful exchange.”
InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort has been nominated in the “Resort” category of the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2026, one of the travel industry’s recognised measures of guest preference and brand standing.
Located in Raa Atoll, the resort is continuing to build its profile through its all-Club concept, service model and guest experiences shaped by both location and programme. As the Maldives’ first all-Club InterContinental resort, the property includes a set of signature benefits with each stay, including daily breakfast, afternoon tea and evening aperitif.
The resort features 81 beach, lagoon and overwater villas and residences, along with seven restaurants and bars. Its guest offering combines private accommodation with a range of tailored experiences, including manta ray encounters in the Maamunagau lagoon, customised Dining by Design experiences, visiting wellness practitioners and its Artist in Residence programme.
InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort is also positioned to serve both couples and families, through its family offering and adults-only Retreat enclave.
The nomination reflects continued recognition for a resort that combines service, experience-led programming and a natural setting within one of the Maldives’ established tourism atolls.
The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort has introduced its Family Fun Summer offer, aimed at families seeking longer island stays built around shared activities and rest. The offer is available for booking from 15 April to 15 June 2026, with a minimum stay of four nights for travel through to 20 December 2026.
Located within Baa Atoll, the Maldives’ first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort is positioning the offer around family wellness, marine experiences and time spent together in a natural island setting. Seasonal snorkelling with manta rays in Hanifaru Bay remains one of the area’s key attractions, while the resort’s collection of beach and overwater villas is designed to accommodate families looking for space and flexibility during their stay.
For larger families and groups, the resort also offers the two-bedroom Heavenly Beach Residence, which includes a living room, kitchen and dining area intended to support longer and more relaxed island stays.
The resort says the guest experience can be shaped around both activity and downtime, supported by Westin’s Sleep Well concept and Heavenly Bed. Children have access to the Westin Family Kids Club, which includes a children’s pool and pirate ship, while parents can make use of Heavenly Spa by Westin.
Away from the villa, the resort is also promoting shared family experiences through Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy activities focused on the culture and environment of Baa Atoll. These include traditional lacquer craft workshops, visits to local islands and guided marine activities in surrounding waters.
The Family Fun Summer package includes three meals per day, with children under 12 dining free of charge. It also includes a one-time dolphin cruise for two adults and two children, a 30-minute photography session with one printed photo, and a USD 150 resort credit.
Reethi Faru Resort has been recognised at the 2026 Haute Grandeur Global Excellence Awards, receiving honours in four categories: Best Beach Villa in Indian Ocean, Best Pool Villa in Indian Ocean, Best Eco-Friendly Resort in Maldives, and Best Sustainable Hotel in Maldives.
The awards recognise performance across villa accommodation and environmentally focused hospitality, reflecting the resort’s emphasis on guest experience alongside sustainability and environmental stewardship.
According to the resort, the recognition supports its positioning within the Maldives market as a property that combines natural surroundings, accommodation standards and responsible hospitality practices.
Located on Filaidhoo in Raa Atoll, Reethi Faru Resort features 145 villas, including beachfront and overwater accommodation designed in a style that combines Maldivian elements with contemporary comfort.
The resort’s food and beverage offering includes six restaurants and six bars, while its leisure facilities cover watersports, diving, yoga, spa treatments and fitness activities. Surrounded by coral reefs, the resort also offers guests access to marine-based experiences in the Indian Ocean.
Sustainability remains a central part of the resort’s operations, with initiatives that include coral reef restoration and guest experiences linked to environmental awareness.
Through its recognition at the 2026 Haute Grandeur Global Excellence Awards, Reethi Faru Resort has added to its profile as a Maldives resort with a focus on both accommodation standards and sustainability.
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