As children, the one thing we could look forward to at the end of a long school day was the after-school club. Sports, debates, music, maybe a quiet afternoon of crochet, these clubs brought a space to explore and nurture hobbies while also meeting with like-minded minds.
It seems like in the rush to adult, we lost those clubs along the way. Now in an attempt to get off our phone and get back into being present, the current social scene is back to fostering clubs and community spaces. And it ranges from whatever you can possibly think of!
Last year, I noticed how Dubai shifted from long brunches to wholesome wellness days. That was the anchoring point. Wellness spaces like Paus Club spotlighted the importance of community, hosting deep talks called Matcha Mornings, a no-phones dinner called Shared Tables, and a Block Party that brings together local businesses and the community together.
Fred’s Coffee Party continued the cultural movement. Reimagining a club spectacle with coffee, beats, and golden hour moments, the event brought people together who still wanted to dance, engage, and be present.
Nowadays, the offerings for IRL communities have become even more prominent. Table Sonor blends a supper club with intentional sounds. Astro Book Club blends the typical book club format with astrology. How About challenges its club members to try something new. Anti-Doomscroll Club puts away the scrolling for a stroll as a community. Within each place, hobbies are back to being explored and nurtured alongside like-minded people.
These clubs come at an important time as we as a society finally address the growing loneliness felt across Dubai. An expat-heavy problem, reports mention that 26% of UAE employees reported feeling lonely every single day. While the Abu Dhabi Quality of Life Study found that non-Emiratis reported significantly higher loneliness and emotional distress.
“Having grown up in Dubai means I’m lucky to have friends and family in the city, but I am very familiar with the feeling of moving to a new city on your own and the alienation it can bring about. More than loneliness, I feel what we truly seek is a sense of belonging,” said Anushé Samee, the founder and host of Astro Book Club.
A city of temporary status and unspoken rules of hyperactivity and deep self-focus, Dubai makes it hard for people to lay cultural foundations and share into the little moments of community. For many, community life in Dubai is disregarded because life in Dubai is seen with an expiry date. So community life becomes a quiet shared smile with neighbours at the elevator, awkward eye contact with security, and brief conversations with taxi drivers. It’s quick, rare, and not nearly as comforting as what we perceive community to be.
With the festive season rolling around, that loneliness increases tenfold. Homesickness and seasonal depression both make their mark while some miss out on family traditions as well as their actual family.
So these clubs come to the rescue. After all, the only way to beat loneliness is to go out and do something about it. When reflecting on the start of the book club, Samee said, “There was a gap in my life where I was craving connection. Instead of waiting for it to come to me, I wanted to take matters into my own hands and create a space where connections could grow. It’s been a privilege to watch the group grow rapidly over the last two years in Dubai, with pop-ups in London and Lahore as well.”
And that’s how Dubai expats who forego the idea that life here is temporary take responsibility for these spaces, turning fitness, music, food, and entertainment into collective experiences. Satisfying our cultural cravings far deeper than a mind-numbing doomscroll, it’s within these communities that we can finally fend off the so-called loneliness epidemic experienced throughout the city.
