Addu Culinary Festival celebrates local flavors with 20 chefs from Chefs Guild of Maldives

The Addu Culinary Festival 2026 is set to wrap up Saturday, after three days of events celebrating local flavors.

Organized by the Chefs Guild of Maldives (CGM) in partnership with Addu City Council, Addu Women’s Development Committee, Hithadhoo Nooraanee School, FS Institute and Addu Women’s Association, the festival saw the participation of 20 chefs from CGM.

The three-day festival featured cooking competitions, a wedding-cake competition, a cake-decorating contest, and activities for children aged 10 to 12 focusing on food hygiene and the importance of healthy eating.

The festival also saw live demonstrations traditional Addu dishes such as thaiy bondibaiy, kirelee lonu, and Addu spices are prepared, and how to source the ingredients used in them, celebrating Addu’s long history of rich, distinctive culinary traditions.

The wedding cake baking contest saw 17 entries, while the cake decoration contest saw seven entries.

The CGM also held special activities for children in celebration of the upcoming International Chefs Day, with a special program to raise awareness on healthy food and teach how to make healthy meals for 120 students across seven schools in Addu.

The organization also conducted a career guidance program for students of Hithadhoo Nooraanee School, aimed at building future generations of culinary and hospitality experts.

The Addu Culinary Festival saw the participation of teams from various islands of Addu, who demonstrated special family recipes.

CGM says the purpose of the festival was to showcase traditional cuisine, document local recipes, and celebrate women’s role in local cuisine.

The festival also sought to promote Addu as a culinary destination, and provide a platform for Addu residents to showcase their culinary skills.