It is going to be a festive mood as thousands of food lovers across Dubai and the neighboring emirates are expected to dig in on the various Filipino delicacies at Rigga Night Market as a way of celebrating the New Year, organizers said.

“We are expecting a massive crowd on New Year’s Day,” said Marvin Suavengco, who owns several kiosks at Rigga Night Market, among them the popular Sisig Express.

He said up to 5,000 people are seen to visit the place, which is open from 4pm to 2am, because January 1 falls on a Sunday and most people are off from work.

Suavengco said food stall operators are prepared.

“Maaga po nagbubukas ang mga vendors at saka kumpleto sa stock,” he said.  (The vendors open early and they have a complete stock.)

According to Suavengco, the Rigga Night Market enjoys a footfall of up to 4,000 people on a regular day. The place is a lot busier on weekends, and is expected to be even more busier on Sunday, January 1. The outdoor dining destination can sit up to 480 people at any given time with its 120 tables with four chairs each.

There are 21 food stalls and 40 clothing retail outlets.  

Named after, and located on, a strip of road in the middle of Diera, home to a large Filipino community in Dubai, the night market has everything from puto-bumbong (purple rice cake steamed in bamboo tubes), bibingka (rice cake baked on clay ovens and burning charcoals), and popular street foods like inihaw na isa (grilled chicken intestines) and grilled chicken feet. It also has delicacies like ubeng halaya (purple yam jam) and biko (glutinous rice in brown sugar and coconut milk).

There is also no shortage of other Filipino culinary delights like the “silog” range, “inasal-style” grilled chicken leg quarter, sisig combo meals, bopis, pares, dinakdakan, papaitan – the list is endless.