Love month celebration for Dubai-based OFWs include trip to Miracle Garden

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love that transcends borders, distance and even time.

For many Filipinos who are living far away from home and immersed in a different culture, the celebration of love is not confined to just one day.

Whether one is single or not, Filipinos find ways to commemorate the month of February as a special occasion to celebrate love and life as it serves as a way to stay connected to their roots and manifesting their unconditional love through their sacrifices and hard work.

Surrounded by millions of vibrant flowers, Vilma Gallo, 52, marked this year’s Valentine’s Day celebration visiting the breathtaking beauty of the Dubai Miracle Garden.

Gallo, who works as an assistant teacher for a British nursery school since 2012, told GMA Integrated News that the enchanting flowers in one of Dubai’s most popular winter landmarks reminds her of love.

“Like nature, the flowers remind me of love. They make people smile and inspire us to live life fully. They’re ever-growing, blossoming, enduring, no matter where they are in the world, they just bloom just like love,” Gallo said.

A city known for its vibrant blend of cultures and extraordinary landmarks, celebrating this special occasion with friends, loved ones and family against the perfect backdrop of blooming vibrant flowers create lasting beautiful memories.

Maricel Cayon, a 41-year-old sales consultant, told GMA Integrated News that visiting the Garden on her birthday, February 16, 2025, makes her feel less homesick.

Cayon, who hails from Cebu, said the flowers blooming in the desert remind her of resilience.

“The flowers remind me that I can bloom wherever I am planted, even in the most unlikely places, I can grow and thrive. That’s why on my 41st birthday, I chose to celebrate it here with my friends who became my family to remind me that I can shine no matter what the challenges are even if I am away from home,” she remarked.

The Dubai Miracle Garden, a very popular landmark in the United Arab Emirates, is located in Al Barsha South 3, Dubailand Area, Dubai. It can be reached by private and public transport such as train, bus and taxi.

Dubbed as the world’s largest natural flower garden, the park covers around 72,000 square meters with several floral wonders and colorful exhibits that will surely make the visitors feel astounded.

Now on its Season 13, Dubai Miracle Garden opened on September 28, 2024 as the cooler season kicked in and will close again when the Summer period begins, which is usually around April and ends in August.

Aside from the massive garden with over 150 million flowers of about 120 varieties in full bloom, it also has a dazzling Butterfly Garden with 15,000 butterflies housed in ten custom-built domes.

Opened from 9am to 9pm on weekdays and 9am to 11pm on weekends, Dubai Miracle Garden has so far received 15 million guests based information posted in their website.

Ticket prices range from 100AED for adults over 12 years old, 85AED children age 3-12 years old and A40 AED for people with determination. But for UAE residents with valid Emirates Identification Card (EID), the ticket price is sold at AED 60 at Miracle Garden counters and children below three years old are free.

Dubai Miracle Gardened opened for the first time on 2013 Valentine’s Day. Since then, the iconic garden has three Guiness World Records with several attractions like the Emirates A380, Floating Lady, Smurfs Village, Hill Top, Floral Clock, Floral Villas, Lake Park, Teddy Bear and the Umbrella Tunnel.

In 2013, Dubai Miracle Garden was declared as the world’s largest vertical garden. Its life-size jumbo jet is also a world record holder in 2016 with the biggest flower structure in the world, adorned with 500,000 fresh flowers and living plants.

Another world record attraction is the 18 meters (59 ft) topiary of Mickey Mouse that weighs almost 35 tons and considered as the tallest topiary supported sculpture in the world in 2018.

Of the many attractions, the 15-meter floral clock and the Heart Passage are also one of the favorites.

The famous 15-meter Floral Clock, made of real plants and flowers, is one of the most popular attractions in the enchanting Dubai Miracle Garden. Photo by Jolene Bulambot

Heart passage, a romantic spot

In the month of February, the Heart Passage draws more couples and families alike who consider it the most romantic spot in the garden. Adorned with a stunning display of large botanical hearts, it perfectly captures the essence of love and romance, making it the ideal place to celebrate the season of affection.

Allan Sagun, 48-years old and a resident of Abu Dhabi, brought his family to Dubai Miracle Garden last Saturday not only to explore the new attractions of Dubai Miracle Garden but also to celebrate the season of love.

Sagun told GMA Integrated News that the garden is the best place to make the children appreciate the beauty of nature at the same time show them his love as “flowers are the best living representation of love”.

“With every step, the air if filled with the magic of love. Every corner of this garden symbolizes love. Every art, every effort they put in to make this massive garden bloom for months is really invested with love. This is why I brought my family here not only to enjoy and explore but to appreciate life and love,” Sagun said.

A Miracle Garden visit can heal, rejuvenate

Annie Roxas, a single mom, said the Garden provides a sanctuary for her to heal and rejuvenate.

Roxas, who hails from Bulacan, told GMA Integrated News that the flowers reminder her five-year-old son, who continue to inspire her to keep pursuing their dreams even if they’re not together.

“I came here to find myself and to work for my son. When I was still in the Philippines, I have heard the Miracle Garden and now I’m here. I’m in awe of its beauty and how it can thrive in a desert country. The flowers remind me of my son that no matter what the circumstances are, he and I will thrive. Now his turning six-years old this December, just like the flowers, he is blooming to inspire to work harder for us,” Roxas said.

While flowers bloom beautifully on daylight, Dubai Miracle Garden radiates colourfully at night too with such amazing, illuminated nightscapes that provide magnificent reflections of the castles, life-size houses and all the other magnificent structures inside the garden.

As it becomes a haven for those looking to celebrate love in all its forms, the Miracle Garden holds a special place in Phoebe Ancis’ heart.

Ancis, 39-years old and who hails from Siquijor province, said the gardens make her find quiet moments to reflect on her journey from Philippines to Russia then to Dubai.

A resident of Dubai since 2022, Ancis visited the garden last weekend with her closest friends who now became part of her family.

“Being away from home & being alone in a foreign land can be overwhelming. Coming here with my friends is like celebrating the joy of having a family. Flowers are symbol of love, and they remind me of my place in the Philippines,” she said. — BAP, GMA Integrated News