Day: December 17, 2025
A Carnival of Crafts and Community
Dhaka’s winter evenings are about to take on a new glow as Aarong ushers in the return of its Winter Wonderland, an immersive showcase where rural women’s artistry meets festive joy, turning December nights into a living tapestry of culture and creativity. Now in its second season, the month‑long festival is more than a carnival—it is a crafted journey into Bangladesh’s artisan heritage, blending music, food, games, and storytelling with the warmth of community celebration. The event stretches across two vibrant spaces, each designed to immerse visitors in the story of Bangladeshi craftsmanship. At the Tejgaon Outlet Parking Lot, glowing gates open into a world of artisan stalls, DIY craft corners, food kiosks, and the aarong.com experience zone. Here, the main stage sets the rhythm for music and performance, while every stall tells a tale of the rural women whose hands weave, carve, and print the designs that define Aarong. Terracotta Tales, meanwhile, offers a different flavour of festivity. Families will find carnival games, a dedicated children’s zone, and a curated menu of seasonal treats. Unlike the Tejgaon site, this space welcomes visitors without registration, ensuring the carnival atmosphere flows freely between both venues. The experience is designed to be more than entertainment. Every purchase, every photograph taken, and every beat enjoyed feeds back into the lives of the artisans who make Aarong possible. It is a circle of value, where celebration meets empowerment. Late-night shopping adds another layer to the festivities. On event days, the Tejgaon outlet extends its hours until 11pm, inviting guests to browse curated collections that reflect the warmth and colour of the season. Entry to the Tejgaon grounds requires online registration via Tickify, though Aarong Rewards and Club TAAGA cardholders enjoy automatic access. Presenting a card secures entry for the holder and a guest, making the carnival as inclusive as it is immersive. With music, crafts, games, and food stitched together into one month-long celebration, Aarong’s Winter Wonderland is not simply an event. It is a reminder of how heritage can be lived, shared, and celebrated—one artisan story at a time. Event Highlights Week 1: Pitha Utshob (December 4 & 5) Visitors can enjoy live folk performances and taste a variety of seasonal pitha at dedicated stations. Week 2: Thanda Beats (December 11 & 12) The atmosphere will be filled with winter rave vibes under the stars, featuring music from some of the city’s top DJs. Week 3: Fake Wedding (December 18 & 19) Guests can take part in a playful “biye-bari” experience, complete with a “Holud meets meme culture” zone. The staged wedding night will include henna, paan, bangles, and photo booths, alongside dance acts and live DJ sets. Week 4: Concert (December 25 & 26) The season will close with star-studded live concert performances, bringing the month to a musical finale. Every Week The Aarong.com Experience Zone will showcase the newly refreshed aarong.com through interactive, fun, and style-led activities. Artisan Meet & Greet sessions will highlight crafts such as nakshi kantha, pottery, block printing, jewellery, and jamdani. Craft videos and demonstrations will show how heritage techniques continue to keep traditions alive. Community Impact initiatives will support women artisans and local craftspeople. Food and vibes will be provided through winter treats, festive snacks, and cosy hangout corners. A dedicated kids’ zone will offer fun activities and games for children. Written by Nibir Ayaan
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IAB Build Expo, ArchSummit End on High Note
The curtain fell on the successful IAB Build Expo 2025 and ArchSummit on December 13 in the capital, offering meaningful and comprehensive insight into the breadth and depth of Bangladesh’s building sector. What began as a three-day curated event unfolded into a dynamic celebration of architecture, design, and dialogue, ensuring ample space for both attendees and industry leaders. The final day featured two back-to-back seminars—one on “Building Resilience: Architects Upholding the Human Spirit and Community Strength” and the other on “Evolving Skylines: Navigating Tropical Climates and Urban Density”—featuring top architects from various parts of the world. The first plenary session on building resilience, much like its weighty theme, brought together a distinguished panel of four world-class architects. The session featured homeland pride Marina Tabassum and Md Iqbal Habib, alongside Minsuk Cho from South Korea and Robert Bannura from the USA. All four architects shared a common approach to design as a social and ethical practice, emphasising human experience and a conscious resistance to homogenised global architectural trends. During the panel discussion, Marina Tabassum reflected on how government bodies and non-governmental organisations often impose ready-made solutions on communities without fully understanding their lived realities. She pointed out that, with deeper engagement and careful listening, the same expenditure could be used more efficiently. Md Iqbal Habib, known for his role as a socially committed architect and for speaking out against unplanned urbanisation and environmental neglect, noted that architects often assume they know everything that needs to be done. In reality, it is the people who live in a place who best understand their needs—and it is from them that architects should learn what truly needs to be built. According to Roberto Bannura, architects have the opportunity to serve the public interest even while executing private projects. He underscored that professional agency allows architects, despite constraints set by clients, to engage meaningfully with communities. This approach transcends mere commission fulfilment, enabling them to dedicate a significant portion of their portfolio to creating a lasting societal impact. Addressing the challenges of resilient design, Minsuk Cho spoke candidly about how public space projects often clash with Korea’s dynamic political landscape. Yet, he offered a powerful rebuttal to instability: “Despite economic and political unrest, a project goes on. Our approach must be to believe in the power of the site and the location, and, crucially, to use the best possible resource for completion: the community itself.” The second plenary session explored the rapidly changing skylines of Dhaka, Chattogram, and other fast-growing cities. The core discussion focused on how high-rise development, imported materials, and global design influences are reshaping Bangladesh’s urban identity, liveability, and climate resilience, prompting a critical reassessment of current growth trajectories. Leading architects, including Patrick D’Rozario, Bayajid Mahbub Khondker, Md Ehsan Khan, Nahas Ahmed Khalil, Roberto Bannura, and Mushtapa Khalid Palash, presented insights from their respective practices on the challenges and possible approaches to building in climate-sensitive, high-density environments. In his closing remarks, Mushtapa Khalid Palash reflected that while people’s perceptions of the skyline may vary, in reality it remains an abstract concept. He emphasised that tropical climates are not merely conditions to design around—they are realities architects must design through. “To create skylines that express a distinctive identity, we need to acknowledge our monsoons, intense sunlight, vernacular textures, and the deeply social fabric of our urban life, allowing our cities to emerge organically from place, climate, and culture.” The ArchSummit concluded with a memorable celebration, where vibrant cultural performances featuring group music and folk dance, infused with a distinctly Bangladeshi essence, honoured the host country. The closing ceremony recognised all participating architects, guest speakers, and organisers. The event’s momentum carried through the final hours, with insightful seminars driving future visions and the corridors facilitating valuable networking and professional exchange. Written by: Fariha Hossain
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