The Maldives is gearing up for its biggest party season yet. Three resorts — You & Me Maldives, Joy Island and Cocoon Maldives — have all published festive schedules running from 22 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, each with gala dinners, beach fireworks and enough themed nights to fill a fortnight. And if you're coming from Russia, there's new news too: S7 Airlines has launched a direct service from Novosibirsk just in time for peak winter demand.

Start with the adults-only pick. You & Me Maldives is framing its season around romance, and the standout is Krug Beneath the Waves on 28 December — a five-course dinner by Chef Andrea Berton at H2O, the resort's underwater restaurant six metres below sea level, paired with Krug Champagne. There's also a five-course dinner aboard the Love Boat, a sunken table set into the sand, a lobster barbecue with Champagne, and castaway sandbank picnics by day. New Year's Eve ends with a Disco Around the World Party and midnight fireworks.

Joy Island takes the opposite approach: it's built for families. Its 'Joyful Horizons' programme includes Beach Family Olympics, kayak races, a Kids' Amazing Race and a daily Kiddie Cove schedule of treasure hunts and gingerbread crafts. Food-focused dates include a Maldivian seafood dinner on 26 December, a wine journey with a Master Sommelier on 28 December and an Italian wine evening on 4 January. Themed nights at Rainbow Bar range from a Hawaiian fire show to a white party and masquerade.

Cocoon Maldives has an extra reason to celebrate — its 10th anniversary falls on 26 December, marked with a beach cake-cutting, a lobster barbecue and a 'Cocoon Run'. The rest of the fortnight covers the classics: Santa arriving by beach, a Fish Market night, Moroccan and Maldivian buffet evenings, glow parties, and daily yoga, Zumba and dolphin cruises. A Kids Village keeps younger guests busy with piñatas and a mini Olympics.

Getting there just got easier for one market. S7 Airlines' inaugural flight from Novosibirsk landed at Velana International Airport on 30 October 2026, a roughly 10.5-hour hop of about 5,600 kilometres with a refuelling stop in Termez, Uzbekistan. The twice-weekly A320 service (Mondays and Fridays) means Siberians no longer need to change planes in Moscow. Russia is the Maldives' second-biggest source market after China, with around 229,200 Russian arrivals in the first nine months of 2026 — up nearly 15% year on year.

Why it matters: if a festive Maldives trip is on your list, this window is worth booking early. The programmes run nearly three weeks, so you can slot in around Christmas, New Year or both, and the range of dining events means even all-inclusive stays now come with real culinary set pieces — an underwater Krug dinner being the most memorable example.