Middle Eastern Community Amazed: Ukrainian (Elen Smile) Celebrates Their National Day in Miami

Miami is still buzzing about the unique international event UAE & Dubai National Day in Miami, organized by Ukrainian artist Elen Smile. It was the first celebration of its kind in the U.S., recreating the atmosphere of the Middle East and bringing together an international audience. During the event, Elen Smile also presented her song “Dubai Yacht Lounge”, for which she chose an unconventional promotional format, integrated into the concept of the celebration.

Instead of the usual social media release promotion, Elen Smile decided to recreate the atmosphere of the city connected to the song. She brought Dubai to Miami, inviting diplomats, business leaders, creators, and the Middle Eastern community. Despite the challenges and limited initial support, Elen Smile did not give up: she sent 50 letters to various UAE departments and embassies. Only eight days before the event did she receive a response and decided to move forward with the celebration!

“I fell in love with Dubai at first sight. It felt like a city from the future — so powerful that I couldn’t hold back my tears. I was struck by the combination of futurism, beauty, and scale with the restrained, profound culture of the Middle East. I wanted this city to have a voice. That’s how the song was born, and later the event, which conveyed this mood in Miami,”— shares Elen Smile.

The event was supported by Hilton Aventura Miami, and the next day, the hotel owner called it “one of the best celebrations Hilton has ever seen” and even suggested hosting similar events in the future.

For the Middle Eastern community in Miami, it was a surprise: for the first time, the UAE & Dubai National Day was celebrated in the U.S., organized not by the UAE diaspora but by a Ukrainian. This cultural gesture attracted attention from local media, TV channels, and business representatives, who highlighted the creative event format and the organizer herself.

The program included an art show, several fashion shows, a vocal performance by Elen Smile, numerous belly dance performances, interactive zones, and specially designed installations. A separate part of the event featured speeches by leaders of Middle Eastern communities and representatives of the American business club. One of the most striking elements was a robot-artist creating a painting live during the event. This combination brought together entertainment, presentation, and diplomatic elements in a format typical of UAE national celebrations.

“I wanted to immerse people in the atmosphere of Dubai through music, beauty, fashion, art, new technologies, and the spirit of uniting people from around the world,” adds the artist.

The event gathered over 300 guests from different countries, including representatives of the Middle Eastern diaspora, local business, and Miami’s cultural community. It became a platform for creative and international collaborations, particularly in fashion and art.

Three designers participated in the fashion program:

Svitlana Zralko — a Ukrainian designer and professional belly dance performer who has been creating costumes and jewelry for dancers since 2003. She is the 2010 Ukrainian Champion, awarded “Couturier of the Year 2015”and “Best Designer 2019”, a member of the Professional Dance Alliance, and a certified II-level judge under the MARKS system. Svitlana Zralko also served as the main sponsor of the event.
Kateryna Skibina — a Ukrainian designer who handcrafts knitwear collections. Her works have been showcased at New York Fashion Week and Florida Man’s Fashion Week. Her participation in FlockFest Fashion Show at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino raised over $20,000 for families in need.
Aydana Omarova — a designer from Kazakhstan, presenting a luxury collection inspired by Dubai, emphasizing elegance, modernity, and Arab aesthetics.

The artistic part of the event featured an art show by painter Marta Alexandrovna, who created a painting live. The work combined abstract expressionism and urban motifs, including the colors of the UAE and Ukrainian flags, along with dynamic golden strokes highlighting energy and movement. The painting will be donated to the UAE Embassy in Miami. Marta Alexandrovna is an internationally recognized artist, regularly participating in Art Basel Miami and other global art platforms.

Distinguished guests included representatives from Saudi Arabia, whose presence confirmed the high level of international interest in the project. Saudi representatives also expressed interest in seeing a similar cultural format implemented by Elen Smile in their country.

Elen Smile sincerely thanks everyone who helped make this unique event possible. Special thanks to the main sponsor @zralko.costume, media partners @mailis.media, Hilton Miami Aventura team, makeup artist @kateryna_borzaya, cosmetologist dr.Juskevic, florist @marisole.flowers, Middle Eastern communities @arabsocials & @yallahsawwa, the American business club @alphaconnector, and all other partners who made the celebration possible.

The musical soundtrack of the event was Elen Smile’s new track “Dubai Yacht Lounge”, which transported guests and helped them experience the atmosphere of Dubai in Miami.

Elen Smile is a multi-genre artist, Ukrainian singer, songwriter, music producer, and music video director. She is also known as an actress, model, stand-up comedian, charismatic host, and organizer of dynamic concerts and events.

Her track “Dubai Yacht Lounge” takes listeners into the luxurious world of Dubai, where every note feels like a yacht trip along the coast, and every phrase builds a bridge between cultures and continents. The composition combines modern pop, Arabic instruments, and sacred phrases (Mashallah, Alhamdulillah, Ya Walla), and sometimes even “I love you” in Arabic — a tender confession of love for the city.

According to Elen Smile, the song became her “love letter” to Dubai: nine months of work in which she put meanings and a piece of her soul to convey the grandeur, energy, and magic of the city that has inspired her for years. “Dubai Yacht Lounge” invites listeners to experience Dubai through the eyes of a tourist who falls in love with the city at first sight.

For those who want to feel the atmosphere of the celebration and Elen Smile’s creativity, photos and videos from the event are available on the artist’s Instagram and other platforms.