MANILA, Philippines – Weekends used to mean one thing: errands. Grocery runs, laundry drop-offs, prepping for the week ahead. Today, that’s changing. For many, the weekend has become something more intentional, a stretch of time set aside to recharge and spend time on the things and people that matter most.
That shift is showing up in small but telling ways: a Saturday morning spent losing yourself in a good book or a Sunday reserved for a pickup game with friends. More than hobbies and outings, these rituals reflect a shift in today’s priorities. Weekends today are increasingly shaped by discovery, wellbeing, and togetherness, and at Ayala Malls, these emerging rituals are already taking shape in spaces built with them in mind.
“We’re seeing our malls become the backdrop for different kinds of weekends,” says Joan Mejino-Sy, Ayala Malls’ brand communications director. “People are becoming more intentional about how they spend their free time. It’s less about errands and more about carving out time for yourself, your family, and your community. We wanted our spaces to feel less like something you pass through, and more like somewhere these rituals naturally belong.”
Book lovers have made The Stacks at One Ayala a weekend fixture. The reading space invites visitors to browse, sit down, and read on the spot, or swap in a pre-loved title of their own, a permanent, curated corner built for lingering, not just for quick transactions.
For many, weekends aren’t complete without their pets. At Ayala Malls, pet-friendly spaces like BarkYard have become part of that routine, turning a simple walk into quality time shared with the whole family.
For those looking to move, Homecourt at Ayala Malls Manila Bay has become a go-to weekend hub, with courts that convert for badminton, alongside spaces for table tennis, taekwondo, and casual basketball shoots. What might once have meant an occasional gym visit has, for many, become a standing weekend appointment with friends. For a completely different kind of weekend outing, digital museum Bari: The Abandoned Princess offers an immersive storytelling experience inspired by Korean mythology, brought to life through cinematic projections and motion-responsive environments. It’s the kind of destination-worthy attraction that families and friend groups now plan entire afternoons around.
While these rituals may look different from person to person, they all point to a new kind of weekend – one shaped by discovery, wellbeing, togetherness, and time spent on what matters most. What ties these moments together isn’t a single formula, but the freedom to define the ritual on your own terms. By creating spaces for recreation, learning, entertainment, and community, Ayala Malls has become a destination for these modern rituals, not by prescribing how people should spend their weekends, but by making room for however they choose to spend them.
