Things to do in Dubai this weekend
What’s On has a list of things to do in Dubai this weekend, including brunch, drinks deals, sports, live entertainment and new openings.
Here’s our things to do in Dubai this weekend… You know that moment on a Thursday afternoon when your work buddy asks what you’re doing this weekend and your mind goes blank? Well worry no more, friends, because What’s On has the perfect solution, whatever mood you are in.
READ OUR SPECIAL DUBAI RUGBY SEVENS PREVIEW HERE
THURSDAY
See National Theatre productions
The Courtyard Playhouse – Dubai’s first independent theatre space – is the first theatre in the region to join the National Theatre Live initiative and will be offering special screenings of top theatre productions, starting this weekend. The first screening takes place from December 4 to 6 and will be Tennessee Williams’ A Street Car Named Desire starring Gillian Anderson alongside US actor Ben Foster screened live from the Young Vic Theatre in London. Described as a ‘powerful production’ by the The Guardian, A Streetcar Named Desire follows the intense life of aging Southern Belle, Blanche DuBois who turns to her sister Stella for solace when her world crumbles. Tragically though, her downward spiral brings her face to face with Stanley, Stella’s brutal, unforgiving husband. Read more here.
The Courtyard Playhouse Dubai. Al Quoz, Dubai, 8pm. Tel: (055) 967927. courtyardplayhouse.com
Dine at Zengo
If you like the Mexican restaurant Maya at Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa (who doesn’t?) you’ll be excited to hear its chef Richard Sandoval has opened a new place at the same resort. He’s partnered with top Singaporean chef Akmal Anuar to serve Asian food with a South American hint. Zengo has an orange and dark wood interior, a gorgeous terrace and a fire bar where flaming drinks are served.
Mahiki’s third birthday
London is calling at the Polynesian paradise in Jumeirah.
Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai. Taxi: Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Tel: (055) 2160181. mahiki.ae
Crazy Snake Rebellion
A wild mix of raw energy, passion, big choruses, melodies you can’t get out of your head and a driving rhythm that won’t let you sit still, the Crazy Snake Rebellion comes to town.
Majestic Hotel, Mankhool Road, Bur Dubai, Dhs50. Taxi: Majestic Hotel. Tel: (04) 3598888. themusicroomdubai.com
Get SushiArty
SushiArt has introduced a range of Japanese mochi, the traditional treats of stick rice with an ice-cream filling. Flavours include classic chocolate and strawberry, to the exotic coconut and mango or the traditional green tea offerings.
SushiArt, Marble Walk, Gate 5, DIFC, Dubai.
SushiArt, The Beach, JBR, Dubai.
Enjoy the Highlife Dubai
A tongue-in-cheek collection of posters depicting a side of Dubai you won’t find in tourist brochures is on display this month. UAE-based artist Clare Napper has taken vintage tourism posters as her inspiration for a collection of 18 pieces that poke fun at the Dubai lifestyle. The collection, Highlife Dubai, will be exhibited at new British restaurant The Scene at Pier 7 in Dubai Marina and are available to buy from size A4 to A1. Hear from the artists here.
The Scene, Pier 7, Dubai Marina, Dubai, daily noon to 11pm. Tel: (04) 4222328. Metro: Jumeirah Lakes Towers. highlife-dubai.com
DJ Fresh
From dropping screwfacing bombs likeNitrous and Son Of Nitrous in the late ’90s, drum ‘n’ bass pioneer DJ Fresh has gone on to become one of the most bankable hit factories in UK pop music, helped in no small measure by his Rita Ora collaboration Hot Right Now, the first British No.1 to feature actual, thwacking, noisy drum ‘n’ bass snares. A favourite on the global festival circuit, DJ Fresh drops in to play at Velocity, on Thursday, as Zero Gravity kicks off its biggest party month of the year.
Skydive Dubai Drop Zone, Al Seyahi Street, Dubai, Thursday, December 4, 9pm to 3am, free before 10pm, free for ladies before midnight, Dhs150 thereafter. Taxi: Skydive Dubai. Tel: (04) 3990009. O-gravity.ae
FRIDAY
See record-breaking graffiti
Iconic UAE landmarks, Arabic calligraphy and the UAE’s most precious flora and fauna are just some of the images featured in Rehlante, a creation made for the world’s longest graffiti wall which can be seen at Jumeirah Beach Park. The mural brought together the talents of 150 national and international graffiti artists, involving 7,000 spray paint cans, to create artwork that reflects the achievements of the UAE. It can be seen all weekend. See more, including videos, right here.
The record-breaking graffiti wall is open to public viewing until Saturday December 6 from 10am to 5pm at Jumeirah Beach Park.
Buy record-breaking cake
A 650 metre-long cake will will be on sale at Dubai’s Mall Of The Emirates on December 5 as part of a charity drive to raise money for Dubai Centre for Special Needs. It’s the ninth consecutive year the great bake sale has taken place at the mall, with last year’s 600-m behemoth raising Dhs87,990. The cake itself is a German stollen, a festive variety of the traditional fruitcake. It has taken a team of 30 chefs five weeks to prepare, and will require the help of 50 volunteers to slice and sell on the day. Individual portions can be bought for Dhs5, and whole loaves come in at Dhs100.
Nitro Circus (Abu Dhabi)
Around 40 other daredevils drag their broken bodies to Abu Dhabi this weekend for Nitro Circus, a spectacular show of stunts, ramps, jumps and motorbikes – with a few other vehicles such as bathtubs, wheelbarrows, and armchairs thrown in.
Holi on Yas (Abu Dhabi)
Feel like you need a bit more colour in your cheeks? And on your clothes and in your hair? Then head to Yas Island for the Holi Festival Of Colours, a one-day festival celebrating the Hindu religious festival of the same name. The Festival Of Colours was the brainwave of German Jasper Hellmann. He visited a real Holi celebration in Delhi in 2011 and decided to create his own festival. The first one took place in Berlin a year later and the party has visited 19 world cities since. So what can you expect on the day? Music, dancing, food and lots and lots of paint (the powder and wet varieties). Make sure you take an old set of clothes.
du Forum, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Dhs150. Taxi: du Forum. holifestival.com
Carita La Nina at Q43
One of the Netherlands’ most popular female DJs brings her upbeat personality, superb skills and style to Q43. Hailed as ‘The First Lady Of House’ her recent collaboration with Dash Berlin on the track ‘Dragonfly’ has elevated her to the next level and ensured she’s set up perfectly to seize 2015 as the year of La Nina. The special event is being put on with the JD Honeybees.
Bjork screenings
DUCTAC will screen two films about the Icelandic musician Bjork, with admission free. The first is a concert film of a multimedia project she undertook known as Biophilia. The second is an introductory documentary to her music through an interview with David Attenborough.
Kilachand Studio Theatre, DUCTAC, Mall Of The Emirates, Dubai.
Leger and Monkey Safari at Eden
Wise old head of the European house scene, DJ Sebastien Leger – whose hits include ‘Hit Girl’, ‘Hypnotized’ and ‘Aqualight’ – comes to town with German brothers Lars and Sven, themselves veterens of Space Ibiza, Watergate Berlin, Revolver Melbourne, Social Club Paris, Fuse Club Belgium, DGTL Festival Amsterdam, and Fusion Festival Berlin.
EDEN Beach Club, Rixos on The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai; daily 9am-midnight. Tel: 0552771477. Taxi: Rixos, The Palm. facebook.com/edendubai
Street Food brunch
We love food trucks and we love brunches so we cannot wait to try this new poolside feast of Asian, Lebanese, Mexican and Italian food.
Sofitel Dubai Downtown, Downtown Dubai, Fri 12.30 to 4pm, Dhs220 with soft drinks, Dhs300 with house drinks, Dhs450 with champagne. Tel: (04) 5036666. Metro: Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall. sofitel.com
Parachuting Championships
The fifth Dubai International Parachuting Championships drop into town this weekend. Look to this skies as the world’s best skydivers compete in different categories from accuracy landing to formation skydiving.
Skydive Dubai, Dubai Marina, Dubai, sunrise to sunset, free. Tel: (04) 3778877. Taxi: Skydive Dubai. facebook.com/DIPCDXB
Jonas Rathsman at 360
Jonas Rathsman is part the French Express label that caught ear of Pete Tong, when the BBC Radio 1 DJ tastemaker picked the Swedish DJ and labelmate Perseus as his Future Stars of 2013. A slot on the prestigious Essential Mix followed and Rathsman’s star has been steadily rising ever since.
360°, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, 5pm to 3am, free. Tel: (056) 6826617. Taxi: Jumeirah Beach Hotel. audiotonic.net
Cheer on a half marathon
Billed as the most beautiful half marathon in the world, the 21km route starts and finishes at Dubai Creek Golf And Yacht Club, winding around the picture-perfect creek in a figure of eight. There are plenty of places along the way for you to cheer on friends and family and a serious post-race party vibe at the end. Members of Dubai’s biggest running club, the Dubai Creek Striders, will be out in force, along with fellow pavement pounders from all over the UAE and beyond.
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Deira, Dubai, 6am. Metro: GGICO. Taxi: Dubai Creek Gold & Yacht Club. dubaicreekstriders.org
Klock In
Ben Klock headlines Plus Minus Sessions this Friday. It’s an opportunity for techno lovers to experience his dark propulsive techno firsthand, and while Ben won’t be laying down one of his legendary ten or twelve-hour marathon sessions, he will be playing an extended four-hour set for the Plus Minus massive. “I really look to have something warm in my sets, something that makes you feel good. So, instead of dark you could say ‘deep,’” he says. Hear more from him right herev.
Level 41, Media One Hotel, Dubai Media City, Friday, December 5, 9pm to 3am, Dhs100 in advance, Dhs120 on the door. Metro: Nakheel. Tel: (050) 3599798. platinumlist.net
Steve Lawler at BMIUAE
Blue Marlin Ibiza UAE continue their season by bringing British house music producer and DJ, Steve Lawler to the venue. With residencies all over the world, including Ibiza’s Space, London’s The End and Twilo, party-goers can expect an eclectic mix of tribal, funk and plenty more. German techno head Nick Curly partners.
Al Jazira Island Hotel, Ghantoot, Dubai; 1pm to 11pm, free entry. Taxi: Al Jazira Island Hotel. Tel: (056) 1133400. bluemarlinibiza-uae.com
Cassland Party
DJ Rishi is bringing upcoming UK house talent Lee Brinx out to headline the first Cassland party at the new and awesome club, The Basement. As well as the headline set, there’s an awesome back-to-back battle amongst the Dubai-based jocks. Somalie will be making his Cassland debut, representing Dubai along with Haidz and Sufyan, while Rishi, Eric Francis and Drinky will be flying the flag for the UK.
Boutique 7 Hotel, Tecom, Dubai, Friday, December 5, 9pm to 3am, Dhs100. Taxi: Boutique 7 Hotel. Tel: (04) 4345555. facebook.com/thebasementb7
SATURDAY
Be SEEN
A special new exhibition featuring the works of one of the most iconic street artists of his generation has launched at Opera Gallery in DIFC. Running from November 26 to December 11, the works of SEEN will showcase the icon’s superhero pieces and will be complimented by Taschen, the leading publisher of books on art, who will be displaying its latest DC Comics Collectors book.
Opera Gallery, Gate Village, Building 3, DIFC, Dubai; daily 10am to 10pm. Tel: (04) 3230909. Taxi: Gate Village. Metro: Financial Centre. operagallery.com
Superheros on ice
Every year, Abu Dhabi’s young ice skaters put on a show during December at Zayed Sports City. It’s been held annually since 2006 and this year’s show is Mansour And The Superheroes, about a little boy who dreams of adventures with his favourite super-powered pals – and meets hip-hop singing turtles and friendly monsters along the way. The production is performed by 64 skaters from the Abu Dhabi Figure Skating Team and Zayed Sport City’s Learn To Skate initiative. The star of the show is Emirati skater Zahra Lari, who aims to reach the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, Dhs50. Tel: (02) 4034333. Taxi: Zayed Sports City. ticketmaster.ae
Fifties rock
Eddie Misk and the Hot Rod Rockers play 1950s rockabilly hits.
Hard Rock Café, Zone 8a, Festival City, Dubai, 8pm, free. Tel: (04) 2328900. Taxi: Dubai Festival City. hardrock.com/ cafes/dubai
New Jumeirah eatery
Provedore promises to be a new haven for people who like meats, cheeses and cute jars filled with delicious things that go with them. The fancy delicatessen in Jumeirah pledges that they have scoured the globe for excellent suppliers and will only carry the best foods in the store. Provedore will also have a bakery pumping out fresh breads and pastries. You can dine inside or outside, and then browse the shop and take home what you’ve just eaten.
Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai daily 8am to midnight. Tel: (04) 3215111. Taxi: Sunset Mall. provedore.ae
Have a BBQ at Quantum
A poolside BBQ at the H hotel featuring a buffet spread of steaks, lobster and corn on the cob with fresh salads and free flowing beverages.
The H Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, World Trade Centre, Dubai, Sat noon to 4pm, Dhs300. Tel: (04) 5018888. Metro: World Trade Centre. h-hotel.com
Sharjah Art (last chance)
Long before the advent of street-style blogs, photographer Noor Ali Rashid was capturing life as it unfolded on the streets of the UAE. The former royal photographer, who died in 2010 at the age of 80, is widely regarded as the father of photojournalism in the region, and an exhibition celebrating his extensive body of work is now open at Sharjah Museum. The exhibit, which explores the first half of his career from the late 1940s to the 1970s, includes many never-before-seen photographs and is the biggest ever staged at the museum.
Sharjah Art Museum, Sat to Thur 8am to 8pm, Fri 4pm to 8pm. Tel: (06) 5688222. Taxi: Sharjah Art Museum. sharjahmuseums.ae
