15 things to do in Dubai this weekend
Party with us at our very own festival, try new cafes, see street art – rain or shine, this weekend’s going to be a boomer.
THURSDAY 12
1. Get Greek
Book dinner at Elia tonight or tomorrow and renowned chefs Jerome Serres, Yiannis Baxevanis, and pastry expert Dimitris Chronopoulos will be in the kitchen cooking your meal – it’s all part of the restaurant’s Greek culinary festival.
Majestic Hotel, Mankhool Road, Bur Dubai, Dubai, 7pm to 11.30pm. Tel: (04) 5012690. Taxi: Majestic Hotel. dubaimajestic.com
2. Listen to world-renowned Arabic compositions
Egyptian composor, pianist and conductor Omar Khairat is one of the most respected minds in Arabic classical music. His influences range from jazz and blues to, of course, the traditional tunes of the Middle East. If piano, classical music or just opening your musical horizons is your bag, this is a concert you should go to.
Here’s a sample of his work:
Emirates Golf Club, from 7pm, from Dhs275 to Dhs795. More info on Facebook. Tickets at Platinumlist.
3. Go to the opera
At Ductac tonight you’ll find a staging of Madama Butterfly – Italian composer Giacomo Puccini’s most acclaimed opera. On stage will be soprano Monica De Rosa McKay in the title role of Cio-Cio San, the tenor Gian Luca Pasolini as B.F.Pinkerton, the baritone Gianfranco Montresor as Sharpless and the mezzo-soprano Agata Bienkowska in the role of Suzuki accompanied by the pianist-conductor Piero Corradino Giovannini.
Centrepoint Theatre, Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, 8pm, from Dhs180 to Dhs300. Tel: (04) 341 4777. More info on Facebook.
4. See some super crazy chairs
Maximo Riera’s furniture is more safari than sitting room. What appears on first glance to be an ordinary – if plush – chair is revealed on closer inspection to have been hewn from a biologically accurate sculpture of a rhinoceros head. The back of another armchair is a perfect replica of the hind legs of a toad. Suddenly our IKEA sofa seems so… suburban. The artist, who has teamed up with design boutique Cities to stage an exhibition of his latest work at The Mine gallery in Al Quoz – it starts today. Read more about him here.
November 12 to 16. The Mine, Street 8a, Al Quoz, Dubai, Sat to Thur 10am to 7pm. Tel: (04) 3434301. Taxi: Al Serkal Avenue. themine.ae
5. Hear house, disco and everything in between
Cuts Above’s new monthly residency at the iconic 360° is sure to be a good night. Art of Tones, aka Ludovic Llorka, will make his UAE debut. Expect a touch of everything from the lad – soul, funk, techno, disco and house. Here’s a bit of what he’s about:
Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, 7pm to 3am, free. Tel: (055) 5008515. Taxi: Jumeirah Beach Hotel. More on Facebook.
6. Admire many sets of wheels
The biennial Dubai International Motor Show is back in town this week, running until November 15. This means five days of motoring madness – to make life easier for you, we’ve picked out the five things not to be missed at the 13th edition of the show – read all about them here before you plan your visit.
Tickets for the Motor Show are Dhs55, buy them here. Dubai World Trade Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road. 6pm to 10pm Tuesday November 10, 11am to 10pm, Wednesday November 11, 11am to 11pm, Thursday and Friday November 12 & 13 and 11am to 10pm Saturday November 14.
FRIDAY 13
7. Party with us!
With three amazing stages featuring award-winning international artists like the legendary Stereophonics and sure-to-be-a-good-show Razorlight, a festival atmosphere with the many stages and areas (the Hype Village is sure to be a good time), Vans Party In The Park is back – see you there?
Dubai Media City Ampitheatre, Dubai Media City, Dubai, 2pm to midnight, from Dhs350. Tel: (04) 427 3000. Metro: Nakheel. partyinthepark.ae.
8. Try a new breakfast spot
Circle Cafe first began in Dubai 12 years ago, and it has just opened a branch in The Dubai Mall (right next to the silver divers waterfall on the ground floor). They serve salads, bagels, breakfasts, juices, coffee and plenty of cakes. In fact, if you have a sweet tooth you need to try the Brioche French toast with toffee sauce and bananas, or the new-and-improved carrot cake. Both are so good we’ve already had them twice (in two weeks. Don’t judge us. We live near there.).
Ground Floor, The Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, 10am to midnight daily. Tel: 04 338 0049. Metro: Dubai Mall. circle-cafe.com.
9. Taste many forms of truffle
Truffle’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if it’s yours you should be heading to Armani/Ristorante this weekend. The fantastic Italian restaurant is serving up a many-course truffle degustation menu until November 15. It includes a Tartare of Black Angus beef tartare, parmesan fondue and white truffle (pictured) as well as the unusual-sounding truffle crème brûlée & sweet garlic cappuccino.
Armani Hotel, Downtown Dubai, Dhs900 per person. Every evening until November 15. Tel: (04) 888 3444. dubai.armanihotels.com.
10. Relive the Noughties
Get ready for a medley of pop anthems as British boyband – turned manband – Blue perform at Mixtape Rewind. They’re best known for their early 2000s hits All Rise and Fly By.
Emirates Golf Club, Emirates Hills, Dubai, 6pm to 2am, Dhs240. Tel: (04) 3801234.
11. Get your Bollywood dance on
Canadian singer-songwriter Raghav, who is huge in Bollywood, is performing at People by Crystal tonight – he’ll be accompanied by sets from DJ Shadow, DJ Karan and DJ Hani as well as performances by aerial dancers.
People by Crystal, Raffles Dubai, 11pm to 3am, free entry for couples before midnight. peoplebycrystal.com.
SATURDAY 14
12. Have a sundowner with a view
TOMO Views Terrace in Raffles has just reopened, and they serve half price beverages between 5pm and 7pm every day (which is the perfect time to be there as you’ll catch the sun setting along the Dubai skyline).
After drinks, head into the Tomo Restaurant for dinner – it’s one of our favourite spots in the city for authentic Japanese food.
Raffles Hotel, Wafi, Dubai, daily 5pm to 7pm. Tel: (04) 3577888. Metro: Dubai Healthcare City. tomo.ae.
13. See immersive light art
Red Bull has teamed up with Dubai Properties to bring renowned street artist Joel Van Moore, aka Vans the Omega, to the city (one of his pieces is pictured above). Head to the Rimal area of JBR this weekend to see his collaboration with Brazilian, Dubai-based light artists VJZARIA. The installation will marry art and technology. It is sure to be bold, colourful and worth seeing (we just wish it was permanent!). Accompanying the installation will be food stations, a pop-up bazaar and other activities – all themed around Diwali, the festival of lights.
Rimal, JBR, from 7pm November 13 to 14. More info on Red Bull’s Twitter.
14. Listen to good tunes while surrounded by greenery
Freshly Ground Sounds is at the Dubai Garden Centre this afternoon – that means music from The Deer Hum, Vandalye and The Howlin’ Rooster Band, as well as a barbecue, ice cream and good coffee. A fantastic way to spend an afternoon.
Dubai Garden Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, 4pm to 7pm. Metro: FGB. More info on Facebook.
15. End your weekend with yoga
Dina Ghandour’s Jivamukti classes are 90 minutes, but they fly by: basically, when a song by Florence in the Machine came on we knew we were in our kind of yoga class.
Highlights for us included the fact there were mini Tiger Balm massages (always welcome), the way Dina talks you through your breathing (because, as impossible as it sounds we often ‘forget to breathe’ during a yoga class) and how relaxed we felt at the end. You move through a lot of poses throughout the class – and so feel like you’ve had a workout – but it’s not intimidating and there are a lot of modifications on offer for beginners.
Inspire Yoga & Pilates, Sheikh Zayed Road, 6pm-7.30pm, Dhs75. More info on Facebook. Tel: (050) 641 7164 – call to register for the class.
