A weekend so rad you could build a ramp on it…

Dudes, lady dudes and all other denominations of dudes great and small — we’ve got a few rad little parties we think you’d be into. Join us, as we hit the awesome ramp and take a wicked jump into… The Abu Dhabi radverse.

Friday, September 2

New at the movies this weekend

“What about if we remade the movie Panic Room on a yacht?’ you can imagine the producers of new movie, Stowaway saying to nervous studio execs “the fact nobody has asked for it is precisely the reason we should do it” or “yeah, take this interesting concept that has no business being on the high seas… and then we set it… on the high seas. You just watch us 10 x the suspense.” Somehow the movie still got made, and it’s ready now – cooked all the way through and fresh out of the creative oven. It stars Frank Grillo, Ruby Rose, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Luis Da Silva Jr as pirates of the cant really be bothered.

Book tickets: now

Spice girls

If you wannabe our wing girl, you’ll have to head to Stills. Because their ‘Spice and Gossip Nights’ have just launched, a new Friday evening entertainment extravaganza that is so unapologetically crammed with outstanding reasons to visit, we had to break them down as a list. Chief among them though us the core offer — the night starts at 8pm and rages all the way to 2am, and to get things started, there’s a three hour tapas and unlimited beverage package (8pm to 11pm) — all for just Dhs89 for ladies, or Dhs149 for the gents.Whether or not your slam your body down and/or Zig-a-zig-ah is left entirely optional.

Crowne Plaza Yas Island, ladies’s night is every Fri 8pm to 2am, 8pm to 11pm beverage and tapas package from Dhs99. Tel: (02) 656 3000, ihg.com

Carte blanche

 

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A post shared by DIPFest (@dipfestabudhabi)

Held at that red hot hacienda of good times, Aloft Abu Dhabi — this event is essentially a night brunch with benefits, hitting a frothy peak with a sud-soaked foam party. There’s an 8pm to 11pm free flow drinks packages for Dhs199. Expect outrageous inflatables, local legend DJs lighting up the decks and some truly wild watery rave-up adventures. The next session is booked in for Friday September 2, with a ‘white’ theme — come dressed in 50 shades of pale without having to worry about messy spillages, because spoiler alert, you’re going to get wet.

Aloft, ADNEC area, 8pm to 3am, brunch package from Dhs199. Tel: (02) 654 5193, @dipfestabudhabi  

Saturday, September 3

Catch a precious bit of new TV

You can read our full review of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power here. The story driving the series takes place several thousand earth years before the events of The Hobbit (and LOTR), and deals with the second age of Middle Earth. It’s only loosely based on Tolkien’s words, primarily extracted from the appendices of his opus, The Lord of the Rings (LOTR). It’s visually stunning, lead by a female protagonist that has masters in violence from the Beatrix Kiddo university and is available to stream from September 2, free to all UAE Amazon Prime account holders via the Prime Video platform.

Not already signed up? There’s a free 30 day trial and after that it’s jusy Dhs16 and of course you get all the Prime shopping benefist from Amazon.ae too.

La vida loca

Ricky Martin has been banging on about living la vida loca for the last two decades, and you know what Ricky, we finally get you. Taking place this Saturday, September 3 (next date TBA) at Saadiyat Beach Club — entrance for ladies is just Dhs90, and you get four free drinks. Fellas, you know the drill, it’s Dhs250 and you get a big wet zero on the gratis tab (although table packages are available). The tracks are being laid by some of the UAE’s hottest turn table talent — DJ Kaboo, Dj Bliss, and DJ Saif & Sound and there’s the option of scoring yourself some super exclusive cabana privacy.

Saadiyat Beach Club, Saadiyat Island, 8pm to 3am, ladies Dhs90, gents Dhs250. Tel: (054) 581 6260, @saadiyatbeachclub

Zeal of the century

Zeal is a 35,000 square foot entertainment zone at Dalma Mall that includes a bowling zone (from Dhs30 per game), virtual relaity experiences, racing and rollercoaster simulators, pool tables, arcades and a network PC gaming room with 25 high spec computers. There’s also a shisha lounge and a restaurant on site.

Dalma Mall, 10am to 11pm. Tel: (02) 672 4922, @zealentertainmentcentre

Sunday, September 4

Batte

Battle Park, a new ‘digital paintball’ experience is now open in Abu Dhabi’s Marina Mall and it looks like a clean bullseye for the Call of Duty generation. There are a few different ways you can play at Battle Park — gather the squad for iBattle, a team deathmatch spawned in an abandoned prison-themed layout, from Dhs75 for a 20 minute game. There’s also a virtual shooting simulator with sessions priced from Dhs40, and target shooting from Dhs50.

Marina Mall Floor 2. Tel: (800) 228853, @battlepark.official

Rosé tinted glasses

LPM’s La Vie En Rosé brunch takes place on Sunday— after trying it, we can confirm it’s *chef’s kiss* magnifique. The restaurant flies the flag of French fine dining, trading in that famously no-nonsense, no-pretense, let-the-food-do-the-talking, Parisian accent. What can we expect on the plate? LPM burrata with tomatoes & basil and snails with garlic butter to start. Grilled sirloin steak; roast baby chicken marinated in lemon; sea bream fillet with pistou and peppers; and pumpkin risotto for mains. Your dessert highlights include warm chocolate mousse with malt ice cream, vanilla crème brulée or LPM’s celebrated cheesecake. Non, je ne regrette rien.

LPM, Al Maryah Island, Sun — select three hours between midday to 4.30pm, two pax minimum, soft Dhs375, premium pink grape package Dhs450, premium sparkling pink grape Dhs575. Tel: (02) 692 9600, lpmrestaurants.com

Short Circuit

This Aussie-born cult fitness brand has a reputation for fierce but fair workouts, with dramatic conditioning results. The classes combine a mixture of HIIT sessions, functional training (which is where the ‘F’ comes from in the name), circuit training and a cool-down period where you lock your trainer in the eyes and mouth obscenities at them. Though that last part is entirely optional. Each 45 minute class is designed to burn fat, build muscle, improve functional form, and to torch up to 1,000 calories. There’s no doubt that this outfit changes lives, it physically vibrates with positivity and community, it gets results fast and comes with a three-day free trial.

Zayed Sports City, Main Football Stadium, Dhs105 per class, unlimited month pass for Dhs1,100, discounts for multi-month purchases. Tel: (056) 332 3113, F45_training_zayedsportscity

Oasis: Greenest Hits

If you’re looking for green, Al Ain AKA ‘The Garden City’ is a pretty good place to start.  This 1,200-hectare desert oasis is found in the middle of Al Ain and attained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2011. It contains more than 147,000 date palms, trees bearing mangos, oranges, bananas, figs and jujube. With its whimsical shaded pathways beneath fractal canopies it’s a place that provides a shuddering contrast to the urban jungle of Abu Dhabi’s cityscape. There’s also an Eco-Centre that offers insight into the conservation efforts at the oasis, and a look back at its history.

Al Ain, open daily 9am to 5pm. Tel: (03) 711 8251, take a virtual tour at visitabudhabi.ae

Images: Provided