Sponsored: Three days of unforgettable sport, music and entertainment bring the masses to The Sevens Stadium…

With its all-star sporting action, endless family-fun and excellent line-up of live music, the Emirates Dubai 7s is a memorable weekend whether you’re a rugby fan or not. Here’s everything you need to know about one of our favourite weekends of the year.

Go VIP

The ultimate spot to see and be seen at the Emirates Dubai 7s is with the Hospitality VIP Ticket at ‘The Hangar’. It’s the perfect way to treat your colleagues, your clients or just yourself and your mates at this mega weekender. The VIP treatment starts from Saturday morning and runs until late on Sunday, and gives you a bucket load of perks as well as all of the usual sensational 7s action. The elevated experience includes weekend-long access to ‘The Hangar,’ the festival’s famed VIP area located in the heart of the action. This also means the best seats in the house for watching all the rugby matches on Pitch 1, with prime seating and access to the exclusive VIP-only grandstand bar. And you can put your wallet away when it comes to food and drinks too. There’s free-flowing beverages from 11am to 8pm, plus all-inclusive food included. So say goodbye to wasting time queueing and hello to enjoying every minute of this action-packed weekend. And to make your experience even more seamless, there’s early access parking with VIP car park access – which means you’ll be in and out with ease.

Single day hospitality tickets are priced at Dhs1,925, or upgrade to the weekend access pass for Dhs3,250 per person.

Family fun

This fabulous weekend also caters to families, with entertainment and activations taking place for all ages. Young fans can look forward to plenty of games and attractions, with soft play for little ones and a fun-filled inflatable kids’ zone, twice the size of last year, that promises endless hours of fun. Little festival goers can expect to sing along to their favourite Disney hits with a live stage show, and get involved in the festival experience like a silent disco, face painting, VR gaming, arts and crafts, and more. Best of all theres free entry for all children under the age of 10.

Mega music

The off-pitch action accumulates with a duo of superstar performances from a Brit popstar and American DJ as Becky Hill and MK bring the noise to the festival weekend. On Saturday, December 2, the double Brit Award winner Becky Hill will headline on the Frequency on 8 stage, bringing her head-bopping chart-topping hits including Lose Control, My Heart Goes, Disconnect, and more. For house music fans, DJ MK will also perform on the Saturday, taking to the Frequency on 8 stage with his top tracks including 17, Back & Forth, Burning, and more.

And that’s not all, UK garage duo Artful Dodger will perform a sundowner session on the Beats on 2 stage on Saturday afternoon, dropping their anthems including Moving Too Fast, Re-Rewind, and Something. Those visiting on the Friday, December 1, with a little bit of luck, will see British musical duo DJ Luck & MC Neat on the Beats on 2 stage, keeping the dance floor moving with their infectious beats and energy. Alongside huge headline acts, the spotlight will shine on local artists across four iconic stages – Rugby Rocks, Heineken Tavern, Beats on 2 and Frequency on 8 as the sun-soaked days transition to evenings of fun-filled entertainment.

Superb sport

Of course, at its heart, 7s is about rugby, and the classic event gets a brand new approach for 2023. Fans can look forward to seeing the first edition of the newly introduced World Rugby HSBC SVNS series, which will kick off its new era with the iconic event in Dubai later this year. A total of 24 international teams – 12 men’s and 12 women’s – will take part. In the Men’s Tournament, South Africa have a chance to complete an unprecedented hattrick of Dubai victories having been crowned champions in 2021 and 2022. Under the new 12 team format they will have to fend off perennial challengers New Zealand, a resurgent Fiji and Samoa as well as last year’s beaten finalists Ireland. In the Women’s competition, Australia remain the team to beat, but with strong competition from the likes of last year’s knock out stage contenders USA, New Zealand and France, 2023 it is set to be one of the most closely contested competitions yet!

But alongside the main sevens tournament, fans can witness exciting sporting action from a whole host of sporting disciplines. There’s the ever-growing cricket tournament, attracting amateur teams from around the Middle East; the annual netball tournament that takes part across the four-court netball zone; and Rebound, an exhilarating padel tournament that draws some 240 competitors. Plus, returning for a second year is WODON3. The event features mixed teams of two males and two females who go head-to-head in the Emirates Dubai 7s fitness competition across a series of strength and fitness tests.

Drink and dine

New for 2023, ladies can grab the girls and head to the Emirates Dubai 7s first ever Prosecco Lounge, which provides an elevated spot to enjoy a more refined ambience. Away from the pulsing party scene where house DJs and thundering matches take place, guests can sip crisp glasses of bubbles and enjoy the soulful sounds of live guitar.

This year will also see the introduction of The Shaded Garden, a boho-inspired chill zone where guests can enjoy a shaded spot to bliss out. Glitter artists, hair braiding and body marbling will all be found here.

The whole festival foodie offering has been given a glow-up for this year, bringing more culinary variety, global cuisines and healthy options to the festival than ever before. Regional favourites like Fibber Magee’s, Pickl and Gino’s Deli will keep festivalgoers fed, alongside Pret, Wingstop and Shawarma Station.

Tickets

Tickets for the weekend start from Dhs425, with pre-registration also available for Friday’s free ticket option. Hospitality experiences that offer two days of VIP treatment, free-flowing food and drinks and the best views of all the sporting action start from Dhs1,950. There’s limited hospitality tickets remaining, while reserved seating options for both days (which allows you to secure your prime-position seat in the grandstand) are still up for grabs.

Emirates Dubai 7s, Sevens Stadium, December 1 to 3 2023, from Dhs425. dubairugby7s.com