What’s On has put together your perfect guide of things to do in Dubai in June, with a World Cup guide, Dubai Sports World, Jason Manford and much more.

What’s On is 35 years old this month. That’s 420 months, 1,820 weeks and 434 issues that we’ve been keeping you in the loop with exciting, interesting and new things going on in the UAE with which to fill your diary. To celebrate our 35th birthday we’re giving away 500 prizes. Yes, 500. Aren’t we a nice bunch?

Continuing the 35th birthday theme, we at What’s On have put together 35 things we love about the UAE. We all have our favourites – restaurants, food, shops, beaches, exercise classes – so perhaps our mini lists will inspire you to try something new.

Elsewhere, it’s been four long years since the last one but, finally, the World Cup is here. The globe will be gripped in a frenzy of football as all eyes turn to Brazil, mostly via a high definition TV screen. To keep up with the action, we’ve compiled a guide to the best sports bars in the UAE, which will be broadcasting the games, with cracking deals to ease the strain on your wallet. If you’re hungry, take a trip around our collection of restaurants that represent the cuisine of each country participating. Also on a World Cup theme is a travel special outlining your Brazil bucket list. Expect beautiful beaches – and beautiful people.

Away from the football, we’ve spoken to top female chefs who are cooking up a storm in Dubai. Alongside that is an exclusive conversation with our columnist Marco Pierre White who, in typically thoughtful fashion, sets out his philosophy of food.

For the active out there, we’ve got all the details on the annual edition of Dubai Sports World; a story on coastal rowing; as well as a boxing academy run by Lee Hurford, a man who enjoys running ultra marathons. In the desert.

A million miles away from tortuous exercise is a round up of new afternoon teas, plus reviews of new restaurants such as Moana at Sofitel on The Palm, Australian-themed Bushman’s at Anantara, Sass Café, Lao, Eat Greek and Mo’s where we attempted to eat the biggest dessert in Dubai. Tough job.

If you like looking at futuristic architecture, we’ve got a stack of sneak peeks at new buildings coming to a street near you that will change the face of the UAE.

On stage, we’ve charted the remarkable rise of comedian Jason Manford, who’s coming to Dubai this month. He’s come from a job at Burger King to selling out venues with his comedy act. Elsewhere on stage are three great plays in Dubai: Relatively Speaking, The Play That Goes Wrong and Big Maggie. Fete de la Musique is a festival in Souk Madinat that features all sorts of musical styles being blended together. Plus, we have news of two photography exhibitions. And if you’re planning a detox this month, check out the expert advice on how to eat clean.

That just about wraps it up. Enjoy our special 35th birthday edition of What’s On and try your luck in one of our competitions. Just one word of warning: it’s our biggest ever issue, so don’t strain yourself picking it up.

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