Giant trampoline parks, Spanish lunches, fancy breakfasts, free films, legendary DJs, giant burgers, jazz bands. Dubai is truly bringing it over the next three days…

Thursday May 26

1. Flip out (in a fun way)

Work away the week’s stress at the just-opened Flip Out, the region’s largest trampoline park. There are 200 interconnected trampolines over 40,000 square feet, with 10 trampoline-based attractions including a main arena with obstacles, trampoline penalty shootout, 3D wall running, trampoline dodgeball and volleyball court, trampoline basketball, half-pipe trampoline wall-running, foam pit, SuperTramp and a double-decker kids’ area. Phew.

Flip Out, Al Quoz 3, next to SpeedEX showroom. Dhs70 for one hour (for an adult). 10am to midnight, daily. facebook.com/flipoutdubai. 

2. Check out a new Jamaican restaurant

The ‘opening soon’ signs for Ting Irie were up for ages in Downtown Dubai. Well now Dubai’s first Jamaican restaurant is actually open. The service is great, the space bright and the Jamaican flavours strong (if sometimes a little heavy). This is our pick for dinner out in Dubai tonight (mostly due to its atmosphere).

Souk Al Manzil, downtown Dubai, daily noon to midnight. Tel: (04) 5575601. Metro: Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall. tingirie.com

3. Dodge darts

The annual Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters is a bit of a fan favourite on the Dubai sports calendar – so if you love the game of darts (who doesn’t?) head down this weekend to The Irish Village to see the world’s best vie for the top spots. The order of play will be Quarter Finals on Thursday May 26 (best of 19 legs) and Semi Finals (best of 21 legs) and Finals (best of 21 legs) on Friday May 27. Read more about it here.

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Garhoud, Dubai, 8pm, Thur Dhs199, Fri Dhs250, Thur and Fri Dhs350. Tel: (055) 3095495. Metro: GGICO. dubai-darts.com

4. Admire arias

Tonight at Ductac in MOE you’ll find The Italian Opera Gala where you’ll hear Bellini’s Norma, Donizetti’s Elisir D’ amore, Verdi’s Rigoletto and Puccini’s Tosca among other classics. Italian soprano Monica De Rosa McKay (above) and tenor Gian Luca Pasolini will both be bringing the songs to life. (There will be English narration too.)

Ductac, Mall of the Emirates. 8.30pm, Dhs150 to Dhs250. More info and tickets on website. 

*ALSO: Check out the Burj Al Arab’s brand new terrace*

5. Dance to the tunes of a legend

American house music legend Armand Van Helden is playing a gig in the intimate confines of Dubai’s Q43 bar this weekend. From his No. 1 collaboration with Dizzee Rascal, Bonkers, to his incredibly funky Duck Sauce with A-Trak and his late-90s mega hit You Don’t Know Me, Van Helden’s had a diverse and shiny run and his set is sure to reflect that.

Q43, Media One Hotel, Dubai Media City. 9pm to 3am. Free entry. More info on Facebook. 

Friday May 27

6. Conquer the Burger Khalifa

New American diner Firebird has some special burgers on the menu this weekend in honour of International Burger Day tomorrow. Try the All American Slider, The Down South Dirty Bird, The Arabian Burger or the Burger Khalifa (which comes in at a hefty Dhs500 and includes aPrime USDA beef double patty, maine lobster tail, seared foie gras, black truffle aioli and a sunny side egg).

Four Seasons DIFC, DIFC. Dhs50 to Dhs500, 12pm to midnight, until Saturday. Tel: (04) 506 0000. More info on website. 

7. Take advantage of a great happy hour deal

Spice & Ice in JLT is offering a booming happy hour deal until Ramadan begins that means Dhs15 for house beverages from 5pm to 7pm daily. Yes, as in every day. Post brunch option?

Spice & Ice, next to Movenpick Hotel, Cluster A, JLT. Dhs15 per drink, 5pm to 7pm daily. Tel: 050 552 9686. More info on Facebook. 

8. Laugh with an Aussie legend

Adam Hills, who hosts The Last Leg trivia show in the UK, is in Dubai for a stand up set tonight. He’s known for his positive and intelligently witty comedy style. The show that he’s currently touring is called Clown Heart and it’s about raising kids and dealing with the idea of getting older.

May 27, Dubai World Trade Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, 7pm, Dhs300. Tel: (04) 3148222. Metro: Dubai World Trade Centre. platinumlist.net

9. See a superfly pianist

Laurent de Wilde is playing a free concert at Kasbar in One & Only Royal Mirage tonight – the US-born French jazz pianist has released 13 albums, and his latest Fly, Superfly combines acoustic piano with computer technology. For his Dubai show, organised by Alliance Française, he’ll be playing as part of a trio.

Kasbar, One and Only Royal Mirage, 8pm, free entry but RSVP mandatory. More info on website. 

10. Listen to some proper jazz/funk

To celebrate its official launch new DIFC restaurant and jazz bar R Trader is hosting the James Taylor Quartet for a set tonight and on Saturday night. The British jazz/funk four piece have an infectious and truly joyful sound. Dinner-and-show packages are sold out, but there are still tickets on offer for standing room while the music’s happening – that’ll be Dhs150 for entry and two complimentary house beverages. (Ooh, and if you want to try the VIP dinner package – the one that’s sold out – the next gigs are Timmy Vegas on June 3 and Roy Ayers on July 8 and 9.)

Al Fattan Currency House, DIFC. 8pm to midnight, Dhs150 for entry and two drinks (bookings close on Thursday). Tel: (04) 343 5518. More info on Facebook.

11. Go all out in Ras al Khaimah

Destination Dawn is a 12-hour music festival being held on the beach in RAK this weekend, perfect for those who fancy dancing from dusk to dawn. The two headlining DJs are Thomas Gold and Goldfish and there will be food and drink vendors right on the beach (so wear your swimmers).

Al Marjan Beach, Ras Al Khaimah (location map here). 5pm to 5am, from Dhs150. More info on Facebook. Buy tickets here.

Saturday May 28

12. Do a free boot camp in a mall

Yoga apparel brand lululemon is hosting a boot camp this morning led by Shaikha Al Qassemi, Kiwi surfer Karina Bensemann and yoga instructor and general all-round fitness guru Linda Chambers (pictured). The class will start at 8.30am sharp (register here to secure a space), it’s free and there will be healthy treats post-workout. We can particularly vouch for Linda Chambers as an instructor, who helps run the excellent HIIT class Burn by 1Six8 and is also a Les Mills Master Instructor.

lululemon, ground floor, City Centre Mirdif, 8.30am. Free. Register here. 

13. Have a fancy breakfast

La Serre Boulangerie is one of our favourite options for breakfast (considering its croissants are glorious, and its coffee at least passable), but now you can also go to the white-tablecloth, silver-service La Serre Bistro upstairs for your morning meal on weekends. The vibe is elegant, the views out to Sheikh Mohammed Boulevard lively and the crowd posh. The menu features everything from pastries to French toast and eggs bene’ to scrambled with truffle. So if you feel like a breakfast that feels like fine dining, this is for you. Plus, the prices are basically on par with most hip cafes in the city. Perfect for when you want to treat someone else (or just yo’self).

La Serre Bistro, Sheikh Mohammed Boulevard, Downtown Dubai. 10am to 1pm, Friday and Saturday. Tel: (04) 428 6969. More info on website. 

14. Eat great paella

Contemporary Spanish restaurant El Sur in the Westin is a favourite of Dubai’s expat Spaniard community thanks to its proper traditional paella, and they’re now offering a Saturday lunch with tapas, paella and desserts from Dhs199 (you’ll leave full). Highlights of the lunch include the excellent charcuterie, the paella (of course) and the spongey Santiago cake. Definitely book a table as it gets quite busy.

The Westin, Al Sufouh Road. 12.30pm to 3.30pm, Saturday. Dhs199 with soft drinks, Dhs249 with sangria, hops and grape, Dhs299 with sparkling. Tel: (04) 399 7700. More info on website. 

15. See an Albanian film

Meet the New Generation is an eight-day programme of nightly film screenings running at A4 Space in Alserkal Avenue right now. Tonight it’s Albanian film Bota which circulates around an Albanian bar and the lives of the people that visit it. The movie is really about the stagnation and troubles that were left behind after the country’s harsh dictatorship. There’s also going to be a panel discussion tonight about independent filmmaking in the GCC region.

A4 Space, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz. Free, 8pm. More info here. Full schedule here. 

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