You know that moment on a Thursday afternoon when your work buddy asks what you’re doing this weekend and your mind goes blank? Well worry no more, friends, because What’s On has the perfect solution, whatever mood you are in.

Swat up on the Stones
Are you one of the many thousands around the UAE who are sulking this weekend because you didn’t get a Rolling Stones ticket for their show at Du Arena on Friday February 21? We feel your pain. And while we truly tried our best to get Mick, Keith and the gang to meet all our loyal readers, we couldn’t quite pull it off. Next time, ey. In the meantime, why don’t you swat up on the Stones so that if someone asks if you were there, you can bamboozle them with your knowledge to the point where they’ll think not only were you there, but that you hung out with the boys. Check out our definitive guide.

Du Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Dhs395. Tel: (02) 5098000. Taxi: Du Arena. thinkflash.ae

Go to the movies
Anchorman 2 leads the way on new movies out this week. You can watch trailers, check times and read our quick Twitter reviews for all other major releases by clicking right here.

Dubai Food Festival
Heaven is a place on Earth, Food Heaven that is. For the next three weeks – from Friday February 21 – the Dubai Food Festival will celebrate the culinary expertise of the Emirate with activities, tastings, offers and entertainment, from Michelin starred chefs to street food, and everything in between.

Set to become an annual spectacular, this inaugural edition kicks off on February 21 with the first of 10 individual events (see for yourself below) targeted at both consumer and business – Gulfood and Taste of Dubai, as well as new events such as the Dubai Food Carnival and The Big Grill – most of which feature at least one celebrity chef. The likes of John Torode, famed for his role on BBC show Masterchef, Sanjeev Kapoor, whose restaurant Signature at Melia Dubai is one of Dubai’s most popular for high-end Indian cuisine, and Jean Christophe Novelli, the charismatic Frenchman will all be appearing.

The first event to take place is the Dubai Food Carnival, at Festival City. All manner of food-related things will be taking place, from spicy chicken-wing eating competition to a guest cooking appearance by celebrity chef Silvena Rowe. Many of Dubai’s biggest and best restaurants will be represented, all giving you a window into their culinary delights.

Dhs60 general admission. Open daily 10am-11pm. dubaifoodcarnival.com.

Dubai’s most expensive brunch
From this week, Imperium’s Friday special will have an extra layer of awesome on top for those willing to spend Dhs2,500. Ladies and gentleman, we give you ‘The Royale Brunch’.

So what do you get for your money at the Ottoman inspired luxury resort on The Palm? For starters you and your guests – because who wants to experience this on their own? – will be seated in a private dining area (though you have a choice of the rest of the restaurant and outdoor terrace if you wish) where a personal butler will attend to your every need.

In addition to your already sparkling selection of a la carte and buffet options – lest we forget ‘standard’ Imperium is one of the very best for French classics, brasserie style bites, cheese, seafood, terrines and grill – you will be treated to a bottle of Dom Pérignon champagne EACH and Beluga Caviar.

The Royale Brunch compliments the existing packages which include Classic Brunch (Dhs310), inclusive of soft drinks, the Emperor’s Brunch (Dhs435), inclusive of house beverages and theSovereign Brunch (Dhs550) inclusive of free-flowing Laurent Perrier.

Zabeel Saray, The Palm, Dubai. Tel: (04) 453 0444. Taxi: Zabeel Saray. jumeirah.com/imperium-brunch

Swim the Burj
The usual tranquil seas around the Burj Al Arab will be awash with more than 800 swimmers on Friday February 21 as the annual Swim The Burj charity drive takes place. Last year saw over Dhs220,000 raised, while this year the likes of the Red Crescenet Society and Doctors Without Borders will hope to push that total even higher. The 1,600m competitive challenge itself can be completed individually or in teams of up to four people, so long as you are between the ages of seven and 60. The non-competitive event takes place afterwards.

For more information visit jumeirah.com/swim-around-burj-al-arab

Warehouse party
BBC Radio 1Xtra heavyweight MistaJam weighs in for Warehouse Dubai on Friday February 21. The tastemaker brings his penchant for dirty bass to the new hi-rise underground party. Get a piece of his genre mashing action with these top soundbites from the man himself, right here.

41st floor, Media One Hotel, Media City. Tel: (056) 1140556. Metro: Nakheel. Taxi: Media One Hotel. February 21, 9pm to 3am. Dhs100 in advance. 

Tips from the experts
Ever need to give your wardrobe a facelift but felt only minor tweaks rather than massive splurges were needed? Well on Friday February 21 at Make Business Hub you can learn all the tricks of the sewing trade with Project Runway designer Buffi Jashanmal. The author of ‘Buffis Dress Design’ will be delivering a masterclass and answering your questions from 3-6pm. All you need to bring is a dress or any garment that you want to add a personal touch to, and a fabric swatch.

For more information visit facebook.com/MAKEbusinesshub

Golf after dark
Having recently played host to Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and the rest of the world’s elite, now Emirates Golf Club want you. And they want you late at night. The club – opposite Dubai Media City – has launched its night pass scheme which, for Dhs1,800 per month, gives you unlimited rounds at the Faldo course after 4pm.

Emirates Golf Club (04 380 1234). Taxi: Emirates Golf Club. dubaigolf.com/emirates-golf-club

Dubai Tennis Championship
Part One of the Dubai Tennis Championship comes to a conclusion this weekend after several days of hard hitting from the world’s leading women. You can still see Venus Williams, Jelena Jankovic (read our interview with the Serb here), Caroline Wozniacki and other stars of the sport in action in the quarter, semi and finals between Thursday and Saturday. Next week, the men.

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Al Garhoud, Dubai, Dhs75. Tel: (04) 4172415. Metro: GGICO. dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com 

Morelli’s Gelato
With more than a century of experience in the UK, Morelli’s Gelato is now going from strength to strength in the UAE and official opens its second outlet in Dubai on Friday February 21, at The Beach, Jumeirah Beach Residences. The fifth-generation family business maintains all the recipes that got it to where it is today, regardless of location in Britain, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Monte Carlo and Dallas.

Signature favourites include vanilla, banana, chocolate and strawberry variations, as well as the more exotic mango and coconut flavours. For ice cream aficionados, Morelli’s Gelato’s range of sundaes including the Knickerbocker Glory and Banana Royale, are the ultimate treat. To celebrate the opening, Morelli’s Gelato will be hosting a Purple Carpet event, where visitors can enter themselves into a Grand Draw and win an array of prizes. Also, for an extra special touch, a complimentary Ice Cream Sundae will be given to each visitor who arrives dressed in purple – in keeping with Morelli’s trademark décor.

The Beach, The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai. facebook.com/MorellisME

Comedy
The Gramercy in DIFC is bringing back the hilarious Mo Amer to their Comedy Nights on Sunday February 23 and Monday February 24. For Dhs175, customers will enjoy one drink, while doubling that figure will get you a three-course meal, too. From 8.30pm onwards, there will be a special opening by the comedian Azhar Usman, after which Mo Amer will take the stage.

For more information and to book, call (04) 437 7511.

Baby Bazaar
Mothers unite on Saturday February 22- as they will do every last Saturday in the month – between 9am and 2pm at Times Square Mall for the ultimate market in baby, toddler and maternity items. It’s very much a buy and sell attitude here with guests encouraged to bring their old clothes, toys and strollers down. Entertainment will be provided on the side by play houses and face painting.

babybazaar.org

Get ready for SciFet
Science isn’t all lab coats and bubbling test tubes – that’s the message from the team behind Dubai’s first ever science festival. With a fashion show, movie screenings, and even a murder mystery dinner lined up alongside exhibitions, lectures and debates, SciFest has as much to offer those who dreaded chemistry lessons as it does die-hard science buffs.

Festival director Rohan Roberts says SciFest is designed to have mass appeal. “For many people the last time they engaged with science was in high school, and they remember it as dull facts and figures,” he explains. “Science is so much more than that. When you look at things scientifically, the world becomes a very different place – a world of answers and explanations.”

February 26 to March 1
Meydan IMAX Theatre, Al Meydan Road, Dubai, free. Taxi: The Meydan Hotel. scifestdubai.com

Creative writing classes
Did you hear the one about two would-be writers at a party? One says, “I’m writing a novel.” The other one says, “Neither am I.” Yes, procrastination plagues even the most prolific writers, so there’s nothing like a creative writing course to get things moving.

Creative Writing Dubai meets every week for four weeks to discuss writing, complete exercises and learn tricks of the trade. Each session looks at a different way of writing a short story to help you find your own style.

Leading the course is professional writer and novelist, Hayley Doyle (above), who studied creative writing at London’s Brunel University under the legendary Fay Weldon. Doyle won the Curtis Brown Award for writing in 2010, has written plays for children in Dubai for over three years and her second novel adults, The Day She Met Shirley Temple, was published in 2012. Creative Writing Dubai is open to anybody with a desire to write, even if the last story you wrote was in crayon. Participants must be prepared to write a short piece after each session to discuss and share with the group the following week. So sign up and be that writer who can say, “I just wrote a novel.” Or at least a short story.
February 24

Pascal Tepper French Bakery, Dubai Media City, 7.30pm to 9pm, Dhs700 for four 90-minute sessions, plus a one-to-one consultation at the end of the course. Tel: (055) 1040538. Metro: Nakheel. facebook.com/CreativeWritingDubai

 

Mutajadid
Emirati artist Maitha Demithan has made a name for herself with her distinctive scanography portraits, some of which can be seen at a new exhibition entitled Mutajadid. To make her portraits, Maitha uses an A4 flatbed scanner to record the surface of figures and objects, and then composes these multiple views to create poetic, layered images. Some of us may have done something similar at an office party, to less poetic effect.

By using the painstaking process of scanning and composing, Maitha defies the quick fix of Instagram culture. Over time, she has developed a lexicon of dream-like imagery, with graceful, floating figures, and ethereal forms. Birds and garments are recurrent themes in Mutajadid. Traditional Emirati garments are presented as disembodied figures, with children’s clothes linked to the artist’s own past lending a tone of nostalgia. Intriguing work from a local talent. 
Until February 27

Tashkeel Art Studio and Gallery, Intersection Street 5 and 20, 5 Nadd Al Sheba Rd, Dubai, behind Meydan Hotel, Sat to Thur 8am to 10pm, free. Tel: (04) 3363313. Taxi: Tashkeel. tashkeel.org