Dubai Destination Guide

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Events
Guide to Entertainment, Events and Nightlife in Dubai

Dubai's entertainment scene is scattered throughout the city with occasional venues here, there and everywhere. The monthly edition of Timeout remains the definitive listing resource - pick it up on arrival to find out exactly what's going on and where in the city.

Music

Music in Dubai varies greatly from international stars, to ethnic performance, tourist-oriented Arabian combos and lounge-singers.

Mostly it's the same story as for theatre with the main venues for visitors being contained within hotels. Most of the better establishments offer entertainment each night in their auditoriums or clubs. Standards and type of performance vary considerably.

Check out the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Hyatt Regency or the Crowne Plaza to name just a few but don't expect anything too brilliant. The World Trade Center's massive indoor auditorium sporadically offers classical and large-scale musical performances but again you'd have to check locally to find out if anything is happening while you're in town. Particularly look out for the events held during the Shopping Festival in late March.

Theatre

Most of the larger hotel complexes have some kind of auditorium where medium sized shows can be hosted. Check local listings to discover what's on when you're in town. Some of the best bets are the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the Hyatt Regency.

The Intercontinental Hotel has a resident theatre company that performs in the hotel's Indian Playhouse. Performances range from traditional Arabic performances to saccharine tourist oriented versions of the same. You can often catch international performers on stage at various hotels as well, especially during the Dubai Shopping Festival when the city welcomes travelling troupes of actors.

Cinema

You'll never want for a film to watch in Dubai, there are plenty of modern multiplex cinemas around the city, all churning out mainstream Hollywood blockbusters mixed in with a small selection of Arabic films. Most Western films are featured in English.

Cinestar (Deira City Centre. Tel: +971 (0)4-294-9000) is an 11-auditorium multiplex while the Grand Cineplex (Garhoud. Tel: +971 (0)4-324-2000) offers nine screens.

Sports

Dubai is famous for its horseracing and night races take place regularly at the Dubai Racing Club course. The stadium, located about 5km south-east of Dubai on the road to Abu-Dhabi, regularly welcomes jockeys from around the world for its floodlit meetings. Entrance is free, although a fee is payable to enter the enclosure. Meets commence at 19h00 each night apart from during Ramadan when the first race only starts at 21h00. Note that gambling is not allowed under Islamic law.

The Dubai Tennis Stadium is an impressive complex and really comes alive towards the end of February when it hosts the Dubai Tennis Open. Many of the stars of the ATP tour often choose to compete, such with recent champions being Martina Hingis and Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Nightclubs

Nightclubs are increasingly popular in Dubai and are starting to attract big name international DJs, but many venues remain divided down ethnic lines.

At the moment a lot of the best international clubs are still located in the larger hotels of the city. Two good clubs for tourists include The Cage (Avari Dubai International Hotel, off Baker Al Siddiq Rd) and Scream (Ramada Hotel, Al Mankhool Rd).

Planetarium (Wafi City, Bur Dubai) meanwhile is one of the hottest places in town and a favourite for R'n'B style bumping and grinding. This is where you'll see the celebrities as well, with any famous names in Dubai usually heading down here to dance the night away. It's best to book yourself in as the guest list is always full.

Special Events

February
The Dubai Tennis Open is held in the city at the end of February and attracts the world's top players to compete for the title. You can expect to see all the current greats of the men's and women's game battling it out in one of tennis's richest non-Grand Slam competitions.

Throughout February and into March Dubai holds its annual Shopping Festival - attracting 2.5 million people to the city each year. As well as the obvious bargains and sales in the city's many fine shops and malls you'll find a whole host of entertainment on offer. Street theatre, concerts and firework displays are just a few things you can expect to see in the city. You'll also find some fabulous, and world famous, city-wide raffle competitions - previous prizes have included Rolls Royce cars and your own weight in gold.

March
The Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament is one of the world's premier golfing events. With a prize purse in excess of USD1,600,000 the professional circuit's top players never pass up the chance to compete, and of course hordes of fans descend on the city to watch them.

The Dubai World Cup Horse Race at the end of the month is another fabulously expensive sporting event. The finest horses in the Middle East compete for massive prizes.

May
Dubai goes nuts on water in May, with the Formula 4 Power Boat Challenge and the Middle East International Boat show. The richer citizens of the city parade their wealth while everyone else simply admires the millionaires' playthings on show (and in action).

June-September
Dubai Summer Surprises is just that, a series of surprise events throughout the summer months. You can expect live performances of music and drama, and carnival activities as well as more mundane attractions such as summer shop sales and the like. Check local listings for details of what's on offer from week to week.

November
The Dubai Air Show welcomes international air performers from all over the globe. The event happens every two years, with the next scheduled for 2005. Visitors can expect to see military planes, domestic aircraft and stunning displays of aerial acrobatics from the likes of the RAF's Red Arrow Squadron.

 

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