From festive beats and bites to a dash of last-minute Christmas shopping
We can hardly believe that Christmas Day is just two sleeps away. Thankfully it just so happens that the big day falls on the weekend this year, so it’s a double-whammy.
To be sure that you have a bumper festive period we have listed our top things to do this weekend in Dubai to make it a dashing one.
In the meantime:
Have you booked your Christmas Day brunch? Check out what’s on offer here.
Did you order your turkey takeaway? Quick, do it now.
Bought all your gifts? Don’t fret. Here’s our last-minute guide.
Christmas bites and beats
The festivities will be coming into full swing at Time Out Market Dubai this weekend with great food, festive fun and live music. On Thursday December 23rd, Dutch DJ Ivo Morello will be setting the tempo for the festive weekend with his live set of electronic beats. What’s more, the culinary lineup at Time Out Market Dubai have banished predictable festive fares with the 30 boundary-pushing limited edition festive bites that you have to get your chops around. As if that wasn’t already enough, the man in red will be sleighing by to say hello on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Ho ho ho!
Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai, timeoutmarket.com/dubai.
Yuletide by the seaside
If the idea of celebrating the Christmas weekend in Dubai with a combination of sea, sand and sun sounds good to you then get yourself to Cove Beach. On Christmas Day there will be live entertainment and a sharing menu of beach bites as part of its Bijoux Brunch. Expect a dazzling array of live acts including acrobats, contortionists, singers and dancers.
Dhs600 (admission). Dhs180 (drinks package). Sat Dec 25, 2pm-8pm. Caesars Palace Dubai, Bluewaters Island, Dubai, covebeach.com (050 454 6920).
Wonderful festive walks
If a Christmas Day or Boxing Day walk is a festive tradition of yours then we have you covered. No matter where you live, we’ve picked our favourite places for a good leg stretching in Dubai to help you burn off a bit of the day’s indulgence. We are all guilty! Get everyone out of the house for a bit of sea air or hit the desert for the true Dubai experience.
Festive films and food
For some festive family fun and food over the Christmas weekend then get your gang to retro 50s American diner, SAUCE. What’s more, you will be able to enjoy your favourite festive movies on a big screen which will be set up on their alfresco terrace. Because it’s just not Christmas without the films. On Thursday December 23, there will be screenings of Christmas with the Kranks, on Friday December 24 there will be screenings of Home Alone 2 and on Christmas Day, it;s the classic – Home Alone 1. Be sure not to miss out on the sauce-flavoured popcorn selection whilst you are there.
Available until Sun Dec 26. Screenings: 6pm, 8pm and 10pm. Al Habtoor City Noora Tower, Dubai, saucedubai.ae (0565 388 388).
Beats on the beach
Beach Five Palm Jumeirah First Look Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 24, 2019 (Photo by Aasiya Jagadeesh/ITP Images);24-11-19 Beach_five TOD
If you plan to have a pumping Christmas weekend then you will want to get your squad to Bohemia at Beach by FIVE Palm Jumeirah. As part of Bohemia’s legendary lineup, Ministry of Sound international DJ and remix master Kurd Maverick will be delivering an epic set. Maverick will be getting party-goers into the celebratory mood this Christmas Eve, in preparation for the big day.
From Dhs200 (ladies). Dhs300 (gents). Fri Dec 24, 1pm onwards. No. 1 Palm, Dubai, fivehotelsandresorts.com (04 455 9999).
Last-minute Christmas shopping
If you’ve got some last-minute Christmas shopping to do you can bag a bargain whilst getting great gifts for your friends and loved ones in the Dubai Shopping Festival. DSF (as it is also known) is a Dubai-wide retail and entertainment event offering incredible discounts on international and home-grown brands, along with prize giveaways (brand-new Nissan anyone?). There will also be fab fireworks every night from December 23-31 8.30pm at La Mer. Cracking!
Dubai-wide. Wed Dec 15 until Sun Jan 30. visitdubai.com/en/whats-on/dsf.
Get set for New Year’s Eve
If you have yet to lock in your New Year’s Eve plans then don’t delay! Time Out Dubai have you covered when it comes to your options as we have listed all of the best places to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2021-22 in Dubai. What’s more, we have also listed 25 blow the budget New Year’s Eve brunches in Dubai for Dhs2,000 and upwards. On a budget? Not a problem! Check out our bargain brunches to ring in 2022 in Dubai for under Dhs350.
Make a merry mess
Just in time for Christmas, OliOli®’s MessFest is back better than ever. If you are looking for something different to keep the nippers entertained over the Christmas weekend then you will want to check this out. OliOli® parking lot will be transformed into a space where you can embrace mess-themed fun. Expect mud cakes, rainbow pop rockets, paint catapults and much more. To round things up there will be an exhilarating show with rainbow fireworks and liquid nitrogen explosions. Prepare to be amazed.
Dhs156 (three-hour visit for adult and child). Dec 24-30, 10am-7pm. 62 4 A St, Al Quoz, Al Quoz 1, Dubai. olioli.ae/mess-fest21 (04 702 7300).
Admire some art
Art-lovers will want to check out the Sand Flower exhibition at Art World Creation Dubai by internationally-acclaimed Turkish artist Ahmet Güneştekin. His exhibition brings works that represent and challenge traditional art to the brand new DIFC gallery. Sand Flower comprises works that showcase the artist’s notion of a fragmented world and reveal his vision of the fractal face to the geometry of nature.
Exhibit ends Fri Mar 18. awcdubai.com.
Make it a WHITE (Beach) Christmas
Prepare for the big day with a party-packed evening at WHITE Beach. As part of its epic Palmarama international DJ lineup, Andrea Oliva and Patrick Topping will be headlining this New Year’s eve to make it a December to remember.
Dhs4,000 (minimum table spend). Friday 24th December, 5pm-12:30pm. WHITE Beach Dubai, Atlantis The Palm Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, atlantis.com/dubai (054 5822 778).
Get your chops around some Canadian faves
Canadian export Weslodge Saloon has just opened its second Dubai outlet in Business Bay. If you have already had your fill of festive treats and fancy something a bit different then why not sink your teeth into a jucy USDA steak or perhaps some famous fried chicken, prepared southern or buffalo to your liking at this new venue. Hungry yet?
Residential Bldg. 3A, Shop GO5, Al Wasl, City Walk, Dubai. weslodge.ae (04 350 9230).
Southeast Asian flavour sensations
If you are craving something a bit lighter over the festive season to make a break from all of the rich indulgent food, then check out the new Vietnamese Foodies outlet at Nakheel Mall, the Palm. Having just opened this week, it comes as the fourth branch of the family-owned business. Vietnamese cuisine is flavour packed and known to be ultra-healthy so freshen things up and get stuck into some guilt-free eats this weekend.
Now open. Fashion Shop Level, Nakheel Mall, The Palm, vietnamesefoodies.com.
