The Quoz Arts Fest 2024 is returning this weekend for its 11th year, with a diverse programme of artists and performers.
The arts and culture festival will be running from 8am-11:30pm on Saturday and Sunday at its home in Alserkal Avenue and the surrounding Al Quoz area.
There will be more than 200 activities throughout the event, from art performances to live musical acts, public art installations and contemporary dance. There will also be 50 creative concepts opening their doors across the Al Quoz area along with plenty of food trucks and pop-ups.
Here's what not to miss out on this weekend.
Public Art
Visitors to the festival can immerse themselves in a number of public artworks.
French-Tunisian graffiti artist eL Seed has created Collection of Moments, a large mural, on the facade of his studio, while art gallery Carbon 12’s German-Iranian artist Anahita Razmi’s installation Red Flags features a series of colourful banners and flags that will be hung down the avenue.
The work of Japanese artist Yuri Suzuki, who lives in London, will also be on show. Set to be an interactive, ambient-sound installation that mimics nature, his piece Echoes of Nature will be displayed at Concrete.
Contemporary art gallery Lawrie Shabibi has also curated a new iteration of visual artist Hamra Abbas's graphic artwork Every Color is a Shade of Black, which will be on view as part of the festival.
Film and Dance
Millennial viral artist Usha Jey will be performing her hybrid dance style that energetically blends hip-hop and Bharatanatyam, the classic Indian dance, alongside her fellow contemporary dancers Mithu and Janu. They will be performing twice on the festival's stage area – at 6pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday.
The opening of the Reel Palestine film festival’s 10th year will also take place on the weekend, with Cinema Akil showcasing a number of Palestinian stories in feature and documentary form.
The independent theatre will present an outdoor screening of Slingshot Hip Hop in the Yard at 10pm on Saturday. The 2008 documentary traces the history and development of hip-hop in Palestine.
The Sima Dance Company will be performing the choreographed piece The birds were not singing, The birds were crying by Lana Fahmi at 4.30pm on Saturday.
The performance explores concepts of silence and noise within the framework of an exhausted generation in search of peace. Performed by dancers Rei Co, Mazen Nahlawi, Mohsen Al Abdalla, Tomomi Aramaki, Lisa Rowley and Rama Khalifa, the piece will express our search for the sense of calm first experienced within a mother’s womb.
Live Music
A number of musical talents from across the region and the Arab diaspora will also be taking to the stage.
Live performances include Moroccan-French singer Amina, known for her blend of pop and traditional folk music.
The South Asian DJ Stick No Bills is set to entertain the crowds at night along with Sudanese fusion artist MarSimba’s mix of modern Afrobeat and traditional African rhythms.
Perhaps the most anticipated act of the weekend will be The Synaptik. The Palestinian-Jordanian artist’s singing and rapping style, which also merges rap, trap and his distinct songwriting style, has won him fans across the region and has quickly positioned him as an innovative Arabic-speaking artist.
There will also be plenty of home-grown musicians of all ages, genres and languages to experience in Quoz Encores – a series of live performances aiming to support emerging musicians in the UAE.
Food Trucks and Pop-ups
Foodies will also be spoiled for choice with over 50 food concepts available across the weekend from pop-ups to food trucks.
These include home-grown brands and staples from the UAE food scene. Healthy restaurant and cafe One Life , which focuses on using natural ingredients, will be collaborating with Ali Cha’aban for Falafel For The People to create authentic sandwiches. While home-grown bakery Oma will offer a variety of street food. Mexican restaurant Tacos Los Hermanos' pop-up will serve authentic Latin American cuisine, from classic chips and guacamole to cheese birria tacos.
The avenue's permanent food and beverage spots will also be open throughout the festival.
Nightjar will be serving their craft brews, artisan coffees and food items while DJs such as Mr Fresh, Tarik Omar and 199x will take to the restaurant's stage for musical sets from 1pm-10pm on both days of the festival.
The Quoz Arts Fest 2024 is a ticketed event priced at dh 63 for full-weekend access or the same price for a single day.
More information is available at www.alserkal.online/event/quoz-arts-fest
Company%20profile
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Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE%20HOLDOVERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlexander%20Payne%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Giamatti%2C%20Da'Vine%20Joy%20Randolph%2C%20Dominic%20Sessa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
