March 2-8
Emirati Cinema Campaign Tour
The Emirati Cinema Campaign team will be getting on their bikes for the third year running to tour all seven emirates, with little more than a giant campaign flag and their mission to spread the word on Emirati cinema to keep them going. This year’s riders are Emirati directors Nawaf Al Janahi (Sea Shadow) and Khalid Al Mahmood (Sabeel). Exact tour routes and locations are yet to be confirmed, so check out the Emirati Cinema Campaign 2016 page on Facebook for the latest details
March 2
Abu Dhabi Then and Now
At the capital’s newest cultural destination, Warehouse 421, Michele Bambling will lead a panel discussion about Abu Dhabi’s phenomenal development over the past 50 years. Told through oral history, old photographs and a panel of witnesses to the transformation, it is an evening dedicated to exploring the changes in the capital.
• 6.30pm to 8pm, Warehouse 421, Abu Dhabi. Visit www.warehouse421.ae for more details
March 3
Design & Dine
Check out the newest art event in the capital — and learn to paint over dinner. Abu Dhabi artist Gemma Gallagher will lead the class, which is open to novices and experienced painters alike. Participants also have the chance to enjoy a buffet dinner and complimentary drinks while they learn.
• 7pm to 9.30pm, Crowne Plaza, Hamdan Street. From Dh280 per person. For more information, check out www.facebook.com/design.dine.ad
March 4
Hemingway dinner at The Forge
The Forge steakhouse in The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, is pairing literature and food in a culinary journey featuring four courses, each inspired by an Ernest Hemingway novel: A Moveable Feast; The Old Man and the Sea; The Sun Also Rises; and A Farewell to Arms. Guests will receive a copy of The Old Man and The Sea and be invited to a literary discussion with speakers from New York University Abu Dhabi.
• 7pm to midnight, Dh300 per person. For reservations, call 02 818 8282
March 4
Blue Fever
Award-winning UAE a cappella jazz ensemble Blue Fever will kick of their 2016 season with a pair of concerts. The Abu Dhabi group — who won Choir of the Year at ChoirFest Middle East in 2014 — will perform at The Club, Mina Zayed, with dinner served from 8pm. Expect a mix of ensemble and small-group pieces, and some surprise special guests. There will be a repeat dinner performance at The Club on March 18.
• Tickets cost Dh150 for members of The Club and Dh160 for non-members. For more information, visit bluefeverabudhabi.weebly.com
March 7
Umsiyat Concert series featuring Kudsi Erguner
The Umsiyat concert series — a new programme that brings intriguing world-music fusions to the UAE — concludes with two performances this month. On March 7, Turkish star Kudsi Erguner will perform alongside a “whirling dervish ritual” and a fusion with “Islam blues”.
• 8pm, Mushrif Central Park. Tickets start at Dh50 from www.ticketmaster.ae
March 10
Umsiyat Concert series featuring Kronos Quartet
After mind-bending performances last year at the inaugural series of The Arts Center at New York University Abu Dhabi, the acclaimed musicians return for an evening that blends western classical string traditions with Mugham improvisation from Azerbaijani musician Alim Qasimov.
• 8pm, Mushrif Central Park. Tickets from Dh50 at www.ticketmaster.ae
March 10-12
Taste of Dubai
The Dubai Food Festival continues with a range of dining events, ending with the highly anticipated Taste of Dubai weekend at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. More than 20 of Dubai’s fine-dining restaurants will be featured, along with cooking classes and demonstrations; live entertainment; and a kids’ zone. The line-up of celebrity chefs making an appearance includes Tom Aikens, Atul Kochhar, Jun Tanaka, Tim Anderson, Reza Mahammad and Jenny Morris.
• Visit www.tasteofdubaifestival.com for ticket details and booking
March 16-19
Arab Fashion Week
Back for a second season, this time at The St Regis Dubai, Arab Fashion Week aims to promote the region’s emerging designers. There will be catwalk shows from Emirati talents including Abu Dhabi’s Hamda Al Fahim and Dubai’s Lamya Abedin. A children’s fashion show featuring Italian brands will be held on March 16 at 4pm in The Dubai Mall.
• For ticket information and the full schedule, visit www.arabfashionweek.org
March 16-19
Art Dubai
The 10th edition of the annual fair is the place to go for anyone with an interest in art. With 94 galleries from 40 countries showing works by more than 500 artists representing 70 nationalities, Art Dubai will feature pieces ranging in price from Dh500 to Dh1.8 million.
• Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, Dh50 for a one-day pass and Dh80 for a three-day pass. www.artdubai.ae
March 17-19
Dubai International Kite Fest
See the most quirky kites take to the skies. The Dubai International Kite Fest is one of the main attractions of the Dubai Shopping Festival. Kite flyers from around the world will showcase their vibrant designs and skills at Jumeirah Beach, behind Sunset Mall.
• The event is free for the public; www.ikfdubai.com
March 20-22
The Boy with Tape on His Face
Kiwi comedian Sam Wills, whose stage name is The Boy with Tape on His Face, brings his act to the Courtyard Playhouse. The artist’s silent-style comedy combines mime, stand-up and drama, without any talking.
• 8pm to 9.30pm. For more information, visit www.courtyardplayhouse.com
March 21
The Goût de France dining event
The annual Goût de France (Good France) event, organised by renowned French chef Alain Ducasse and the French ministry for foreign affairs and international development, pays tribute to French cuisine. The dinner will feature 1,500 chefs and 150 embassies from five continents uniting to celebrate French culinary flair. Ten restaurants from Abu Dhabi and Dubai will be taking part in the event.
• For more information, visit www.goodfrance.com
March 24
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in cinemas
The prospect of the return of Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel, combined with the idea of Ben Affleck stepping into Christian Bale’s Batwings, left many people a little cold initially. When the first trailer was released last April, there was little to change our mind. Perhaps word got back to director Zack Snyder, because when the second trailer went live in December, it looked like a totally different film — a much better one. The film, which also introduces Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, will launch DC’s Justice League series of movies that hopes to emulate the success of Marvel’s Avengers and X-Men franchises. It will have some way to go to beat Deadpool to the title of “superhero movie of the year (so far)” – but it looks like it might have a good shot.
March 24
Dubai Collections
A two-day fashion event at Burj Khalifa, this new style showcase is supported by the Dubai Design and Fashion Council and will spotlight regional and local talent. There will be six catwalk shows, pop-up boutiques as well as presentations by two — as yet unnamed — emerging designers. More information about the schedule of Dubai Collections, plus details on how you may be eligible to receive tickets, will be released in the coming weeks.
• www.dubaidesignandfashioncouncil.ae
March 24-26
Shrek The Musical
A fun family outing is on the cards when award-winning Broadway show Shrek The Musical rolls into Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island for six performances. In this live-action stage adaptation, the loveable ogre goes on an adventure to rescue a feisty princess. The production moves to Dubai Media City Amphitheatre from March 30 to April 3.
• Tickets start at Dh200, from www.tixbox.com
March 27
House of Cards season four premiere
Kevin Spacey returns as conniving American president Frank Underwood in the multi award-winning Netflix drama House of Cards, which is broadcast here on OSN. The advance publicity for the new season has featured Underwood assuring us on social media that "I will leave a legacy". In a further example of life-imitating-art-imitating-life, Underwood even got his own portrait in Washington's National Portrait Gallery to mark the new series, which Spacey (or was it Underwood?) unveiled last week.
• Season four starts at 11pm on OSN First HD
