David Guetta will perform at the Aravia festival in Qatar. Courtesy: Tag Heue
David Guetta will perform at the Aravia festival in Qatar. Courtesy: Tag Heue
David Guetta will perform at the Aravia festival in Qatar. Courtesy: Tag Heue
David Guetta will perform at the Aravia festival in Qatar. Courtesy: Tag Heue

Amr Diab, David Guetta and Tyga to headline Aravia music festival during Qatar World Cup


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

Egyptian singer Amr Diab and EDM star David Guetta will perform at a new music festival in Qatar.

Running during the Qatar World Cup in Al Wakrah, a city north of Doha, Aravia will feature up to 45 artists performing daily from November 21 to December 18.

Other acts announced include Dutch DJ Hardwell and rappers Tinie Tempah, Tyga and Rae Sremmurd.

Arab artists will also be performing, including Egyptian hitmaker Mohamed Hamaki.

Organised by MDL Beast, the Saudi company behind the mega dance music festival Sandstorm, Aravia marks its first event outside of the kingdom.

As a result, a number of Saudi Arabian DJs will also be making an appearance, such as promising talents Cosmicat and Biirdperson, alongside established names Dish Dash and Vinyl Mode.

Performances will take place at the main Rihla stage at the end of each tournament match.

“Our mission goes far beyond the music scene in Saudi Arabia,” said Talal Albahiti, chief operating officer at MDL Beast.

“On the contrary, it is aimed at growing the music industry region-wide and ensuring we create a sustainable music industry, inspiring and empowering the entire ecosystem.”

Tickets are now available from the MDL Beast website with day passes beginning from QAR 269 ($74).

More music festivals on the way

Aravia joins a trio of other large-scale music festivals.

Taking place at Doha Golf Club from November 22 to December 18, Daydream will feature appearances by dance music stars Armin Van Buuren and Tiesto, in addition to Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten and Nicky Romero.

Coming up is Arcadia, running from November 19 to December 18 at a site built near the Ras Bu Fontas metro station.

In addition to the three main stages, Arcadia will be home to The Spider — a spectacular pyrotechnic feature that will breathe fire during performances.

Also on the horizon is World Stage, a series of concerts featuring established acts from popular genres.

Tickets for Arcadia and Daydream festivals cost from $84 for a day pass and are available from Tixbox.com. Dates and venue for World Stage will be revealed soon.

World Cup anthems, who sang it best? From Shakira to Ricky Martin and Qatar's new tracks

MATCH INFO

English Premiership semi-finals

Saracens 57
Wasps 33

Exeter Chiefs 36
Newcastle Falcons 5

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

THE DETAILS

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Dir: Ron Howard

Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson

3/5

Story of 2017-18 so far and schedule to come

Roll of Honour

Who has won what so far in the West Asia rugby season?

 

Western Clubs Champions League

Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Runners up: Bahrain

 

Dubai Rugby Sevens

Winners: Dubai Exiles

Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons

 

West Asia Premiership

Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons

Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

 

UAE Premiership Cup

Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Runners up: Dubai Exiles

 

Fixtures

Friday

West Asia Cup final

5pm, Bahrain (6pm UAE time), Bahrain v Dubai Exiles

 

West Asia Trophy final

3pm, The Sevens, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Sports City Eagles

 

Friday, April 13

UAE Premiership final

5pm, Al Ain, Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 290hp

Torque: 340Nm

Price: Dh155,800

On sale: now

Match info

Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')

Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)

The biog

From: Upper Egypt

Age: 78

Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila

Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace

Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.5-litre%20V12%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E725hp%20at%207%2C750rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E716Nm%20at%206%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ4%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C650%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Essentials
The flights

Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing. 

Evacuations to France hit by controversy
  • Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
  • Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
  • The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
  • Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
  • It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
  • Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
  • Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Updated: October 12, 2022, 2:22 PM