Indoor festivities continue this week as UAE temperatures peak this summer. There are plenty of things to do in the shade, with a busy calendar of events to choose from.
Here, The National rounds up seven things to do from Monday to Sunday.
Monday, July 22
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi is hosting its Electric Ocean Festival. Filled with neon colours, sounds and other live elements, it tells the story of the human connection to the ocean.
Visitors can expect live performers, from breakdancers to stilt walkers, in neon-painted luminous marine-inspired costumes. A live DJ is on site to provide the beats. Children, or even their adult companions, can head to the neon art station to create their own glowing artworks. There's also a station to get glow-in-the-dark face paints, as well as a collection of in-theme merchandise to browse through.
Daily until August 25; 6pm-8pm; from Dh290 for a day pass; Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; seaworldabudhabi.com
Tuesday, July 23
The H Dubai can offer some inner peace as the hotel celebrates International Self-Care Day with a silent yoga session.
Taking place at The Gallery Cafe, the fitness activity combines the serenity of yoga with the power of immersive music. Participants can expect a guided yoga flow by Dayana Solano, while wearing headsets that play soothing melodies to enhance their focus.
July 23; 6.30pm-7.30pm; Dh100 per person; The H Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road; hhoteldubai.com
Wednesday, July 24
How about movie night at Cinema Akil in Al Quoz, where the annual Summer of Classics film festival returns? The art house cinema is playing 17 movies as part of the seasonal programming, including Korean drama Oldboy (2003), British film Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Japanese-French classic Hiroshima, Mon Amour (1959).
On Wednesday, movie lovers can catch M Night Shyamalan's hit horror The Sixth Sense (1999) at 7pm and crime drama City of God (2002) at 9.45pm.
Until September 20; Dh56.50 per film; Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai; cinemaakil.com
Thursday, July 24
Aquaventure World at Atlantis The Palm is hosting Summer of Sharks and involves guests taking part in education activities, learning about UAE's native shark species and other ocean-themed fun.
Guests can try hand-feeding stingrays for Dh480 per child and Dh530 per adult. There's also a guided free diving experience for Dh795. The venue has set up a shark discovery trail too, as well as educational stations and expert talks to to provide a deeper insight into the creatures. Arts and crafts stations are also on site. And look out for a friendly shark mascot roaming around.
Until August 12; 10am-9pm; Aquarium day passes start at Dh85 per person; Palm Jumeirah, Dubai; aquaventureworld.com
Friday, July 26
Get your ice cream fix from House of Pops, which has partnered with delivery platform Deliveroo to create exclusive summer flavours inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine.
Three flavours are available: watermelon with a hint of basil, a fragrant blend of rose water and tangy lemonade as well as a fusion of vegan ashta, apricots and saffron.
Until July 31; Dh39 for a pint, Dh99 for a pack of three; exclusive on Deliveroo; houseofpops.ae
Saturday, July 27
A one-day-only brunch is being hosted at Above Eleven to celebrate Peruvian Independence Day. Bringing the spirit of Fiestas Patrias to the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant in Dubai, diners can expect colourful traditions, live music and, of course, dishes from the South American country.
The brunch menu features a range of classic ceviche and anticuchos, as well as an umi selection, la cevi-carretilla, un poco de verde and quinotto or a traditional Peruvian quinoa risotto. Finish the meal with an assorted dessert platter. Food aside, live entertainment is available to set the mood, from dancers to drummers and a DJ.
Guests are encouraged to wear red and white to the party.
July 27; 1pm-4pm; from Dh350 per person; Above Eleven Dubai, Marriot Resort Palm Jumeirah, Palm West Beach; 04 666 1420
Sunday, July 28
Pop culture geeks can head to Times Square Centre in Dubai for a speedy swap event. Entrepreneurs, artists and enthusiasts can trade, buy or sell different paraphernalia on site, from handmade items to comics, Funko pops, trading cards and other pop culture memorabilia. Card games and other digital tournaments are also part of the event.
Enthusiasts of all ages are welcomed, from seasoned collectors to curious newcomers.
July 27 and 28; noon-9pm; free to attend; Picnic Square, Times Square Centre; timessquarecenter.ae
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
WISH
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The specs: 2018 Genesis G70
Price, base / as tested: Dh155,000 / Dh205,000
Engine: 3.3-litre, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 370hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 510Nm @ 1,300rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.6L / 100km
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