Christmas is almost here. And for those who are staying in the capital for the holiday, there's plenty of things to do and see. So while this holiday may look a bit different from those in years past, that doesn't mean it has to be any less festive.
From visiting a winter wonderland to enjoying the cooler weather by catching a film al fresco, here are 10 family-friendly things to do on December 25 in Abu Dhabi.
Winter Wonderland at Galleria Mall
Christmas shopping doesn't get more festive than at Abu Dhabi's The Galleria Al Maryah Island. The mall's Winter Wonderland has returned, with a host of events over the holiday season to make shopping special. Back this year are the mall's Christmas-themed sensory rooms, which will offer an immersive festive experience: think giant candy canes, the smells of fresh gingerbread and the sound of sleigh bells. Children can also send their last-minute letters to Santa at the North Pole post box.
Daily, throughout December, 10am-midnight; free; The Galleria, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi; 02 493 7400, thegalleria.ae
Sleigh season at Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi
Join your favourite characters as they get into the festive spirit at Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Tom and Jerry will be performing a daily Jingle Bell Rockout alongside all the Looney Tunes for the whole family to sing along to.
Daily until Saturday, January 2, noon-8pm; from Dh295, family offers available; Warner Bros World, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; wbworldabudhabi.com
Catch a showing of 'Tangled' at Umm Al Emarat Park
Cinema in the Park will host two showings of the Disney film Tangled. It tells the story of a lost young princess with magical long blonde hair who wants to leave her secluded tower. Against her mother's wishes, she accepts the help of an intruder to take her out into the world which she has never seen before.
Friday, 5.30pm and 7.30pm; Dh10 (entry fee into the park); Umm Al Emarat, Abu Dhabi; ummalemaratpark.ae
A Nutcracker-themed afternoon tea
Rosewood Abu Dhabi’s Majlis Lobby Lounge will be holding a festive afternoon tea inspired by beloved Christmas tales. There will be sweet and savoury dishes such as Christmas macaroons and lobster avocado bagels, to be enjoyed alongside tea and coffee, and children can spend their time with activities including gingerbread-house decorating.
Friday, 3pm to 6pm; until January 15; prices start at Dh250; Rosewood Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island, 02 813 5550; rosewoodhotels.com
BIG goes festive brunch
Brunch in Garage (BIG), which features five culinary hubs, will be hosting a candy shop Christmas brunch with gigantic lollipops and a Christmas tree filled with different sweets. There will also be a Santa who will wave to children from a racecar on the famed Formula One racetrack on Yas Island.
Friday, 1pm-4pm; prices start at Dh295 per adult, Dh150 per child aged 7 to 11; W Abu Dhabi, Yas Island; 02 656 0000, marriott.com
Christmas celebration at Como
Como at Al Forsan Sports Resort will be hosting a festive celebration that includes a four-course set menu. The casual Italian dining eatery will also have a Santa on hand to give away gifts to children, Christmas crackers and activities and a bouncy castle that the little ones can enjoy.
Friday, 12.30pm-4pm, Dh125 per adult, Dh65 per child aged 6 to12; Como, Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi; 02 556 8555, alforsan.com
Fashion through the Years at Qasr Al Hosn
Learn more about the evolution of fashion trends in Abu Dhabi from the 1940s to 1980s thanks to a new exhibition at Qasr Al Hosn. Titled Fashion Through the Years, the show will explore the emirate’s history and stories of its people through clothing and accessories, as well as celebrate the heritage, craftsmanship and beauty of fashion. The show is on view until Tuesday, February 16.
Until Tuesday, February 16, 2pm-7pm; tickets cost Dh30; Qasr Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi; qasralhosn.ae
Christmas brunch at Horizon
The contemporary restaurant is offering live cooking stations and a buffet packed with festive favourites for Christmas Day. There will be a salad bar, a cheese station, a live pasta station, hot and cold mezze, and mains including beef medallions with green peppercorn sauce and grilled salmon with saffron sauce. There will also be a carving station with roast turkey with a sage and onion stuffing, and Angus beef rump to pack in the nostalgia. Dessert includes favourites such as panettone, marzipan stollen and a yule log cake. Meanwhile, little ones can get busy at the outdoor Burgatory children's cafe, where more festive treats await.
Friday, 1pm to 4pm; Dh199 per person; Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana; 02 657 0000; fb.khalidiya@rotana.com
Kayak through Louvre Abu Dhabi
Take a trip to Louvre Abu Dhabi to catch the latest additions to its collection. See works by Monet, Van Gogh and Renoir, as well as other artefacts and artworks that have recently been added as the new season at the museum begins. There's also the option to kayak under the dome at 10am on Christmas Day. The activity is hosted through Sea Hawk and must booked 12 hours in advance. Click on this link to book. The 60-minute activity costs Dh126 for one adult and one child aged 6 to12.
Friday, 10am-6.30pm; Dh63; Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi; louvreabudhabi.ae
Traditional Christmas roast brunch at Sofra BLD
The restaurant in Shangri-La Hotel and Traders Hotel Abu Dhabi is celebrating the season with a buffet and live entertainment. On offer are dishes from a range of cuisines – from Asian favourites such as roasted Peking duck and vegetable dumplings to Arabic tajin and Indian murgh tikka biryani. There will also be traditional roasts, from turkey to beef Wellington.
Friday, 1pm-4pm; prices start at Dh279 for soft drinks; children aged 6-11 get a 50 per cent discount and children below 6 eat for free; Qaryat Al Beri - Abu Dhabi; 02 509 8555; restaurantreservations.slad@shangri-la.com
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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.”
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
From exhibitions to the battlefield
In 2016, the Shaded Dome was awarded with the 'De Vernufteling' people's choice award, an annual prize by the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers and the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers for the most innovative project by a Dutch engineering firm.
It was assigned by the Dutch Ministry of Defence to modify the Shaded Dome to make it suitable for ballistic protection. Royal HaskoningDHV, one of the companies which designed the dome, is an independent international engineering and project management consultancy, leading the way in sustainable development and innovation.
It is driving positive change through innovation and technology, helping use resources more efficiently.
It aims to minimise the impact on the environment by leading by example in its projects in sustainable development and innovation, to become part of the solution to a more sustainable society now and into the future.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Bernardo Silva 16', Sterling 57', Gundogan 79'
Bournemouth 1
Wilson 44'
Man of the match: Leroy Sane (Manchester City)
