Father’s Day 2021: 19 deals for dads in Dubai, from meals to free facials

Father’s Day is right around the corner, and there’s no better time to celebrate the man behind those numerous bad-dad jokes.

Thankfully, a number of Dubai venues are here to help you do exactly that. Whether you're thinking of treating your father to a good old-fashioned roast dinner or a spot of pampering, here's a look at some of the offers on and leading up to June 21.

Akiba Dori

The modern Japanese pizzeria is giving away a round of desserts for guests who stop by for a celebratory meal with their old man or son on Sunday, June 20. So, once you're done with Neopolitan pizzas, you can tuck into a dessert such as the matcha molten brownie, hakata or lotus cheesecake and taiyaki, a classic Japanese street-food dessert that features a fish-shaped cake, filled with three secret chocolate sauces. It's a sweet way to cap off that special meal with dad.

Sunday, June 20; noon to midnight; Building 8, Dubai Design District; akibadori.com

Beluga Restaurant & Lounge

If your father loves all things chocolate, this might pique interest. Those dining at the French restaurant on Father's Day can get a complimentary Chocolate Discovery, a decadent dessert comprising fondant chocolate and chocolate fudge topped with chocolate ice cream. There's a minimum spend of Dh200 to avail of the offer.

Monday, June 21; 1 pm - 11 pm; Mandarin Oriental Jumeira; 043408882

Bread Street Kitchen

Treat dad to a classic roast lunch, and he will also enjoy a traditional British trifle on the house. The Bread Street Kitchen roast includes sirloin of beef, lamb or chicken, with all the trimmings, making this a hearty affair.

Sunday, June 20; noon to 3pm; Dh135 per person; Atlantis, The Palm; atlantis.com

Black Tap

To remind your dad of what a boss he is, Black Tap is offering a special Father’s Day burger, available from Sunday to Wednesday, June 20 to 23.

The Boss Burger is a double bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and special sauce. For Father's Day, dads can tuck into this monster creation as well as a drink, for Dh99.

Sunday to Wednesday, June 20 to 23; Dh99 for the Boss Burger with a drink; Jumeirah Al Naseem and Rixos Premium Dubai, JBR; blacktapme.com

The Blacksmith Dubai

Dine with the family at the venue on Father's Day and dad gets to enjoy a "cowboy" steak, on the house. The steak comes grilled to perfection, served with steak fries and featuring a delicious BBQ sauce, making it a meal to remember.

Monday, June 21; 5pm-2am; free steak for dad when dining with the family; Wyndham Dubai Marina; Wyndham Dubai Marina

Casa de Tapas

It’s never too late to learn something new, which is why Casa de Tapas’ chef, Juan, is having a special Father’s Day cooking class. Dads can learn how to make chicken croquettes, seafood paella and chocolate mousse. They can also invite their partner to try the meal they cooked (if they dare). The package also includes two drinks.

Monday, June 21; 5pm-7pm; Dh225; Park Hyatt Dubai; hyatt.com

CG Barbershop

The salon, located in Dubai Media City, is holding four days of offers to pamper dad. On Friday and Saturday, June 18 and 19, all dads (and dads-to-be) that book a haircut will get a free facial, worth Dh80.

On Sunday and Monday, June 20 and 21, dads are encouraged to bring in their little ones, who will get a free trim for every adult haircut purchased. It's an ideal way to clock in some bonding time.

Friday, June 18 to Monday, June 21; offers valid on purchase of an adult haircut; Arjaan by Rotana, Dubai Media City; cgbarbershop.com

Cove Beach

If the plan is to spend some quality time with dad, with sun, sea and sand, Cove Beach is your place. The venue is offering a complimentary cabana or sun lounger (subject to availability) all day on Father’s Day, as well as 20 per cent off the final bill.

Monday, June 21; Cove Beach at Caesars Palace, Bluewaters Island; covebeach.com

Couqley French Bistro

If dad loves steak, look no further because Couqley French Bistro has teamed up with Deliveroo to offer its famous steak frites for a special price for two days only. On Sunday and Monday, June 20 and 21, you can order in the tender steak, with signature sauce and chunky fries, for Dh39.50. The order also comes with a card with foodie dad jokes to chuckle at over your meal, while fathers will receive a pop quiz to test their children on how well they know them.

Sunday and Monday, June 20 and 21; Dh39; order via Deliveroo

Dubai Creek Academies

For the more active dad, Dubai Creek Academies is holding a complimentary golf, tennis, padel tennis and boxing clinic on Monday, June 21. Simply book them a spot, and they will be introduced to the respective sports, with insights from the professionals, including former World Boxing Champion Paul “Silky” Jones.

Monday, June 21; tennis clinic 5pm-6pm; golf, padel and boxing clinic, 6pm-7pm; Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club; Golf.Academy@hyatt.com

Eeten Urban Kitchen

The popular all-day eatery in Dubai Marina Mall is giving away a complimentary specialty coffee as well as their their signature French toast to all dads who order a main on Father's Day.

Monday, June 21; 8am-midnight; www.instagram.com/eeten.urban/?hl=en

Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen

Hell's Kitchen has a roast as well as prizes and complimentary beach access for dads.

The celebrity chef-helmed restaurant at Caesars Palace Dubai is celebrating Father’s Day with a traditional roast feast. On Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20, the “ultimate Father’s Day feast” offers the choice between roast beef, lamb, corn-fed chicken and a vegetarian Wellington, with all the trimmings – think seasonal veggies, Yorkshire pudding and a dessert.

Moreover, every dad in attendance gets the chance to win prizes such as pool and beach day passes, Qua Spa vouchers and afternoon tea at The Roman Lounge. The meal also includes complimentary access for all guests to Caesars Palace Dubai’s private beach for a post-lunch dip in the sea.

Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20; Dh195 for roast and dessert; Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, Caesars Palace Dubai; caesars.com/dubai

Hayawiia

For the health-conscious dad, new online brand Hayawiia has launched a number of Father’s Day hampers. There’s the “Chef Dad” hamper, which will allow the gourmand to experiment with ingredients such beetroot spaghetti and walnut oil; a “Fitness Dad” hamper, with everything from peanut butter protein balls to vanilla honey; and the “Midnight Snack Dad” hamper with millet snack bars, nutty date bites and more.

Prices start at Dh135 for the Midnight Snack Dad hamper; hayawiia.com

India Palace

Those dining with family at any of the 12 branches across the UAE can get a complimentary dessert for dad on Father's Day. He can choose between favourites such as rasmalai and gulab jamun to end the evening on a sweet note. To make things better, the restaurant is also running a Father's Day contest on its Instagram page, with 10 lucky winners standing the chance to win a meal voucher of Dh200. The competition runs until Sunday, June 20.

Monday, June 21; 5pm-2am; Branches across the UAE; www.indiapalace.ae/

La Fabbrica Italiana

If your dad loves bread and meat, UAE's first focacceria has the answer: on Monday, June 21, La Fabbrica Italiana is offering a 21 per cent discount for all dads dining in and ordering a meat focaccia. This includes bestsellers such as their trentina, campana, calabrese and more.

Monday, June 21; Wasl 51; lafabbricaitaliana.com

Legoland

Every day of the month of June is Father's Day at Legoland, as it has a special offer that allows dads to enter for free with a fully paid child’s ticket (valid for children aged 3 to 12).

Moreover, those visiting the park between Thursday and Saturday, June 17 and 20, also dine for free at Market Restaurant (offer valid on one fully paid child’s ticket for Dh275). This offer is not valid with any other promotion, is exclusively for UAE residents and needs to be booked online.

Until Wednesday, June 30; Dh275; dads enter for free with one fully paid for children’s ticket; legoland.com/dubai/dads

Lotsa! Lazy Cake

The online dessert company is inviting you to show “lotsa” love to dad this Father’s Day with two limited-edition packaging sleeves. The Superhero Dad box cover is all about thanking him for all he does for you, while the Questionnaire box comes with a sharpie for those wanting to personalise it with fun facts and quirky answers about dad.

Hopefully, both sleeves will be something he will treasure for years to come, and the boxes will also be loaded with 36 slices of fudgy, crunchy cakes.

Dh150 per box; available until Monday, June 21 or until stocks last; order via Deliveroo

MasterChef, the TV Experience Restaurant

Dine with the family at the restaurant this Father's Day, and dad will get a special, limited-edition dessert. The Choco Cubana is a decadent chocolate creation, creatively designed to look like a burning cigar. A sweet way to cap off that family meal.

Monday, June 21, from 7pm to 11pm; Millennium Place Marina; 04 550 8111

Sugargram

To help you show some appreciation for the super-dad in your life, online dessert company Sugargram has launched a limited-time special superhero-themed box.

These cool Father’s Day boxes are priced at Dh125, come packed with sweet treats in a multitude of flavours and have a lovely “I have a hero; I call him dad” message to boot. There are 25 bite-sized cupcakes in a box, so there’s plenty to go around.

Dh125; available until Monday, June 21 or until stocks last; order online via ChatFood and Deliveroo

Wavehouse

All papas heading over to the fun-filled venue on Monday, June 21, can enjoy a main course on the house. Other guests can take advantage of Wavehouse's Monday Madness offer: for Dh99, they get five tickets that can be redeemed on food, beverages or arcade games (or a mix of all three). There's a 50 per cent discount on bowling, live entertainment and plenty of arcade games, ensuring there isn't a dull moment.

Monday, June 21; noon to midnight; Wavehouse, Atlantis, The Palm; atlantis.com

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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.”

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Explainer: Tanween Design Programme

Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.

The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.

It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.

The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”

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Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

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