Groove on the Grass, Cop28, ComiCon. Chances are UAE residents have come across the vibrant food trucks put together by Wheels Ahoy over the years. The home-grown brand’s latest outing is at Untold, the UAE iteration of the music festival from Romania.
In between performances by big-ticket DJs and musicians including Tiesto, Psy and Ellie Goulding, festival-goers can grab a bite from more than 25 regional and international food and beverage outlets, all served pop-up-style.
Food trucks at Untold
The National reached out to a host of home-grown and international restaurants that will serve bite-sized dishes at Untold for a fraction of their usual cost. Here’s what foodies can expect.
If you’re craving Arabic meze, head to the Allo Beirut kiosk. Here you can find chicken shawarma and falafel sandwiches, as well as dynamite fries, with a starting price of Dh16.
For some hearty yet healthy Asian-inspired fare, check out the Vietnamese Foodies pop-up. This has appetisers such as prawn crackers (Dh10), edamame (Dh20) and chicken satay (Dh35); and mains such as beef brisket pho (Dh55) and banh mi sandwiches (Dh45).
Of course, fast food is par for the course at music festivals.
Seek out a sandwich from German Doner Kebab or a gourmet burger from UK brand Patty & Bun. The latter offers a classic dry-aged beef patty, buttermilk fried chicken and a Portobello mushroom burger with garlic parsley butter. These will be served from a food truck on-site for all four days of the music festival.
Burgers can also be picked up from High Joint, Pickl and Neat (ideal for vegans), while pizza lovers can make a beeline for Pinza, Tonda or Pizza Express.
“The nine-metre trailer we put together for Pizza Express is called the Ahoy Infinity model and its USP is that the width can be extended using a remote control, so it goes from the usual 2.4 metres to 3 metres,” says Jithin Shamsudeen, head of marketing at Wheels Ahoy, which is the official food and beverage manager of Untold.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
