Experience the magic of Harry Potter for yourself in Abu Dhabi this month at the Celebrate Hogwarts mall pop-up.
Muggles can channel their inner Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin at Abu Dhabi Mall, as the most famous school of witchcraft and wizardry is brought to life with a series of walk-through activations.
Click through the gallery above to see highlights from the Harry Potter: Celebrate Hogwarts in Dubai earlier this year
Marking the back-to-school season and running from September 9 until October 4, the Celebrate Hogwarts experience will feature a recreation of popular settings from the Harry Potter films.
Harry Potter: Celebrate Hogwarts visitors will get the chance to climb Hogwarts's grand staircase, take a seat in the Gryffindor common room and pay Hagrid's hut a visit. There is also a life-sized recreation of the Hogwarts Express train to enjoy and a Forbidden Forest to walk through.
The most fervent of Potterheads will be able to test their knowledge with trivia quizzes on Saturdays and Sundays, and there will be fun games set up throughout the activation.
The experience is free to enter, but certain areas will only be accessible with Activity Passports. Shoppers can exchange Abu Dhabi Mall receipts from that day for passports; for every Dh100 spent, shoppers will receive two passports, and for every Dh200 they will receive up to five. All Abu Dhabi Mall shops are included, except the hypermarket.
The Harry Potter: Celebrate Hogwarts experience first came to the UAE earlier this year with a pop-up exhibition at Mall of the Emirates for the Dubai Shopping Festival. The Abu Dhabi version will have some familiar sets, along with "exciting new activations", according to organisers.
At the Dubai event, shoppers were immediately sorted into their Hogwarts house by the Sorting Hat as they entered, and then they took a seat on a broom for a quick game of Quidditch, tried a spell masterclass and cracked codes in the a potions classroom.
Harry Potter: Celebrate Hogwarts is not the only Hogwarts-themed themed activity coming to the UAE this autumn, as the stage show Potted Potter is set to be shown on October 22 and 23 at the Theatre by QE2.
The performance is a condensed retelling of JK Rowling' seven Harry Potter novels, created by, and starring, Olivier Award nominees Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner. The show features all of the series' most popular Harry Potter characters, with a special appearance from a fire-breathing dragon, a game of Quidditch, comedy costumes, songs and work arounds to bring Hogwarts magic to life.
Harry Potter: Celebrate Hogwarts experience is open from noon-9pm, September 9-October 4; Abu Dhabi Mall; abudhabi-mall.com
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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
THE DETAILS
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Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
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Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
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Results
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m; Winner: Dhafra, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Al Ajayib, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
4pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Ashtr, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Majed Al Jahouri
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Falcon Claws, Szczepan Mazur, Doug Watson
5pm: Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Al Mufham SB, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Badar Al Hajri
5.30pm: Sharjah Marathon – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,700m; Winner: Asraa Min Al Talqa, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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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If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
RESULT
Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen: Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')
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Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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