The Cloud 22 sky pool has been transformed into a stylish venue by Dolce&Gabbana. Photo: Ounass
The Cloud 22 sky pool has been transformed into a stylish venue by Dolce&Gabbana. Photo: Ounass
The Cloud 22 sky pool has been transformed into a stylish venue by Dolce&Gabbana. Photo: Ounass
The Cloud 22 sky pool has been transformed into a stylish venue by Dolce&Gabbana. Photo: Ounass

Lifestyle

Things to do

Things to do in the UAE this week, from Emirates Festival of Literature to food pop-ups

Sample Emirati fusion dishes with Mexican spice on Monday and Aussie aromas on Sunday

One Carlo Diaz

January 29, 2024

  • English
  • Arabic

Lots of activities are lined up for both tourists and residents this week, from new pop-up concepts to returning festivals.

Arts and culture enthusiasts are in for a treat as the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival are both opening this week. Those in Abu Dhabi can also catch a classical performance by a world-renowned cellist.

Here, The National rounds up seven things to do around the Emirates from Monday to Sunday.

Monday

Emirati food blogger Reza Kiani has teamed up with Tacos Los Hermanos at Neighbourhood Food Hall, Motor City, to launch limited-edition dishes combining Emirati and Mexican flavours.

Diners can try the birria noodles made with brisket cooked for six hours, served with noodles and garnished with onion, coriander and lime; or the classic quesadilla with Chips Oman for the local twist.

Until February 11; noon-11.30pm; from Dh55 per dish; Neighbourhood Food Hall, Motor City; 058 504 4293

Tuesday

The pop-up features Dolce&Gabbana's recognisable blue majolica print. Photo: Ounass
The pop-up features Dolce&Gabbana's recognisable blue majolica print. Photo: Ounass

On Tuesday, head to Cloud 22 at Atlantis The Royal for a pop-up collaboration between Ounass and Dolce&Gabbana.

The sky pool has been transformed to imbibe the Italian fashion brand's aesthetics – think sun beds draped in the fashion brand's recognisable blue majolica prints.

Aside from the Instagram-worthy views, the pop-up features live music and a curated menu, with dishes such as Oscietra caviar, Gillardeau oysters with Amalfi lemon and balsamic sauce and steak tartare with truffle.

The collaboration extends to a pop-up store at the hotel's Galleria level, where a number of Dolce&Gabbana pieces are on sale.

Open daily, 10am-7pm; from Dh450 per person; Atlantis The Royal, Palm Jumeirah; 04 426 2700

Wednesday

Visit the InterContinental Hotel Festival City on Wednesday for the return of the annual Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.

The seven-day affair has a jam-packed schedule with literary workshops, talks and other activities meant for the avid reader, or those who simply want to learn more.

This year's line-up includes a diverse set of regional and international literary personalities, including Susan Breen of the best-selling Maggie Dove mystery series and Alexander Steele, president of New York’s Gotham Writers Workshop.

There will also be musical performances, as well as spoken poetry sessions. Some of the events are free of charge, while others require tickets.

Until February 6; 9am-10pm; Dubai Festival City; emirateslitfest.com

Thursday

Cello soloist Pablo Ferrandez will take to the stage of NYUAD Arts Centre for his Arab premiere. Getty Images
Cello soloist Pablo Ferrandez will take to the stage of NYUAD Arts Centre for his Arab premiere. Getty Images

On Thursday, renowned Spanish musician Pablo Ferrandez is taking to the stage of The Arts Centre, NYU Abu Dhabi, for his Arab premiere.

Collaborating with prominent musicians in the world of classical music, the captivating performer is known as the “new cello genius”. He will be joined by pianist Luis del Valle on Thursday, to perform numbers, such as De Falla’s 7 Canciones Populares and Beethoven’s Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3.

Thursday; 7.30pm; from Dh50; Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi; nyuad-artscenter.org

Friday

A weekend family funfair is taking over Gate Avenue at Dubai International Financial Centre, turning it into a children's haven with an array of arts and crafts, games and activities.

There is canvas painting and slime making, for example, as well as rides and attractions, such as a go-kart track, rodeo bull and bouncy castle with a ball pool. Visitors can grab bites from a number of pop-ups on site, such as home-grown brands Mamafri and D'lish.

Until Sunday; 4pm-10pm; from Dh20; Gate Avenue; difc.ae

Saturday

Russian rock fans, especially those of the late Soviet singer-songwriter Viktor Tsoi, can head to Zabeel Theatre for a tribute concert reliving his legacy.

Tsoi was known as one of the pioneers of rock music in Russia and was widely credited for popularising it among other Soviet states.

He cofounded the group Kino, regarded as one of the most influential bands in the Russian music scene. Many of their songs were political in nature, particularly those on sixth album Gruppa Krovi in 1987, one of the band's most popular works.

Saturday; 7.30pm; from Dh175; Jumeirah Zabeel Saray; dubai.platinumlist.net

Sunday

Ephemeral Whispers, one of the installations at Ras Al Khaimah Art. Photo: Ras Al Khaimah Art
Ephemeral Whispers, one of the installations at Ras Al Khaimah Art. Photo: Ras Al Khaimah Art

Take a trip to the Northern Emirates on Sunday, to take part in the continuing Ras Al Khaimah Art 2024 festival.

Numerous exhibitions, art installations as well as cultural performances are happening across Al Jazeera Al Hamra Heritage Village until February 29. There are film screenings every Friday, live performances every Saturday and during the weekend, fur parents can even bring their pets. Furry friends can mingle or join workshops, such as pet collar art or pet photography.

Antica Australis pop-up, run by husband-and-wife team Paolo and Kelly Picarazzi, will also be there. Based on the popular restaurant of the same name, located in the historic village of Carcoar in rural Australia, it is known for serving ancient recipes using local ingredients.

At the RAK gig, however, the couple will add an Emirati twist to the dishes.

Until February 29; 10am-11.30pm; free; Al Jazeera Al Hamra Heritage Village; rakart.ae

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

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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