Dubai
Festive fun
Visit The Dubai Mall and enjoy a winter celebration with a Nutcracker theme with performances by the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara and the Mouse King, from The Nutcracker ballet. The dance performances take place at 5pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pm, on the ground floor opposite the Galeries Lafayette corridor. You can also have fun at a festive photo booth and create your own Nutcracker soldier at the digital graffiti wall.
Tonight and tomorrow, 10am to midnight, The Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, 800 38224 6255, www.thedubaimall.com
Abu Dhabi
Cultural festival
Enjoy a day at the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival, with an abundance of activities to celebrate the legacy of the UAE’s Founding President. Enjoy regional and international traditional dance, camel and horse rides, arts and crafts, activities for children, handicraft demonstrations, henna, a souq and traditional food options.
Daily until January 22, Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, www.facebook.com/zayedfestival
Al Ain
Heritage event
Attend Weekends at the Oasis in Al Ain as part of the Al Ain Cultural Calendar by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. The programme of activities includes multiple workshops for adults and children, arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations, a market featuring traditional and modern handmade products and produce, plus horse riding, food-truck dining, movies and TV-show screenings and more.
Fridays and Saturdays until the end of March, 2pm to midnight, free entrance, Western Plaza, Al Ain Oasis, Al Ain, www.visitalain.ae
Abu Dhabi & Dubai
Family fun
Urban food truck operator Salt presents its Enjoy the Great Outdoors campaign, designed to celebrate life through art, entertainment and an active lifestyle. Visit the Salt Airstream today at Umm Al Emarat Park in Abu Dhabi, where Orange Wheels will bring arts and crafts, face-painting, games and more. The Gravity DXB crew will teach basic inversions this morning at the Salt Airstream at Kite Beach in Dubai. This afternoon, calligraphy artist Rafa Ayn leads an etched mirror class for adults.
Today, 9.30am to 10.30am at Kite Beach, Dubai; 4pm to 5pm at Umm Al Emarat Park, Abu Dhabi, and Kite Beach, Dubai, www.find-salt.com, #FindSalt, register at http://bit.ly/saltsignups
Abu Dhabi
Exhibition
See Comic Craze, an exhibition of comic-strip artworks created by members of the UAE's flourishing community of graphic artists. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the exhibition showcase examples of various techniques and materials, from fabricated portraits to animated films.
Daily until January 7, 9am to 8pm, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, www.visitabudhabi.ae
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Read more:
New Year’s Eve 2017: Our guide to the parties and festivals in the UAE
Wael Jassar performing two Abu Dhabi club shows
New Year's Eve 2017 food and party guide in the UAE
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Dubai
Family fun
Riverland Dubai hosts Festive on the River, a family event featuring winter chalets selling gift items, street performances, gingerbread houses, carols and ice skating. Take the opportunity to colour in the colouring book that is going for a Guinness World Record attempt for the world’s largest colouring book.
Daily until January 6, 4pm to 10pm, free entry, Riverland Dubai, Dubai, www.facebook.com/riverlanddubai
Dubai
Concert
Enjoy a performance by Amr Diab (Maak Alby, Nour El Ain), at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre as part of the Dubai Shopping Festival. The festival, which runs until January 28, features sales at malls and shopping centres across the emirate, plus entertainment and events showcasing Dubai's culture and style. Enjoy films, children's activities, street performances, fashion shows, fireworks and more.
Tonight, 7.30pm, from Dh195, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai, www.platinumlist.net
Abu Dhabi
Basketball event
Book tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters, the popular exhibition basketball team who travel the world showing off their skills and tricks. The players will share their positive energy as they take on the Washington Generals, their perennial rivals, in this fun, family-friendly event. Founded in Chicago in the 1920s, the Globetrotters have played more than 26,000 games in 122 countries.
March 30 to 31, 7pm on March 30; 4pm on March 31, from Dh75, du Forum, Abu Dhabi, www.ticketmaster.ae
Dubai
Outdoor films
Visit Dubai Marina Mall for the return of the outdoor film series tonight. See Fantastic Mr Fox, an animated adaptation of the Roald Dahl story of Mr Fox (voiced by George Clooney) who breaks a promise to his wife Felicity (Meryl Streep) and sets out to steal from the farm of their human neighbours, putting his family at risk. Tomorrow's film is Turbo, an animated film about a garden snail who dreams of becoming the greatest race-car driver in the world, and is able to attempt his dream after a freak accident leaves him with incredible speed.
Today and tomorrow, 5.30pm, free entry on a first-come first-served basis, promenade, Dubai Marina Mall, Dubai, 04 436 1020, www.dubaimarinamall.com
Dubai
Family fun
Visit Rise at Dubai Creek Harbour and enjoy a mix of activities including arts and crafts, a children’s playground, table sports, interactive kids’ dance videos, a performance by Aron the Illusionist, an African drum circle, and a science workshop. Tonight families can enjoy a screening of the film Frozen, and tomorrow, Sing. You can also enjoy fitness classes, food trucks, a retail market and views of the Downtown Dubai skyline.
Fridays and Saturdays until March 31, noon to evening, free activities, Dubai Creek Harbour, Dubai, risedubaicreekharbour.com
