MAKE THIS EID AL ADHA BREAK ONE TO REMEMBER
▶ Janice Rodrigues suggests things to see, do, eat and shop for over the long weekend if you’re spending the coming holiday with family in the UAE
Visit the sales
This is possibly the best time to indulge in some retail therapy, as Dubai Summer Surprises coincides with the Eid Al Adha holiday this year. The sale will have more than 500 brands across malls offering discounts of 25 to 75 per cent. Some participating stores include Pottery Barn and West Elm for homeware, Mac and Faces for cosmetics, and Gap, Topshop, American Eagle Outfitters and more for fashion. There will also be raffle draws and daily promotions available.
Malls across Dubai; timings vary; www.mydss.ae
Tom and Jerry Cheese Town Experience at Ibn Battuta Mall
Surprise the children by bringing them face to face with their favourite cartoon characters. As part of DSS, there will be an interactive Tom and Jerry Cheese Town Experience taking place in Ibn Battuta mall until Friday, July 30. Take the little ones to this activation to enjoy games, as well as meetand-greets with Tom and Jerry.
Visitors can also explore the evolution of Tom and Jerry over the years with original artwork, sculptures and animations on display. Young fans can rediscover famous locations seen in cartoons, such as The Kitchen Illusion Space, The Interactive Study, The Living Room Illusion and Jerry’s Home.
Daily, until July 30; noon to 9pm; free for the family after a minimum spend of Dh200 within the mall, excluding supermarkets, banks and government services; India Court, Ibn Battuta; www.ibnbattuta.com
Festival Plaza
The mall in Jebel Ali is offering a jam-packed schedule to keep the family entertained this summer. Children can get creative with wall art and there’s a summer camp this month offering workshops on gardening, reading, painting, ceramic work and cupcake and doughnut decorating.
Meanwhile, adults can get fit as Festival Plaza is offering free workouts, including Pilates, BollyHIIT and Bhangra HIIT every Friday and Saturday, until Saturday, July 31, with The PAD Fitness.
Daily until July 31; free; availability is based on first come, first served basis; registration can be completed at the venu; www. dubaifestivalplaza.com
Dubai Autodrome
This multipurpose motorsport and entertainment facility has an array of BMW M cars available to the public, so visitors can experience them on the track. There’s also a 20 per cent discount on the BMW 330i M Sport driving experience until Tuesday, August 31.
Meanwhile, if you buy any two driving experiences at the Dubai Kartdrome, an indoor and outdoor track facility for racing activities for all age groups, the third one is complimentary.
Daily; 9am to midnight (the outdoor Kartdrome is open 9am to noon and 3pm to midnight); Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Motor City; www.dubaiautodrome.ae
Infinity des Lumieres
A new kind of art gallery has opened in The Dubai Mall. Infinity des Lumieres uses more than 130 projectors, 58 speakers and 3,000 HD digital images to create an immersive experience for visitors. Three exhibitions are currently being shown, with the first being a light, sound and visual presentation of Vincent Van Gogh’s works, including The Potato Eaters (1885), Sunflowers (1888) and The Starry Night (1889). The centre also houses a boutique so you can pick up pieces of art afterwards.
Daily; Dh75 for children up to the age of 13 and Dh125 for adults; The Dubai Mall; www.infinitylumieres.com
OliOli
The play museum has launched a family scavenger hunt and printing workshops over the Eid holidays. Children between the ages of 3 and 11 can experience the family-themed crossword scavenger hunt that challenges participants to collect words from around its eight galleries in order to receive Eidiya at the end of the task.
The printing workshop that follows will teach children about the process of printing in a hands-on way, and let them leave with personalised Eid cards.
Sunday to Saturday, July 18 to 24; Dh126 for a child and adult (inclusive of admission, scavenger hunt and art printing workshop); www.olioli.ae
Shamiana
The restaurant is hosting a limited-time brunch throughout the Eid Al Adha break. Called the Nostalgia Brunch, dishes are meant to conjure up memories of diners’ childhoods. There will be sharing-style starters and mains, plus live stations, including a chaat counter.
Monday to Saturday, July 19 to 24; 12.30pm to 4pm; prices start at Dh175 for the soft drink package; Taj Jumeirah Lakes Towers; www.tajhotels.com
Cafe Society
This chic restaurant in Dubai Marina has numerous offers running over the Eid break.
Start your day with breakfast and enjoy a 35 per cent discount on any main menu item, such as the toasted French brioche, Mediterranean breakfast or frittatas.
Make a lunch reservation there and you get a buy-one-get-one-free offer on their main courses, including the truffle mushroom pizza, grilled Norwegian salmon and Mediterranean seafood paella.
Those having dinner at the restaurant will get a free dessert when they buy two mains. Offer valid throughout
Eid Al Adha; Tamani Marina Hotel, Dubai Marina; www.cafesociety.ae
Hotel Cartagena
South American flavours meet Middle Eastern spices at this restaurant that has created a special Eid Al Adha menu. The limited-time three-course menu is designed to share and includes dishes such as lentil soup with beef chorizo, chicken anticuchos with sumac and togarashi, and lamb asado, a whole lamb shank slow-roasted in the style famous in South America. All this, and views from the 72nd floor to boot. Monday to Friday, July 19 to 23; 6.30pm to 8.30pm; Dh199 per person; JW Marriott Marquis Dubai; www.hotelcartagena.ae
IN ABU DHABI Concerts and fireworks on Yas Island
Residents in the capital will be spoilt for choice with the events taking place on Yas Island. The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi has announced there will be a number of concerts by regional superstars. Assala, Hussain Al Jassmi, Tamer Hosny and Myriam Fares will be performing at the Etihad Arena on Thursday and Friday, July 22 and 23.
There will also be three days of firework displays over Yas Bay, starting on the first day of Eid Al Adha. The pyrotechnic shows will also be broadcast every night at 9pm on the Yas Island Instagram channel, so you can enjoy it from the safety of your home, as public gatherings are not allowed.
July 22 and 23; doors open 7pm; tickets for the concerts are available on www.etihadarena.ae and www.platinumlist.net
Clymb Abu Dhabi
Clymb Abu Dhabi recently launched Dare to Soar, a free indoor skydiving show, where the instructors showcase their best moves. The shows take place every Friday at 6pm, and if you’re tempted to imitate their stunts, you can scan QR codes to get 20 per cent off your first flight.
Fridays, until August 28; 6pm; Clymb Abu Dhabi, Yas Island; www.clymbabudhabi.com
Ice Cream Lab
Since there’s nothing like ice cream to beat the heat, why not try a new flavour – or 1,000? Thanks to a record-breaking collaboration between Abu Dhabi Culinary and Pan-n-Ice, 1,001 flavours are now available at the Ice Cream Lab popup in Yas Mall. Try flavours such as coffee and cookie dough, bubblegum and pistachio, mint Oreo and meringue, matcha and passion fruit, and cherry and popping candy, for a limited time only.
Daily, until Wednesday, July 21; Dh35 to Dh40; Ice Cream Lab, Yas Mall; www.yasmall.ae
Cipriani
The much-loved Italian restaurant on Yas Island has launched some limited-edition dishes for Eid Al Adha. Diners can now sink their teeth into creations such as the lentil salad with prawns, orange, spring onion and cherry tomatoes; home-made “bigoli” with duck ragu; or the oven-roasted lamb shoulder with mashed potatoes. For dessert, there’s a new Napoleon cake with strawberries.
The dishes are on the menu until the end of July, while the restaurant’s usual a la carte menu will also be available. And if you time your dinner just right, you can catch a
glimpse of Yas Island’s fireworks from the restaurant’s vantage point, too.
Daily until Saturday, July 31; 6pm to midnight; Yas Marina; www.ciprianiyasisland.com
Coya Abu Dhabi
The restaurant has a business lunch on offer from Sunday to Thursday. For Dh110 a person, guests can get a choice of two appetisers and one main course. Some starters on offer include the Chilean sea bass croquettes, wild mushroom ceviche, salmon maki rolls and Wagyu beef baos, while mains include spicy beef fillet and grilled tiger prawns.
The restaurant has also restarted its Friday brunch and launched a four-course lunch experience, Fin De Semana, on Fridays and Saturdays for Dh199 a person, all of which will be on offer during the Eid Al Adha holidays.
Available daily; timings vary according to offer; Coya Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island; www.coyarestaurant.com/abu-dhabi/
Berri’s Cafe
Dine at the cafe at Al Muneera, and children of 12 years and under eat for free this Eid Al Adha. Some dishes on the children’s menu include beef and chicken sliders, spaghetti bolognese, chicken tenders with French fries, mini margherita pizza, and mac and cheese. Meanwhile, adults can tuck into their famous dishes (the lobster pizza is a must-try) and catch fireworks across the Yas Bay waterfront at 9pm. Monday to Thursday, July 19 to 22; 6pm to 10pm; Al Muneera Beach Plaza, Al Raha; www.berris.ae