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Dubai: Autumn officially arrived on Tuesday, and the city’s calendar is behaving accordingly.
The reopening season has begun. Hatta Resorts and its Wadi Hub return on Sunday for a ninth season, Dubai Parks and Resorts comes back on 7 October after more than six months closed, taking Legoland Dubai, Motiongate, Real Madrid World and The World of Riverland with it, and Global Village opens its 31st season on 14 October. Aquaventure After Dark returns for one night on 9 October.
There is movement beyond the attractions too. Etihad Rail‘s passenger service reaches Dubai on 30 September, linking Al Yalayis station to Abu Dhabi in about 57 minutes. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi has put tickets on sale ahead of its 11 December opening. Dubai Fitness Challenge starts on 31 October for its tenth edition, and the Dubai T100 triathlon moves to Al Mamzar on 13 November.
None of that helps you fill this week, though. For that, there is a Korean festival opening on Friday, a market on Saturday, another on Sunday, a 10-course menu built out of one chef’s memories, and a breathwork session that has you floating 11 floors above the city.
Prices run from Dh17 for a drink to Dh560 for dinner, with three of the eight costing nothing at all.
Dubai is observing an official mourning period until Wednesday 30 September, so it is worth checking with organisers before heading out this week.
1. K-Fest opens at Dubai Festival City
Dubai’s first Korean culture festival starts this weekend, and the opening night is free.
K-Fest runs for 10 days across the city under the theme “Discover Korea in Dubai”, covering K-pop, Korean cinema, K-beauty, fashion, food and shopping. Friday opens at Festival Bay with the IMAGINE Show at 7.30pm, followed by a concert from 8pm headlined by Kwon Eunbi, formerly of IZ*ONE, and boy band ONEUS, their first global stage since releasing FIRST LIGHT this week.
Saturday brings a second free show at the same venue from 8pm, with Korean dancers AIKI and Choi Young-jun.
When: 25 September to 4 October; concerts on 25 and 26 September from 7.30pm and 8pm
Where: Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall, and venues across Dubai
Price: Free
2. A 10-course menu at Jun’s
Chef Kelvin Cheung’s new tasting menu at his Downtown restaurant is built entirely from memory.
Sea Bream goes back to his first job in Belgium, where he caught fish from the restaurant’s own pond. Pequod’s Deep Dish Pizza rebuilds the caramelised edges of his favourite Chicago pizza as sourdough focaccia. Mapo Tofu, a dish he ate several times a week growing up, is the centrepiece, served with claypot rice and grilled Omani prawn.
The final dessert turns Palestinian olive oil, bought from an older Palestinian woman near his home, into ice cream. A full vegetarian menu runs alongside it, written as its own interpretation of each course rather than a set of substitutions.
When: Daily, no booking required
Where: Jun’s, Downtown Dubai
Price: Dh560 per person, or Dh490 for the vegetarian menu
3. ARTE, The Maker’s Market
Saturday belongs to the makers.
ARTE takes over Times Square Center with local artisans selling handmade pieces, from gifts to homeware, and the people who made them are the ones behind the stalls.
When: Saturday 26 September, 10am to 7pm
Where: Times Square Center
Price: Free entry
4. The Ripe Market
Sunday brings the second market of the weekend.
The Ripe Market arrives with handpicked traders covering fresh local produce, handmade fashion, art, homeware and jewellery. It is the slower of the two, and the kind of morning that stretches easily into an afternoon.
When: Sunday 27 September, 10am to 7pm
Price: Free entry
5. Floating breathwork at Mandarin Oriental
On the 11th floor at Noia by the Pool, guests float on individual mattresses beneath the Dubai skyline, wearing eye masks and wireless headphones, while a guided breathwork session runs for an hour. Run with the UAE wellness community Breasy, the sessions have been extended to run every other Thursday until the end of the year.
Upcoming dates are 24 September, 8 October, 22 October and 5 November.
When: Every other Thursday, 8pm, 60 minutes
Where: Noia by the Pool, 11th floor, Mandarin Oriental Downtown
Price: Dh325 plus VAT per person
6. A beach staycation at Th8 Palm
For anyone wanting to stay put but not at home, Th8 Palm on Palm Jumeirah is running its Infinite Escape until the end of the month.
The package covers a stay for two with breakfast, or a half-board version adding lunch or dinner. It comes with a welcome refreshment, access to the pool and beachfront, 30 per cent off spa treatments and dining, and 50 per cent off watersports at Blue Safari. Check-in and check-out are flexible, subject to availability.
When: Until 30 September
Where: Th8 Palm Dubai Beach Resort, Vignette Collection by IHG, Palm Jumeirah
Price: From Dh538 for two with breakfast, or Dh588 half board
7. Dh17 drinks in Dubai Marina
Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites is marking 17 years in the Marina by pricing selected drinks at Dh17 across three of its venues for the whole month.
It runs at The Croft, Counter Culture Café and Observatory Lounge.
When: Until 30 September
Where: Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites, Dubai Marina
Price: Selected drinks from Dh17
8. Eat your way through Chef’s Society in Mirdif
City Centre Mirdif’s chef-led food hall is now fully open, with 10 concepts under one roof.
Two hold MICHELIN Bib Gourmand recognition: Bait Maryam, Chef Salam Daqqaq’s Levantine kitchen, and REIF Japanese Kushiyaki. The newest arrivals are Anara from MasterChef India judge Kunal Kapur, Ying Ji Dim Sum, and street food counter Slab. Also in the line-up are Roman pizza at Bonci, Emirati food at ATHAR by the Qlab, and sweet stops The Matcha Tokyo, My Cookie Dough and Beurre.
When: Open now
Where: Chef’s Society, City Centre Mirdif
Price: Varies by restaurant
9. A luxury beauty warehouse sale
Apotheca’s beauty warehouse sale is back, with up to 80 per cent off across skincare, make-up, haircare and more.
The brand list is the draw: Tatcha, Hourglass, Summer Fridays, Anastasia Beverly Hills, MZ Skin, MALIN+GOETZ, Slip, Omorovicza and Agent Nateur, among others.
It opens today with a shorter afternoon session, then runs full days from Friday through Sunday. Prices start at Dh5.
When: Thursday 24 September, 2pm to 7pm; Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September, 10am to 7pm
Where: Crowne Plaza Dubai Jumeirah
Price: From Dh5
