Dubai excites tourists with loaded events calendar

As the year gradually wind down, the city of Dubai has revealed its calendar of top events for the rest of the year and the first quarter of 2019.

Topping the list are the famous Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Food Festival, the Dubai Design Week, the Arab Fashion Week, among others.

This means that whether you are a sports enthusiast, culture vulture or looking for some family fun, there is an event for you in Dubai, and there is no chance to be bored in this city, which has more activities and events than can be enjoyed in a lifetime.

Dubai Design Week, which holds November 12 – 17 at the Dubai Design District, is the region’s largest creative festival, reflecting Dubai’s position as the design capital of the Middle East.

The programme comprises over 200 design-focused events covering a range of disciplines including architecture, furniture, interiors and graphic design.

On the other hand, the Arab Fashion Week (AFW) organised by the Arab Fashion Council, the world’s largest non-profit fashion body, is the only official fashion week dedicated to promoting Ready-to-Wear-Couture and Pre-Collections that define luxury fashion in Dubai and the Arab World.

AFW has received global recognition since its very first edition, with the world’s highest-profile designers choosing to showcase here, as well as at the four big fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris. The event comes up November 13 – 18 at Dubai’s City Walk.

Meanwhile, Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens will see the best sevens rugby teams battle it out at the 49th edition of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens.

Cheer on your favourite teams and experience a whole host of entertainment at one of the most exciting sporting and social events in Dubai.

Attracting more than 100,000 fans, the event which holds at Dubai’s Rugby Sevens Stadium between November 29 and December 1, has a lot on offer to keep everyone entertained – from sporting action, concerts, competitions and family entertainment, to buzzing food and beverage zones.

Sole DXB was launched in September 2010, as a platform for all the latest and relevant news in footwear, fashion, design and alternative culture in The Middle East.

Taking product design and brand marketing as the new frontier in compelling people to think differently, create distinctively and communicate effectively, Sole aims to inspire and encourage growth within the region’s design and progressive fashion sector.

It is also a space where people learn about different cultures and can discover what’s new from the worlds of fashion, music, and art. Date: 6 – 8 December at Dubai’s Design District.

On the other hand, the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) will see Dubai’s malls and shopping destinations come to life at this annual event, where shoppers will find unbeatable deals on everything from fashion and jewellery, to electronics and accessories.

As the world’s biggest shopping festival, this month-long celebration isn’t just about searching for bargains and shopping ‘till you drop’, there’s also a huge line-up of thrilling entertainment including firework displays, fashion shows, and live concerts.

In addition, visitors will get the chance to win incredible prizes, from SUVs to gold. Date is 26 December 2018 – 27 January 2019 across all of Dubai.

Known as the ‘Major of the Middle East’, the 2019 Omega Dubai Desert Classic (ODDC) promises to be another nail-biting tournament with the world’s top golfers converging on Dubai to compete for the 30th edition of this coveted title.

The annual event which comes up at the Emirates Golf Club, January 24 – 27 has featured unforgettable legends such as the late Seve Ballesteros, Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Colm Montgomerie, Tiger Woods, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia.

The annual Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will return February 1 – 28, 2019 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, with world-class players expected to wow crowds at this unmissable sporting event.

Past highlights have included the legendary Roger Federer winning three times in a row between 2003-2005. Other tennis greats such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams have also triumphed at this tournament.

Meanwhile, the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival returns February 13 – 22, for its 17th edition.

In 2019, the festival will take place over 10 days, with performances from local and international jazz and blues artists at venues throughout the city, before the main event takes place over three days at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre.

The 2018 edition saw three international acts headlining the festival – Duran Duran, John Legend, and Ricky Martin.

Past years have seen megastars such as Tom Jones, Kool & The Gang, and Mariah Carey take to the stage.

Dubai Food Festival (DFF) is the only truly citywide food festival in the Middle East. Held every year, it celebrates Dubai’s emergence as a gastronomic destination.

The festival, which holds across Dubai between February 21 and March 9 offers a calendar of exciting food-related events and promotions, highlighting Dubai’s unique food scene, its personalities and its world-class dining experiences.

With over 200 nationalities living in Dubai, the Dubai Food Festival reveals the diversity and creativity in the city’s culinary offerings—from gourmet and avant-garde restaurant concepts to local haunts and hidden gems.

A leading international art fair, Art Dubai is highly regarded in the international art world and provides a platform for emerging talent, showcasing them alongside firmly established centres and well-known artists.

Artists, gallerists and art collectors flock to Dubai from all over the world to attend the fair, which is one of the main pillars of Dubai’s art season. This year’s edition holds March 20 – 23 at Madinat Jumeirah.

The world’s premier horse racing event hosted in Dubai, the Dubai World Cup provides a truly global stage upon which the best horses in the world compete for the highest prize money in the international racing calendar.

Attended by the ‘who’s who’ of Dubai society, as well as international celebrities, the Dubai World Cup is the city’s most glamorous event, with fashionistas from near and far parading their sophisticated style as the horses thunder down the track.

The 2019 edition comes up at the Meydan Racecourse on March 30.