UAE Events

The Colosseum, at Abu Dhabi's marina, is a quirky Roman-themed nightclub with stone-carved walls and a sunken, amphitheatre-style dance floor. Expect a different musical genre each night of the week.

Rising from Abu Dhabi's desert sands, Al Ain is a garden city in the Buraimi Oasis and a settlement dating back to the 4th millennium BC. It is home to Jebel Hafeet, the highest mountain in the UAE.

Second only to the frenzied bargain-hunting of the Dubai Shopping Festival in spring, Dubai Summer Surprises is an event which encourages visitors to shop, save and celebrate during nine weeks of entertainment. Just don't forget your credit card!

During the festival, also known as DSS, Dubai's vast malls get together to offer major reductions across a wide range of goods. The pull is irresistible; over seven million shoppers flash their cash at this event.

Live shows, children activities, competitions and courses keep the whole family happy while the shopaholics shop, and hotels offer a variety of discounted packages for those who want to make a holiday out of it.

The only international digital photography and imaging exhibition in the Middle East, PhotoWorld Dubai offers photography enthusiasts and professionals a complete view of the industry. Free daily workshops and seminars accompany the fair at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

For fast-track entry to the exhibition, pre-register your attendance at the PhotoWorld Dubai website.

The tangled mangrove forests of Saadiyat Island, meaning island of happiness, attract a wide range of nesting birds and marine life. The island has plenty of hidden nooks and crannies for wildlife watching along with a rich cultural programme.

Saadiyat Island is one of 200 located off the Abu Dhabi coast, which has recently been turned into a luxury resort complete with golf courses, hotels and marinas, all ecologically sensitive and linked to the mainland by two major highway bridges, including the Saadiyat Bridge (to be completed by September 2009).

It also boasts a Cultural District, featuring museums, art galleries and performing arts centres, such as the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi contemporary art museum designed by Frank Gehry, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, by French architect Jean Nouvel.

Vast sums have been spent on keeping the Corniche beautiful, and it shows. Strolling along this showpiece is an Abu Dhabi institution and, with paved walkways and flower-filled gardens, there are few better places to idly watch the waves.

Children's City is Dubai's interactive science and cultural centre for children. The three-storey building in Creekside Park houses themed zones which look at applied science, the human body, space exploration, nature and the environment, as well as international culture.

More than 50 educational exhibits have been created for this "infotainment facility" - including hi-tech interactive computer displays, audiovisual exhibits, 3D animation and slide projections. There are also daily educational workshops throughout the year, a planetarium and a special area for children under five.

The Dubai Dance Festival, held at the Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre, is packed with enough events to give anyone dance fever. On offer are shows to inspire, workshops to learn and parties to practice all those funky moves.

Student and professional live shows feature performances by some of the city's finest dance companies and there are more than 20 hours of workshops where participants can practice favourites like belly dancing, tap, African dance and hip-hop. In the evenings, parties entertain the crowd further and everyone gets to bust a move.