MARCH 3
Visit the traditional-games-themed Traditional Handicraft Forum with workshops, exhibitions and a games show, at the Heritage Area in the Heart of Sharjah project, until March 8, daily 10am-1pm and 5-10pm.
MARCH 4
Dido releases her first album in five years, “Girl Who Got Away”.
See a broadcast of the New York Metropolitan Opera’s performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto at Imax Meydan, 7pm (show begins 7.30pm). Željko Lučić sings the title role. Call 800 IMAX.
“A Concert for a Cause”, an annual charity classical music concert organized by the Rotary Club Jumeirah – Dubai benefiting Senses Residential & Day Care Centre for Children with Special Needs, with a piano performance by soloist Alexandre Lacombe, at the Souk Madinat Theatre, 8pm.
MARCH 5
Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, until March 9. Full schedule at
“My life with Cartoons”, an open session with Emmy Award winning art director Sue Mondt, 6-7pm at twofour54 Khalifa Park campus, Lime Green building, Mezzanine floor, Abu Dhabi.
Dubai International Boat Show, until March 9.
MARCH 6
Last day to see the ‘Culture of the Silk Road’ art show, an exhibit of embroidery pieces , at Avenue At Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi.
Talk with Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto, 7.30pm at Traffic, Al Quoz, discussing his Sharjah Biennial 11 commissioned project, “While culture moves us apart, nature brings us together”. Call 04-3470209.
The Perfect Wedding Show at Expo Centre Sharjah, alongside BeautyCore – the body & soul exhibition, until March 9.
MARCH 7
Emirates Classic Car Festival until March 9, on Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai.
Young & Married, a new docu-series looking into the lives of young lovebirds, premieres at 00.45am on MTV.
Tiger Translate presents GlobalFunk Ft. DJ Hype, at The Music Room, Majestic Hotel, Bur Dubai, 9pm. Free entry for Music Room Privilege cardholders 9-10pm; Dh100. Call 056-7996335.
Gulf Photo Plus annual photography festival, Knowledge Village, Dubai.
Filipino hard rock band Wolfgang live at Emirates Golf Club; tickets Dh125-250 at Filipino supermarkets and restaurants and selected ENOC outlets; call 055-5610998.
At the movies: Michelle Williams and James Franco star in Oz: The Great And Powerful; Paul Walker drives away with Vehicle 19.
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns starring Jimmy Shergill, Irrfan Khan and Mahie Gill promises to be a dark thriller about warped relationships and deceit.
MARCH 8
Abba tribute band Take a Chance at the Oil Barons Charity Ball at Meydan, a benefit for the Friends of Cancer Patients society.
Mirchi Bollywood Rocks! with Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Sunidhi Chauhan performing with full live bands in a 4-hour Bollywood show at Dubai World Trade Centre; tickets Dh200-1,000 (multiple categories); call 056-2563729.
Asia’s Diamond Soul Siren Nina performs at at Boracay Night Club, Asiana Hotel, Deira, 10pm. Tickets Dh75-150; call 050-8537533.
International Woman’s Day party at Mo*vida with bubbly and Hummingbird Cupcakes.
Inspirational Women of Fitness with Laila Ali, at Al Bateen Secondary School, Abu Dhabi, from 4pm.
MARCH 9
Kidsfest, Festival Park, Dubai Festival City (also March 8), noon-9pm; ten live shows daily. Dh50 (general admission); Dh250 including shows, at major ticket retailers.
Vibrance Spring Fling fashion exhibition, Origami Ballroom, Radisson Royale Hotel, Dubai, 10am-8pm; visit facebook.com/VibrancEvents
Taste The Caribbean, Kiza (next to Chi), 7pm-3am, with Caribbean buffet, music by DJ Crown Prince (Caribbean/Miami) and Krunkmaster DJ Slik (Virgin Islands). Dh175; call 050-4360891.
Ferrari Racing Days, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi.
New venue for Dubai Flea Market at Ibn Battuta Mall, Tunisia car park, 1-6pm, entry free. Also UpTown Mirdiff, March 8, 3-8pm.
MARCH 10
Watchwomen and Dreamcatchers, an in the framework of International Women’s day and the “Month of La Francophonie”, a whole month of celebrations by French-speaking countries, with works by contemporary painters living in the UAE, both French and Emirati, at Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche until March 23. Exhibtion launches March 8 with a women’s volleyball tournament, 10am-6pm, at Sorbonne University.
MARCH 11
David Bowie releases his first album in 10 years, “The Next Day”. It’s already got critical acclaim.
Head to Dreamland Aqua Park, where mums get free entry throughout March. Call 06- 7681888.
MARCH 12
“Whispers of color and light”, an exhibition by UAE based Sudanese artist Abdul Qadir Al Mubarak at Mezzaluna Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi.
MARCH 13
Sharjah Biennial 11, Re: Emerge – Towards a New Cultural Cartography (13 March–13 May 2013),
Laughter Factory with Wayne Deakin, Jeff Innocent and Markus Birdman, at Zinc, Crowne Plaza Hotel Dubai. Tickets Dh140 at the venue; call 04-3551862. Also March 6 at Heroes, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi; March 7 and 8 at Movenpick Hotel JBR; and March 14 at Grand Millennium (TECOM).
Punchline Comedy Club with Geoff Boyz, Jeremy O’Donnell and Karl Spain, at Jumeirah Creekside Hotel (Emirates Golf Club on 14th, Abu Dhabi’s The Clubhouseon 15th), dinner from 7.30pm, comedy at 9pm, Dh200 at urbanevents.ae.
MARCH 14
Dubai Art Week, until March 24.
Taste of Dubai food festival at Media City Amphitheatre, until March 16. Tickets Dh60 (Dh80 on the door) at tasteofdubaifestival.com.
Downton Abbey Season 3 starts on OSN First/HD.
Punjabi singer Mika Singh and rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh Live @ Atlantis; tickets Dh150 Advance (Dh250 on the door), Dh450 VIP; call 055-2004321.
Bob Geldof kicks off St Patrick’s Day weekend celebrations; tickets Dh125, at Irish Village. Celebrations also at McGettigans JLT and DWC, visit www.mcgettigans.ie.
Sting plays the du Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; tickets Dh295-695 (multiple categories); call 800 FLASH (35274).
At the movies: Nicholas Hoult is Jack The Giant Slayer; Ram Kapoor, Saqib Saleem and Rhea Chakraborty explore strained father-son relationships in a fun way in Mere Dad Ki Maruti; 3G, a thriller about Sam (Neil Nitin Mukesh) who buys a second-hand 3G cell phone and starts receiving mysterious calls from a woman.
MARCH 15
Noel Gallagher, supported by an acoustic set by ex-Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft and BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, at Atlantis The Palm; tickets Dh250-500 (various categories), at platinumlist.net and major ticket retailers, Enoc and Eppco stations.
VICE London at Blue Marlin Ibiza with deep house and dark techno; call 056-1133400.
St Patrick’s Day celebration at P.J. O’Reilly’s, Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi, call 800-101101.
MARCH 16
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV premiere exclusively on OSN Box Office 1.
Fashion For All fashion show at Squisito Art Gallery, Al Qouz, 7.30pm. Email info@woman2woman.biz for invitations.
St Patrick’s Day Family Beach Party, Barasti; 11am-1am, free entry; call 04-3181313.
MARCH 17
St. Patrick’s Day at Jazz n’ Fizz, Sofitel Abu Dhabi, free flow draft hops from 8-9pm and live saxophonist. Free entry.
MARCH 18
Justin Timberlake brings his sexy back with“The 20/20 Experience”, his first release since 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds.
Good Words and Worldly Goods, an exhibition on 3-dimensional art and contemporary calligraphy, opens at The Majlis Gallery, until April 14.
MARCH 19
Firedance, with Kamy R live at White X Beach & Lounge, Rixos The Palm Dubai. Dh100 before 10pm; Dh150 after; call 050-1751010.
MARCH 20
Check out Beirut Art Beat, exhibition and market showcasing design talent from Lebanon at The Atrium, DIFC (runs March18-21).
MARCH 21
Julio Iglesias performs as part of the “World Legends” Dubai concert series at Shaikh Rashid Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre. All-seated; tickets Dh320-1,300 (multiple categories) at major ticket retailers.
ArtintheCity’s ArtBus travels around town until March 23 with works by UAE-based artists Maisoon Al Saleh, Talin Hazber and Abdullah Lutfi in collaboration with Ruben Sanchez, under the theme of ‘UAE: Then and Now’. The bus travels on three routes: Al Quoz; Jumeirah and Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood; Downtown Dubai and DIFC, Dh50 per person, not including entry to Art Dubai. Call 04-3417303.
Kids Party at Millennium Hotel Abu Dhabi, 6-9pm, with buffet, games, clowns and entertainment, Dh95. Call 02-6146006.
Comedian Tommy Tiernan at Dubai Tennis Stadium, 8.30pm; tickets Dh175 from The Irish Village.
At the movies: Nicholas Cage gets animated in The Croods; Watch out for Bollywood’s version of Gangnam Style in Rangrezz, a romantic comedy starring Jackky Bhangnani;
MARCH 22
du World Music Festival returns for the third edition, beginning with Andrea Bocelli at du Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Tickets Dh295-1,595; call 800 FLASH (35274).
XVA Art Gallery at Mo*vida, exhibiting pieces from the gallery’s latest exhibition.
Toast SANZAat Abu Dhabi Golf Club, an annual event celebrating South African, New Zealand and Australian culture, food, drink and traditions. Tickets Dh100 (adults; Dh50 for children); at Grey Mackenzie outlets (except Mussafah ), Abu Dhabi Golf Club, and at the gate on the day; visit toastsevents.ae.
Twins Plus Festival, Zabeel Park gate 1, tickets Dh15 (adult, Dh10 child under 18), call 052 865 9291.
MARCH 23
House of Chic pop-up store at The Palace, Downtown, with designs by Nikhil Thampi, Gauri & Nainika, Rohit Gandhi Rahul Khanna, Shashank & Prajwal, Geisha Designs by Paras & Shalini, Darshi Adani, Payal Singhal and Alpana Neeraj; 11am-9pm; visit facebook.com/pages/Unimonde-Experiences/317123105004402
MARCH 24
Any day Catch Dollars and Art, the first exhibition in Dubai by artist Jim Wheat at MediaOne Hotel, until April 3.
MARCH 25
See Idris Khan’s exhibition Beginning at the End, inspired by 9th century Islamic philosophers and the Black on Black works of abstract expressionists, until April 21, at Galerie Isabelle Van Den Eynde.
MARCH 26
Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel commemorates Abu Dhabi Festival’s 10th anniversary with a performance of ‘Poème Orientale’ by Franco-Lebanese composer and poet Bechara El Khoury, with the Czech Philharmonic and Russian soprano Victoria Yastrebova, as well as pieces from Broadway, Puccini, Bernstein, Mozart and Wagner. Dh250-350; call 050-9076158.
MARCH 27
Thai Cooking Class in Silk & Spice, Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche, 3-5.30pm every Wednesday. Chef Pharita teaches the two-course cooking class, with dishes such as Yam Woon Sen Talay Spicy (Glass Noodles Salad with Seafood and Minced Chicken) and Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Breast with Coconut Milk, Galangal and Herbs). Dh250++ per person for a minimum group of four. Call 02-8137777.
MARCH 28
My Music X festival runs for three days at Dubai International Marine Club at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi. Dh150, one-day general admission (Dh250 for two days). Sean Paul at Atlantis The Palm, Dh250 – 550 and 750.
Iraqi singer Kazem Al Saher and Sherine from Egypt at Dubai Media City
Amphitheatre, part of du World Music Festival. Tickets Dh195-495 at major ticker retailers.
Guns’n Roses at du Arena, Yas Island; tickets Dh250-850; call 800 FLASH (35274).
Goa’s top trance festival comes to Dubai with Sunburn and Peppermint Experience at Dubai World Trade Centre Arena. DJ TIESTO headlines with support from ALVARO, MADJAM, SHAAN and PEARL for six hours of electronic dance music. Early bird tickets Dh200 until March 8; call 04-3434674.
At the movies: Sajid Khan directs Ajay Devgn in the remake of Himmatwala, about a large-hearted hero who can dance, sing and beat up baddies; Justin Bieber director John M. Chu revives GI Joe with Bruce Willis;
MARCH 29
My Music X Electronic Dance Music event with nine international DJ’s including ATB and Sander Kleinenberg, Atlantis The Palm, Dh250-450.
New Seafood Friday brunch at La Mer, Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche; Dh285++ (seafood buffet and a la carte, one glass of bubbly and mocktails; Dh385++ with free flow French bubbly).
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Madinat Theatre until April 13. Tickets Dh195; call 04-3666546 .
MARCH 30
It’s the Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest horse race, at Meydan. Tickets from Dh25 (general admission) and Dh350 (Apron Views).
