From K-Fest's final weekend to pink afternoon tea: Things to do in the UAE this week

The first week of October brings the closing days of Dubai's first Korean culture festival, a university fair for students and parents, a comedy tour across two emirates and several Pinktober events supporting breast cancer awareness.

There is also a slow morning of yoga and sound at Expo City Dubai, and a workout session held beneath dinosaur skeletons.

Here is what is happening this week.

Dubai K-Fest's final days

Dubai K-Fest, the city's first festival dedicated to Korean culture, wraps up on Sunday after 10 days. Last weekend, K-pop group ONEUS and singer Kwon Eunbi headlined a free opening night at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall.

There is still plenty happening across the city before it ends.

Korean Movie Nights at ROXY: ROXY Cinemas at Dubai Hills Mall, City Walk and Al Khawaneej are screening four Korean films with special ticket offers. These are the occult horror Exhuma, Revolver, Dark Nuns and Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice. On weekdays, Silver tickets start from Dh40.

Korea 360 at Dubai Festival City Mall: Pop-ups across the mall offer a Discover & Collect challenge, where visitors earn points at each stop and unlock rewards. The atrium stage hosts a set programme:

• Friday, October 2, 5pm to 7pm: Korean language and culture class with the King Sejong Institute, covering basic Korean and Hangeul calligraphy (Hangeul is the Korean alphabet)

• Saturday, October 3, 10am to 4pm: Korean cooking class with aT Center, limited to 30 people

• Saturday, October 3, 6pm to 8pm: Makeup artist demonstration on Korean beauty techniques

• Sunday, October 4, 2pm to 4pm: KCII basic skincare routine masterclass

Korean Market at Al Ghurair Centre: From October 1 to 4, the market brings Korean food, beauty and retail stalls, along with games such as Ddakji Flip, a folded-paper flipping game, and Tteokbokki Toss, named after the spicy rice cake dish. Craft workshops cover Taeguk fan painting, ddakji folding and Hangeul calligraphy. The stage hosts K-pop dance and Random Play Dance sessions.

Arte Museum Dubai: Until October 4, the museum is showing immersive digital artworks by d'strict under the theme Eternal Nature. They include Paintings of Joseon, based on Korea's artistic heritage, Gangneung, inspired by the coastal city's landscapes, and Starry Busan.

K-Town at Dubai Outlet Mall: This one runs beyond the festival, until October 24, with Korean food, products and cultural experiences across the mall.

When: Until October 4 (K-Town until October 24)
Where: Dubai Festival City Mall, Al Ghurair Centre, Dubai Outlet Mall, Arte Museum Dubai and ROXY Cinemas
Price: Free entry to mall events; ROXY weekday Silver tickets from Dh40

Gulf News Edufair Dubai

Students weighing up university options, and their parents, can meet more than 25 universities, career service providers and study abroad consultants under one roof this weekend.

Edufair Dubai returns after its May edition, which drew more than 8,000 visitors. Exhibitors offer undergraduate, postgraduate and executive programmes, both in the UAE and overseas. Visitors can ask about admissions, scholarships, financial aid, internships and student life abroad, and some institutions are offering early-bird benefits.

Seminars run across all three days. One session asks whether university is worth the time and money, looking at course rankings, teaching quality, industry exposure and return on investment. Others cover studying abroad, including living costs, visas and post-study immigration routes, as well as the choice between a professional qualification and a degree.

There is also a session on AI, which will look at the skills each discipline now requires and the human skills that cannot be replaced. A separate session covers the move from school to university, with advice on managing workload, independence and building support networks.

When: Friday, October 2 to Sunday, October 4
Where: Shangri-La Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road
Price: Free, registration required at event.gulfnews.com

Relish the Art of Stillness at Expo City Dubai

Terra at Expo City Dubai is hosting a three-hour wellness morning. The programme includes Yin Yoga, a sound alchemy session and YOFLO, which combines gentle movement, sound and mindfulness. The price includes a tea or coffee from PXB Café.

When: Saturday, October 3, 8.30am to 11.30am
Where: Terra, Expo City Dubai
Price: Dh150

Pinktober Brunch at Bla Bla JBR

McGettigan's Bla Bla at JBR is hosting a Saturday brunch with live music, unlimited drinks and views of Ain Dubai. Dh100 from every brunch goes to Al Jalila Foundation in support of breast cancer awareness.

When: Saturday, October 3, 3pm to 6pm
Where: McGettigan's Bla Bla, JBR
Price: Dh299 (house package), Dh349 (premium package)

Stand-up comedy with The Laughter Factory

The Laughter Factory, which has been bringing professional stand-up comedians to the UAE for 30 years, has three shows across Dubai and Abu Dhabi this weekend.

Headliner Marlon Davis is a British comedian and actor whose TV credits include Live at the Apollo and Live From The Comedy Store. He has supported Kevin Bridges, Michael McIntyre and Alan Carr on tour.

Greek-born George Zach moved to Britain at 18 to study biochemistry and began doing stand-up in 2009. He has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe five times and has written for BBC One's This Week and The One Show.

Denisa Alexe, a Russian-Romanian comedian, built a following in 2020 with her TikTok character Ellena. Her material draws on her upbringing in Eastern Europe and 16 years living in the Middle East.

The line-up is completed by John Hague, a newer comedian from the north of England.

When: Friday, October 2, 8.30pm; Saturday, October 3, 8.30pm; Sunday, October 4, 7pm
Where: Grand Millennium Dubai, Barsha Heights (October 2); Studio One Hotel, Dubai (October 3); The Club, Abu Dhabi (October 4)
Price: Available at thelaughterfactory.com; over-21s only

Pinktober Afternoon Tea at The St. Regis Downtown Dubai

Ginori Terrace, overlooking the Dubai Water Canal, has a pink afternoon tea running all month. Each item on the menu is named after a woman, from The Marie, for Marie Curie, a smoked salmon tramezzini with beetroot gel, to The Maya, for Maya Angelou, a mango and lime sponge.

A contribution from every afternoon tea goes to Al Jalila Foundation's #PINKtober initiative, supporting breast cancer research and treatment in the UAE.

When: Daily until October 31, 2pm to 6pm
Where: Ginori Terrace, The St. Regis Downtown Dubai
Price: Dh295 per person, including tea and coffee

Mindful Museum: Microformer

The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi runs a regular wellness series in its atrium, with guided yoga, high-intensity classes and mindfulness sessions held beneath its sauropod skeletons.

It is a ladies-only, semi-private Microformer session. The workout is high-intensity but low-impact, and focuses on core strength and controlled movement.

When: Monday, October 5, 7pm to 8pm
Where: Under the Sauropods, Atrium, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Cultural District

For founders: FemTech Hub Pitch Night

The Women's Pavilion at Expo City Dubai is inviting women's health founders to apply for its FemTech Hub Innovators Network Pitch Night. Registered companies with a market-ready product or service that addresses a women's health challenge can apply from October 5 to 25. Shortlisted founders will pitch to investors and industry experts on November 12.

The FemTech Hub is a collaboration between the Women's Pavilion, PeriCare, Meem Foundation and American Hospital Dubai. Applications are open on the Expo City Dubai website.