Giant lasagne, F1, big breakfasts: 6 actually fun things to do in the UAE this weekend

There are sensible ways to spend a weekend. This list contains relatively few of them. Among the best things to do in Dubai and Abu Dhabi this weekend are eating 1.5kg of lasagne against the clock and watching Formula 1 with Dutch fried cheese for company.

For less competitive appetites, there are family daycations, hotel deals, a back-to-school market and brunches requiring considerably less physical preparation. Whether you want to feed the family, escape the heat or make Sunday lunch ambitious, here’s what’s happening across the UAE this weekend.

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Centara’s daycation focuses on the fun

A hotel room is useful for sleeping. If you’re not planning on doing much of that, Centara’s Family Daycation cuts straight to the fun bits. You get the waterpark, pools, private beach, kids’ club and gaming zone, without having to pack an overnight bag containing 14 things nobody uses. Better still, Dh170 of the Dh220 adult pass comes back as credit for food, dinner or the spa. Children get Dh70 credit with their Dh110 pass. Essentially, everyone gets entertained and somebody else deals with the towels. That’s a holiday in our book.

Price: Dh220 adults (Dh170 credit); Dh110 children (Dh70 credit)
When: Until August 31
Where: Centara Mirage Beach Resort Dubai

Cucina dares you to eat lasagne for six

Cucina made a 1.5kg lasagne designed to feed six people, then decided the logical next step was asking one person to finish it. You have 90 minutes to demolish five layers of pasta, ragù, béchamel and melted cheese. Manage it and your Dh580 bill is wiped. Don’t, and you’ve paid Dh580 to discover something fairly definitive about your personal lasagne limit. You can, of course, order the Gigante Lasagna and share it like a rational human being. But rational human beings don’t get their photo taken after consuming a slab of pasta.

Price: Dh580; free if you finish it solo within 90 minutes
When: Daily
Where: Cucina, Palm West Beach, Dubai

Flavours Hub helps with the back-to-school shopping

Nothing says “summer is over” quite like being asked to become emotionally invested in pencil cases. Flavours Hub is softening the blow with a weekend market selling stationery, bags, personalised accessories and other school-year necessities, alongside DIY activities for kids. Crucially, there’s food. Ten homegrown concepts mean you can abandon debates over lunchboxes for poke, dim sum, burgers, Thai dishes or Turkish food. It’s free to enter, and you might leave with September sorted before the Sunday-night panic begins. Your children will still lose half the stationery by October, obviously, but that’s beyond the market’s remit.

Price: Free entry
When: August 22–August 23, 1pm–8pm
Where: Flavours Hub, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi

Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah is free for kids

Children are famously expensive travel companions for people with no income. Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah is temporarily addressing this economic injustice with its Flex Stay offer. Families can save up to 25 per cent on half-board stays, while children aged 11 and under stay and dine free when following the same meal plan as the adults. The beach is right there, so your itinerary can consist largely of deciding between pool and sea until somebody demands food. It’s a straightforward Dubai staycation with one particularly appealing feature: several members of your booking can eat without repeatedly appearing on the bill.

Price: Up to 25 per cent off half-board stays; children 11 and under stay and dine free
When: Limited-time summer offer
Where: Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah, Dubai

Lakeview has F1 and dried Dutch food

No ticket to Zandvoort? Lakeview has devised Plan B: watch the Dutch Grand Prix beside Dubai Creek while eating your way through the Netherlands’ greatest contribution to bar snacks. The Dh90 package includes a beverage and one bite, with options including bitterballen, kaassoufflé, kibbeling and various croquettes. The racing is on the big screen across the weekend, so you can scrutinise tyre strategy with the confidence of somebody who has never driven an F1 car. The golf course outside will remain peaceful. The room probably won’t once someone attempts an overtake.

Price: Dh90, including one beverage and one bar bite
When: August 21–23
Where: Lakeview, Dubai Creek Clubhouse, Dubai Creek Resort

The Bench Brunch is doing suspiciously much for Dh99

Dh99 doesn’t usually get particularly far at brunch. At The Daily, it gets an unlimited spread of salads, sandwiches and desserts, a main course, and tea or coffee. That’s enough food to turn Saturday afternoon into a scheduling problem. It’s casual, unfussy and notably lacking in the theatrical nonsense that sometimes accompanies unlimited food. Come hungry. Bringing a spreadsheet to calculate how much value you’ve extracted is technically optional.

Price: Dh99 soft package; Dh198 with select beverage; children 4–12 half price, under-fours free
When: Saturday, 12.30pm–3.30pm
Where: The Daily, Rove City Walk, Dubai