Go on an A380
Pretend you’re Jennifer Aniston this weekend when Emirates lands its inflight experience at the Dubai Mall over the holiday weekend. The airline’s iconic A380 aircraft will be recreated insise the Star Atrium until May 7 — bear in mind, it’s not the entire plane. But if you’ve ever sat in Economy and wondered what life is like for the other half upstairs, here’s your chance. The famous on-board lounge will be there, along with cabin crew and Lewis the Lion and Leila the Camel, the airline mascots. Don’t forget there’s also an Emirates A380 simulator in the mall; passes can be won at the A380, along with Skywards miles and holidays.
Hear the Voice Kids perform
Head to City Centre Mirdif to see performances by the stars of the recent TV talent show The Voice Kids on May. 2016 winner, 12-year-old Lynn Al Hayek, and contestants Ghady, Mirna, Omar, Zain and Jowairia will be on stage from 6pm.
Indian food festivals
Spend the three-day weekend exploring the regions of India through its cuisine at two food festivals in Dubai. At Masala Craft in Century Village, chef Mujeeb Ur Rehman is recreating the food of royalty with a Rajasthani food festival; dishes on offer include lal maans, macchi jaisamandi, daal batti, bhindi rajwari, kher sangri chawal and gatta masala. It’s Dh250 for two, until May 13. Call 04-2829626. At Chor Bazaar at Movenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta, the food of the state of Kerala is celebrated nightly (except Mondays) all this month. Chef Dayanand is preparing Malabar kozhi biryani and prawn coconut curry with side dishes and a dessert for Dh140 per person (an a la carte menu is also available). Call 04-4445613.
Hear some new music
If you’re a fan of the Motellacast weekly podcast — where DJ MoCity showcases the works of unknown producers, keep 2-8pm free on May 6. Brunswick Sports Club, the bar and restaurant from the guys behind Tom & Serg (it’s in the Sheraton, Mall of the Emirates) is hosting DJ MoCity for the one year anniversary of sessions. . Five local guest DJs (Dan Greenpeace, essarai, Emote, Siamak Amidi and Satwa 3000) will play. If your taste is more old school, Jazzy Jeff will play the late hours of Barasti’s Red Bull Open Water Party. Also on the line-up are Hollaphonic, Dirty Vegas and Barasti’s resident. It’s free to enter, and runs from 2pm until late.
Meet movie stars
Bollywood stars Emraan Hashmi (right), Nargis Fakhri and Prachi Desai will be in Dubai on Saturday to talk about their latest project, Azhar, and to interact with their fans at the Arabian Centre at 7pm. The cast of the hit Emirati movie Edhay Fe Abu Dhabi — as well as the writers, producers and director — want to meet their fans this weekend. Head to the fountain area in Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi from 7pm on May 7 to watch the movie and get your questions answered. The film follows Edhay and his adventure as he moves from Fujairah after graduating from college to Abu Dhabi.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
Commemorating a Mexican victory over the French in the 19th century, this day is widely celebrated in the United States, as well as Mexico. Here are two options to bring the party to the UAE: Loca and Loca 2.0 (at Souk Al Bahar) have Cinco de Mayo parties from 8pm-midnight on May 5 with unlimited Mexican drinks and tacos for Dh250 per person with music by the resident DJs. Mexican chef Richard Sandoval’s Maya at Le Royal Meridien is having a fiesta with six variations on the classic Mexican drink for Dh35 each; there are also live guacamole and taco stations (food from Dh40) and Latin hits played by DJ Nader. It starts at 7pm.
