Make the best of 2021

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Make the best of 2021

Sunday, 10 January 2021 | Sunday PIONEER

Make the best of 2021

With non-essential travelling picking up pace, SUNDAY PIONEER tells you why one can plan a trip to Dubai with a new travel kit in place.

Dubai Shopping Festival  (Till 30 January, 2021)

Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is back for its 26th edition, with over six weeks of family fun and entertainment, live concerts, unique markets, art installations and stage shows plus super sales, unmissable promotions and chances to win life-changing prizes across the city.  Perfect for those that want to enjoy retail therapy and exciting events as well as the wonderfully mild weather, a visit to Dubai during DSF will make for a fantastic start to the year.

Gastronomy — Dubai Food Festival (February 2021)

Catering to the 200+ nationalities that call Dubai home, Dubai is a truly cosmopolitan destination where nationalities mingle to sample dishes from across the world.  New restaurants opening up include Brasserie Boulud, Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud’s first restaurant in the region, Burj Al Arab’s SAL which will offer up Iberian-inspired dishes, and Taiko Dubai, home to contemporary Far Eastern cuisine.

For foodies, Dubai Food Festival (DFF), a city-wide culinary extravaganza that takes place each February, is well worth a visit.  DFF sees restaurants set up on the beach, welcomes celebrity chefs for master classes, invites the public to taste signature dishes at the city’s top restaurants and more, all in the name of food.

Art Dubai (March 17 to March 20, 2021)

The 14th edition of Art Dubai will celebrate its unique positioning as the most international art fair, bringing together diverse communities from around the world.  Presenting the largest selection of galleries from across the MENASA region, as well championing the finest artistic output across the Global South, the fair’s agenda will include art and social activations taking place on the beach, the Creek, and outdoor settings across Dubai, while the fair layout and access timings will be adapted with necessary health and safety rules in place.

Ramadan (April 12 to May 11, 2021, tentative, dependent on the sighting of the moon)

Ramadan is the holiest month of the year for Muslims around the world; a time for reflection and increased devotion.  Time honoured traditions, Islamic culture and hospitality are at their peak during the month making it a truly special time to visit.  The quieter pace of the day when Muslims observe the daily fast invokes a spirit of calm and introspection – but after sunset, the city comes to life with plenty of shopping, arts and cultural events taking place throughout the month.  Visitors can learn more about Ramadan by visiting the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) located in the Al Fahidi District Historical Neighbourhood or by joining a special tour of Jumeirah Mosque.  Experiencing Iftar, the evening meal with which Muslims end their fast, is also a must.

Expo 2020 (October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022)

Expo 2020 Dubai will be a once-in-a-lifetime global celebration, opening up a world of wonder, excitement and hope for millions of visitors from around the world. Taking place for six months, it will offer something for everyone, irrespective of age, nationality or interest. 

Through the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ Expo 2020 Dubai provides a platform to encourage creativity, innovation and collaboration across three subthemes: Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. The theme reflects the history of Dubai, historically called Al Wasl, or ‘the connection’ as Dubai has long played an important role in connecting east and west, north and south. Expo 2020 Dubai’s vision is to build on Dubai’s role as a cross-continental gateway and deliver a World Expo that advances the potential of human collaboration, while inspiring visitors to create a positive, long-term impact for people around the world.

Expo 2020 Dubai will feature the best in entertainment, technology, cuisine and culture, from every corner of the globe, for an unforgettable six months. 

Museum of the Future (Opening date TBC, 2021)

Set to become one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, the Museum of the Future explores the future of science, technology and innovation.  Designed by Shaun Killa, it is already one of the world’s most complex buildings — in the shape of a torus, with the round shape representing the earth and the sky, while the empty space in the middle representing the unknown.  The 30,000 sqm, seven-storey column-less marvel stands at 77m high, with 1,024 Arabic calligraphy panels on the façade. The Museum will be a place like no other, a home of tolerance, inviting varied cultural, philosophical, social, and spiritual outlooks. It will bring together inventors, designers and researchers, presenting a range of technologies, becoming an incubator for ideas and designs, a driver for innovation, and a global destination for inventors and entrepreneurs.

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