Things to do in Dubai 18th-24th June 2017
Art Exhibition
Abdalla Al Omari’s, The Vulnerability Series forces you to change your perspective: The power and the people
It’s an image we’re used to seeing: never-ending lines of displaced civilians snaking away from borders or queueing for food in refugee camps. It’s everywhere we look, from the news to social media.
What we aren’t used to seeing, though, are the population’s one percent in the same setting. But that’s exactly what Brussels-based Syrian painter Abdalla Al Omari has done in his latest exhibition, The Vulnerability Series, on show at Ayyam Gallery in DIFC, whether it be a painting of Bashar al-Assad emerging from stormy Mediterranean waters, or a dishevelled Donald Trump carrying his only possessions on his back.
Driven by his own experiences of displacement and his anger at the deteriorating situation in his home country, Al Omari wanted to explore the “paradoxical nature of empathy”.
It’s a strong message about how human we all are, and it just reinforces how easily any of these figures could have been born into different circumstances.
The identity of the subjects complicates your reactions to them. It forces you to question your feelings of them by stripping them of any constructed strength or charisma. Revealing the vulnerable human underneath.
Free. Until Aug 30. Open hours during Ramadan: Sun-Thu 11am-4pm. Ayyam Gallery, Gate Village 3, DIFC (04 439 2395).
Try out three theme parks in one
Dubai Parks and Resorts has an incredible offer on its entire range of attractions throughout Ramadan.
For the next month, you’ll be able to get into all of the theme parks, open from 8pm until midnight, for just Dhs95 per person. Head down after iftar for an evening of fun at Bollywood Parks, Motiongate and Legoland at this brilliant reduced rate.
The Ramadan Nights Offer is the best way of getting into all of the resorts this summer, with the cheapest entry ticket usually costing Dhs85 for Bollywood Parks, and Dhs125 each for Motiongate and Legoland during the rest of the year. Enjoy roller coasters, 3D cinematic simulator rides, live shows and more across all three parks for a fraction of the cost.
The offer is available to all UAE residents upon presentation of an Emirates ID card. And it doesn’t stop there – a massive range of discounts and promotions will be available all the way through the summer months. Round up the kids and head down for an evening of adventure.
Dhs95. Until the end of Ramadan, 8pm-midnight. Dubai Parks and Resorts, Sheikh Zayed Road opposite Palm Jebel Ali, www.dubaiparksandresorts.com (04 820 0000).
Unearth The Void
Put on your ghost-busting backpack and get on down to The Beach. US “hyper-reality” company The Void has teamed up with Meraas to set up a full-on virtual reality experience allowing you to bust some ghosts. Dubai is the first city outside of the US to have this attraction, which uses real-time effects to wow you. As well as the backpack, you’ll pop on a vest with haptic feedback, which simulates the feeling and velocity of force, so you’ll be totally immersed in the experience. (You just have to try it.)
Dhs110. Open daily noon-midnight. The Beach, JBR, www.thevoid.com/dubai.
Unlimited access to trampoline park at Bounce
Throughout Ramadan, Bounce is offering unlimited access to its trampoline park. To jump all day, every day, snap up your pass now.
Dhs299 (while stocks last). Open Sun-Thu noon-midnight (throughout Ramadan).
Swim from sunset to midnight at Umm Suqeim 1 Beach
Fancy watching the lights of the Burj Al Arab sparkle next to you while you enjoy a dip in the sea after dark?
Dubai has become the first emirate in the UAE to allow nighttime swimming, with the installation of two smart power poles on Umm Suqeim 1 Beach. Powered by wind and solar energy, the poles – designed by D Idea Media, creators of the smart palm wi-fi stations – emit light strong enough to illuminate the waters just off the shore.
To further improve safety for night swimmers, Dubai Municipality has appointed 84 lifeguards to man the strip, while small red floats with lights will mark the point up to which bathers can swim out.