As venues proliferate across Downtown and Beyond, Dubai is consciously shedding its image as a transient luxury hub to build an authentic creative identity rooted in live performance.
Over three decades, the emirate transformed from a trading port into a global creative powerhouse, hosting thousands of designers and attracting billions in investment.
A grassroots movement of muralists and designers is transforming forgotten corners into creative sanctuaries, challenging the emirate's polished image with raw, community-driven art.
A perfect storm of government backing, international buyers, and homegrown talent is transforming the emirate into a genuine fashion and design powerhouse—and locals are scrambling to be part of it.
A grassroots movement of young Emiratis is transforming how the city engages with its pre-oil past, turning forgotten neighbourhoods into cultural laboratories.
From Al Serkal Avenue to the Museum of the Future, Dubai's art institutions are shifting the city's identity from commercial hub to creative powerhouse.
Once a modest trading hub, Dubai's arts and heritage landscape has transformed into a thriving ecosystem that balances preservation with cutting-edge creativity.
Discover how independent curators and neighbourhood collectives are reshaping Dubai's festival calendar with grassroots cultural celebrations in Al Fahidi and Design District.
From Al Fahidi's underground supper clubs to Business Bay's fusion labs, restaurants are becoming the unexpected galleries where Dubai's cultural identity is being remixed and reimagined.
From intimate theatre productions in Al Fahidi to world-class cinema at The Dubai Mall, here's where to catch the city's most compelling cultural offerings this summer.
From DIFC to Downtown, a generation of local chefs is ditching fine dining formality for bold neighbourhood concepts that reflect how Emiratis and expats actually want to eat.
A generation of curators, collectors and visionaries transformed Dubai's cultural landscape from scratch—and their legacy is reshaping the Middle East's creative future.
A growing movement of emerging designers and creative entrepreneurs in Al Quoz and Downtown Dubai is challenging the city's luxury imports model and building a homegrown fashion ecosystem.
As the emirate transforms into a world-class arts hub, preservationists and creatives are racing to document the overlooked history that shaped today's thriving cultural identity.
From Al Fahidi to Downtown, a new generation of local organisers is moving beyond corporate-sponsored events to build festivals that genuinely reflect the city's diverse population.
Once a rebellious fringe, Dubai's graffiti and street art culture has transformed into a legitimate creative force that shapes the emirate's urban identity.
As major international brands accelerate digital manufacturing initiatives in the UAE, a quiet revolution in creative entrepreneurship is reshaping how local talent thinks about fashion.
A generation ago, fine dining in Dubai meant hotel buffets and modest local eateries—today, the emirate rivals London and Singapore for gastronomic prestige.
A surge in independent productions and experimental venues is transforming performing arts across the emirate, challenging the city's reputation for mega-events.
Two decades of evolution transformed the emirate from a cultural blank canvas into a destination where international acts compete for sold-out nights alongside homegrown talent.
What began as clandestine murals in forgotten corners has evolved into a celebrated cultural force reshaping how the city expresses its creative identity.
From intimate black-box productions in Al Serkal to blockbuster musicals at Madinat Jumeirah, here's where to experience world-class culture in the emirate this summer.
A surge of young Emirati and expat designers launching independent labels in Al Serkal Avenue and Alserkal Square is reshaping the city's fashion narrative.
From the waterfront cultural district to emerging neighbourhood galleries, here's where to experience world-class collections and innovative exhibitions this summer.
From modest black-box studios in Al Fahidi to world-class stages at Dubai Opera, the directors, designers and producers reshaping the emirate's performing arts landscape reveal what it takes to nurture culture in a young city.
From emerging designer hubs in Al Fahidi to sustainable ateliers across the Emirates, here's where to experience the city's most dynamic creative spaces this season.
From Sheikh Mohammed's blueprint to the artists and curators who made it real, the architects of Dubai's creative identity reveal how a desert city became a global cultural crossroads.
A new generation of local and regional artists is claiming urban walls across Al Fahidi and Dubai Design District, challenging the emirate's glossy aesthetic with raw authenticity.
Three decades of transformation have turned a modest trade fair tradition into a cultural juggernaut that draws millions and defines the city's identity.
A new generation of fashion designers and creative entrepreneurs is quietly building alternative ecosystems in Al Quoz and Downtown, challenging the emirate's luxury-focused narrative.
After a quieter period, the emirate's venues are packed with international acts, local talent is stepping up, and the economic case for live entertainment has never stronger.
As Dubai evolves beyond its skyscraper reputation, the city's exploding food and beverage culture is becoming the true mirror of its cosmopolitan identity.
As the city races toward tomorrow, a deliberate reconnection with its past is shaping a new generation of artists, designers, and cultural practitioners.
Behind the gleaming galleries of Al Serkal Avenue and the museums dotting Downtown lies a 20-year journey of persistence, risk-taking, and cultural conviction.
Behind the curtains of Madinat Jumeirah and the Dubai Opera House lies a quiet revolution in theatre—driven by artists and impresarios who refused to let the emirate remain a cultural footnote.
A new generation of muralists and designers is transforming industrial pockets of the emirate into open-air galleries, challenging conventions and redefining what public art means in the Gulf.
Two decades of ambition have transformed Dubai's food culture from humble waterfront eateries to a world-class dining destination that now rivals established culinary capitals.
Two decades of strategic investment and architectural ambition have transformed Dubai's cultural landscape from virtually nothing into a thriving ecosystem of world-class institutions.
As Al Serkal Avenue and Alleyway spaces pulse with fresh talent, a new generation of muralists and designers is transforming how the emirate sees public art.
A new generation of artists, historians and curators are challenging how the emirate tells its own story—and they're doing it in the neighbourhoods where it all began.
As temperatures soar beyond 45°C, venues across the Emirates are defying tradition with innovative indoor programming that's rewriting what summer entertainment looks like in the Gulf.
As temperatures soar past 45°C, the city's event calendar shows no signs of slowing—from art installations to community festivals reshaping what summer culture looks like in the emirate.
Behind every acclaimed restaurant and buzzing bar in Dubai's most dynamic neighbourhoods lies a story of ambition, cultural pride, and culinary fearlessness.
From Broadway-calibre productions at the Opera House to intimate fringe performances in Al Fahidi, Dubai's cultural landscape offers far more than its glittering skyline suggests.
