Capital ideas for casual fun…

Brand new week, brand new chance to make it the best one ever. We’re here to help you get started on that mission.

Monday, August 15

New at the movies

Idris Elba is no stranger to voicing the part of an animal in movies. Just off the top of our heads, there’s that time he played a buffalo in Zootopia, a tiger in The Jungle Book, a sea lion in Finding Dory, a cat in Cats, and most recently a space echidna in Sonic 2. He just has one of those deeply stirring voices. This new movie, expected to hit screens around mid August, has turned the tables a little bit and sees our man Idris along with his two daughters trying to evade a particularly rampant lion on the open plains of the African Savanna.

Tickets: Book Now

Home is where the artist

This homegrown arts centre seeks to unearth and nurture local and regional talent. Warehouse421 provides a space that educates and inspires artists and art-enthusiasts. They also hold an incredible range of art and crafts workshops and summer club activities for kids. Activities include pottery classes, painting and themed sculpture making. You can see the full range of crafty fun, and reserve a space on the warehouse421.ae website.

Mina Zayed, Tue to Sun 10am to 8pm (closed Monday), free to enter, workshop packages from Dhs480. Tel: (02) 6768 803, @warehouse421

Tuesday, August 16

The Big Lebowlski

This bijou four-lane, family friendly, fully-licensed strike shack can be found at Abu Dhabi Country Club, and it’s karaoke bar adjacent — so even if you fail to drop pins, you can still drop the mic on a virtuoso vocal performance. That’s how we roll.

Abu Dhabi Country Club, Al Mushrif, midday to 10pm, Dhs21 per player per game – or lane rental from Dhs105 per hour. Tel: (02) 657 7777, @adccuae

Wednesday, August 17

Talent pool

ANANTARA EASTERN MANGROVES

Pair your pool day with a view of one of Abu Dhabi’s most charismatic natural habitats, the mangrove forests. You can get day pass access to Anantara Eastern Mangroves’ expansive pool complex for Dhs150 every day and you’ll get that full Dhs150 back to spend on refreshments.

Anantara Eastern Mangroves, Al Kheeran, Dhs150. Tel: (05) 503 5121, @anantaraeasternmangroves

Raclette-eering

The Menu Du Jour at Mamsha Al Saadiyat’s Raclette Brasserie and Café, is not technically a business lunch (at least by name), but it does share a lot of the same defining qualities. It’s a three-course menu, available between 11am and 5pm Monday through Friday, and there’s a set price of Dhs109 which includes one house beverage. Or you can upgrade to a package which includes two-hours of free-flow for a total cost of Dhs139 (this includes prosecco). When we visited, we enjoyed a French opnion soup to start, mussels with cream and a tart tatin. It left us feeling that this could be the best deal on the Mamsha Al Saadiyat strip.

Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, 11am to 5pm Mon to Fri. Tel: (02) 546 2277, @racletteuae

Thursday, August 18

Let them eat art

It’s all available to experience at Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation, behind Qasr Al Hosn until August 31 — as part of a fun-packed schedule of events under the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi’s (DCT Abu Dhabi) ‘Summer Like You Mean It’ campaign. Cakes and Sprinkles is a limited time pop-up pop-art patisserie serving up spectating access to some stunning works of awe from 25 UAE-based artists, around a theme based on ‘the love of sweets’. There are also some incredibly fun interactive installations and fun-zones that look just perfect for a family day out. And if all that makes you feel a bit peckish, there are cakes, coffee, and ice cream noms to chomp on.

Cultural Foundation, until August 31. @abudhabicf

Images: Getty/Provided