Cheap golf, cricket legends, free films and big nights out – here’s how to spend your Dubai weekend. Enjoy the break team, you deserve it.

Thursday 21

1. Try your hand on the green

If you’re a Dubai golfing fan, you’ll know that Henrik Stenson won his first major title at the 145^th Open Championship last week. And if not, but you like a good deal, then you’ll want to know about Jumeirah Golf Estate’s celebration. Today you can tee off for Dhs264 per round on the club’s Fire Course, in honour of Stenson’s aggregate score. 

Jumeirah Golf Estate, Tel: (04) 818 2000. For more info, email teetimes@jge.ae.

2. Check out a brand new (very cool) restaurant

New York Jamaican restaurant Miss Lily’s has just opened its Dubai branch. “We don’t serve soul food, we don’t serve Caribbean food, we serve Jamaican food,” they told us when we checked it out last night. It’s not quite licensed yet, but the jerk chicken is excellent, and there’s plenty of dancing from about 10pm.

5th floor, Sheraton Grand Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Hotel. 7pm to 2am daily. More info on Instagram. Tel: (04) 354 4074.

3. Go see a French film (for free)

Al Serkal Avenue and Cinema Akil are putting on free movies every weekend, and tonight at 7pm (and Friday and Saturday) you’ll find French 2014 film Two Days, One Night starring Marion Cotillard. The suspenseful, heartbreaking film follows one woman’s journey to try and save her job (and speaks about “working class people who live on the edge of society”).

A4 Space, 7pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Free but first come first seated. More info on Facebook. 

Friday 22

4. Start the day with a free full body workout

There’s a cute new boutique fitness studio in Dubai Marina called Define, and this morning they’re offering a free ‘Body’ class at lululemon in Dubai Marina Mall. The Body class is kind of barre meets yoga and we tried it a few weeks ago and loved it – would definitely recommend for those who like to feel the burn when they workout.

8.30am to 9.30am, free no registration required. Lululemon, Dubai Marina Mall. More info on Facebook.

*ALSO READ: The Body Coach is coming to Dubai*

5. Learn from sporting maestros

Sure, this event’s in Abu Dhabi, but if you’re a fan of cricket it’s worth the drive: Aussie legend Brad Haddin will be giving a cricket clinic at the Fun Nation event on Yas Island from 4.30pm to 6pm (and Spongebob will be on stage around the corner from 5pm to 5.30pm to keep the little ones entertained). The batsman/wicket keeper will also do an on stage Q&A from 6pm to 7pm. If you’re more of a football person then you’ll find a clinic from 3pm to 5pm with Italian legend Paolo Maldini this Saturday at the same event. The best bit, entry to the event is only Dhs40 – and there’s a lot more on, read all about it here.

du forum, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Tickets from www.ticketmaster.ae and all Virgin Megastore outlets across the UAE. Adult day passes are Dhs40, day passes for those age two to 12 are Dhs20, while a season pass (which allows multiple entry throughout the month) is just Dhs150. 

6. Get stuck into a vegetarian brunch 

If you’re looking for somewhere to spend a lazy few hours over drinks and nibbles, but you’ve got a mix of herbivores and carnivores to satisfy, we have good news. Mint Leaf of London have launched two new seasonal brunch menus, including one with veggie-only options (but their six-course a la carte option will still be available too). If you didn’t already know, Mint Leaf specialises in Indian cuisine, so expect dishes like spicy paneer, tandoor-roasted broccoli, chicken poached in cashew korma, and garlic-grilled prawns. The non-alcoholic brunch costs Dhs195 per person, Dhs320 if you want to add on house drinks, or Dhs370 for bubbles.

Mint Leaf of London, Floor 15, South Tower, Emirates Financial Towers, DIFC, Dubai. Brunch on Friday and Saturday, 1pm to 4.30pm. Tel: (04) 706 0900. mintleaf.ae.

7. Go to a big indoor festival

One of our favourite venues Story Rooftop Lounge is putting on a right old party tonight called The Indoor Festival. You’ll see six DJs under one roof playing everything from UK garage to bass house, grime, drum ‘n’ bass and reggae. Our sister mag Hype say to make sure to check out Birmingham DJ Preditah’s “genre-smashing house party vibe”.

7pm to 3am, Story Rooftop Lounge, Holiday Inn Express, Knowledge Village. More info on Facebook. 

8. Laugh (a lot)

Regular (and reliable) comedy night The Laughter Factory is touring Dubai this weekend. It’s at the Grand Milennium in Tecom on Thursday and The Gramercy in DIFC on Friday. The funny folk on stage will be Canadian comic Sean Collins who features on the UK’s Real Variety Showcase, twenty-something Londoner Ola – who got a five star review at Edinburgh Fringe, and Michael Fabbri who has a BBC Radio 4 comedy series called Dyslexicon. The jokes thrown out should be diverse, and we anticipate proper belly laughs.

Various locations, 9pm. Dhs140. Tel: (050) 878 6728. More info and tickets on website. 

9. Go to the Plus Minus launch party

The party at ON 42 tonight promises to be a good one thanks to Berlin-based DJ and producer Yaya making an appearance. In the words of our sister mag Hype “he is proud of his African roots and says that they are ‘the most relevant character of my music” and he uses them to inform his kinked and rugged club rhythms.”

ON 42, Media One Hotel, Dubai Media City. 9pm to 3am, from Dhs80. More info on Facebook. 

Saturday 23

10. Go see an interesting, very local exhibition

Ramadan is over, yes, but you can still learn more about different perspectives of the Holy Month at Ductac until the end of this month if you visit art exhibition Ramadanization. The works from Dubai-basted artists explore their own personal memories and experiences of Ramadan (and speak out against the commercialisation of the month). Artists on show include Khalid Mezaina, Fatima Albudoor and Safwan Subzwari.

The Gallery of Light, Ductac, Mall of the Emirates. More info on website. 

11. Watch Dubai on the big screen

Star Trek Beyond, which guest stars the slightly-altered-by-CGI Dubai skyline (especially DIFC and JLT) hits cinemas this weekend. So if you’re going to book a movie this weekend, make it this one.

Here’s a taster:

Various times, at all major UAE cinemas.

12. Avail of a good drinks offer

Societe Dubai in the Marina Byblos Hotel is offering a Saturday night deal that means unlimited house beverages from 10pm to 2am for Dhs150 (so long as you buy the deal before midnight). The offer includes grape, hops and house spirits, and the music will be classic hits from the 80s, 90s and even a bit from the noughties.

Marina Byblos, Dubai Marina. 10pm to 2am every Saturday. Tel: (050) 357 1126. 

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