Top Things to Do in February (Dubai & Abu Dhabi)

There’s never a dull month in Dubai. No matter what time of year, there’s always something happening in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We pick the best of what’s on for February, so no matter what time you visit, you will be in the know.

1 February 2018

Pegasus Live in Dubai

Music fans will want to get themselves down to the Madinat Theatre on 1 February to catch a live performance from Pegasus. Pegasus are one of the most popular bands in Switzerland, and recently signed a recording contract with Columbia Music Germany.  As well as supporting British band Hurts on their latest European tour, Pegasus have performed all over the world, including in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. Fans can expect to hear some of their top ten singles, including ‘Man On Mars’, ‘Rise Up (Black Dog)’, and ‘Skyline’ – which went straight to number one in the Swiss charts.

Madinat Theatre, Souk Madinat Jumeirah

2 February 2018

Wasla 2018

Wasla, the alternative Arabic music festival, returns to Dubai for its second edition. The inaugural event, in January 2017, saw 14 acts from across the Middle East, performing to more than 4000 people. In 2018, Wasla is set to be bigger than ever, featuring a brand-new line-up playing a wide variety of genres, including rock, folk, jazz, electronica, and more. Some of the acts on the line-up this year are indie band Hayajan (with Alaa Wardi), Egyptian rock group Cairokee, Lebanese singer-songwriter Tanya Saleh, progressive fusion folk band Majaz, Jordanian indie group Autostrad, whose music is influenced by rock, reggae, and funk, Algerian gnawa group Gnawa Diffusion, and alternative supergroup Lekhfa (Maryam Saleh, Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, and Maurice Louca).

D3

2 February 2018

Federico Soldati Live in Dubai

On 2 February, illusionist and artist Federico Soldati will be bringing his unique brand of mentalism to Dubai as he performs live at the Madinat Theatre. Based in Switzerland, he has been touring the world and astounding audiences for more than ten years. Soldati started his career as an illusionist and mentalist when he was a child, and performed in public for the first time when he was just fourteen. Since then, he’s performed on several Swiss television shows, but rose to fame after appearing on the talent competition Italia’s Got Talent in 2012, and finished in third place.

Madinat Theatre, Souk Madinat Jumeirah

2 February 2018

UAE Wooden Powerboat Championship (Heat 3)

The UAE Wooden Powerboat Championship returns to the Dubai International Marine Club on 19 January, for the third heat of the competition. One of the only events of its kind in the region, the championship sees drivers competing in Al Shawaheef powerboats. These 28ft vessels, made from wood and modern composites, link modern technologies with the UAE’s heritage, and are piloted by one or two drivers. Drivers from the UAE and the wider Gulf region are expected to take part in the competition.

Dubai International Marine Club, Mina Seyahi

3 February 2018

Theodore Kerkezos & Elena Christodoulou Live

An uplifting experience awaits at Dubai Concert Committee as saxophonist Theodore Kerkezos and pianist Elena Christodoulou combine their artistic talent for a concert in February.

Two-time Grammy award nominee Kerkezos has performed and recorded with leading orchestras around the world including London Symphony and Boston Symphony, and appeared at venues such as Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. He was declared the “Artist of the Year” by the Gina Bachauer awards in 2016 and works with the likes of Yuri Bashmet, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Michael Nyman and Yuri Simonov.

Royal Ballroom – One&Only Royal Mirage

6 - 10 February 2018

Dubai Tour 2018

The Dubai Tour, Dubai’s biggest cycling race, is back from 6-10 February, for its fifth edition. The race will see teams of cyclists from all over the world flocking to Dubai to take part. There will be five days of races that will see them cycling more than 850km all over the UAE – through Hatta, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah. All five races will start off at Skydive Dubai, which is where this year’s Dubai Tour fan village will be based. Taking part in the Dubai Tour 2018 will be 16 teams, from countries including Kazakhstan, Bahrain, the USA, and the Netherlands. There will also be a Special Guest Team, the UAE National Selection, which is a team of riders representing the UAE, specially picked to ride with some of the world’s best cyclists.

Skydive Dubai

7 - 12 February 2018

GPP Photo Week 2018

GPP Photo Week is an initiative by Dubai’s only dedicated photography centre, Gulf Photo Plus. The week-long event attracts regional and international photography aficionados. GPP Photo Week celebrates the art of taking photos, and offers a variety of content. Budding photographers and snap-happy hobbyists can sharpen their skills with expert-led workshops that cover methodology and concepts, creative panels, photo walks, and learn from seminars on a variety of photography-related themes.

Alserkal Avenue, Unit 36

14 - 17 February 2018

Aida at Dubai Opera

Aida is the intricate story of love and loyalty mixed with deceit and double-dealings, all set amidst the fanfare of battling nations. Aida and Radames, both from opposing nations, torn between their patriotism and their love for each other, find themselves in twisted predicaments created by those around them. Will they ever be together? Renowned composer Giuseppe Verdi worked in unison with Librettist Antonio Ghislanzoni to unleash a barrage of hymns, triumphant marches and duets, taking this story into intense levels of grand theatre across four acts.

Dubai Opera

21 - 23 February 2018

Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival

Performing on the second night of the festival, on Thursday 22 February, will be the ten-time Grammy Award-winning artist John Legend, whose hits include 'Green Light', 'Glory', and 'All of Me'. He’s worked with best-selling artists including Kanye West, David Guetta, and Alicia Keys. Supporting John Legend will be US singer China Moses, whose music is a mix of jazz, soul, and R&B.

Latin music star Ricky Martin will close the festival on 23 February. This will be his debut performance in Dubai, and fans can expect to see him performing his biggest hits, including 'Livin’ La Vida Loca', 'Vente Pa’ Ca', and 'She Bangs'. Martin has been making music since he was 12, when he joined the Puerto Rican boyband Menudo, and he’s gone on to sell more than 70 million albums around the world. Also performing on the Friday night will be Poncho Sanchez, the Grammy Award-winning Latin jazz musician.

Media City Amphitheatre

2 - 3 February 2018

Red Bull Air Race Abu Dhabi 2018

Abu Dhabi will host the Red Bull Air Race for the 11th time! The UAE capital will kick off the 2018 season and a brand new World Championship, offering fans the perfect racing destination with plenty to see, do and experience alongside the action. The race will take place over the Arabian Gulf where fans will be able to witness all the stunts from the purpose-built race village on the Corniche breakwater. With unrivalled views of the race and the UAE capital's impressive skyline, the arena will be an incredibly entertaining option for all the family.

Abu Dhabi Corniche

7 and 8 February 2018

Seong-Jin Cho Solo Piano Recital Concert

South Korean rising star Seong-Jin Cho will be playing for the first time ever in the region. The Chopin competition gold medallist will perform twice as part of Abu Dhabi Classics, with a performance in New York University Abu Dhabi and another in Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara. One of today’s most interesting young piano players, Seong-Jin Cho, has chosen a programme perfectly in line with his artistic choices. His predilection for Chopin has become a principle of his artistry and is reflected in the concert programme together with a tendency to explore Beethoven’s mastery with the classic sonata form as well as its later variations.

The Arts Centre NYU Abu Dhabi & Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort

21–25 February 2018

2018 Abu Dhabi Tour

The Abu Dhabi Tour is a professional cycling race that takes place over four stages across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The fourth edition takes place from February 21–25, 2018. The race boasts a fast, balanced route alternating between the desert and the sea, and from the mountains to the city. Under the spotlight are the capital city’s main landmarks – Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Corniche, Yas Marina Circuit – and some of the main heritage sites, such as the oases of Liwa and Al Ain, or the challenging ascent up Al Ain’s Jebel Hafeet mountain.

Emirate-wide

24 February 2018

Dua Lipa Live In Abu Dhabi

Award-winning artist Dua Lipa is set to make her UAE debut at the du Forum, Yas Island, on February 24. Selling 5 million copies of her debut studio album so far, Dua Lipa is the next megastar to come out of the UK and the only female British national to achieve a number 1 in the country since Adele in 2015.  This year saw Dua Lipa’s incredible single ‘New Rules’ hold the #1 spot for 2 weeks, spend 7 weeks and counting in the top 5, become gold certified and break 270,000,000 views with the official music video. The UK songstress, who was the most streamed female artist on Spotify in 2017 in UK, will perform hits from her Gold selling first album.

du Forum