e+ brings you the lowdown on Ramadan events.
DUBAI
Gulf News Blockbusters
It's been 14 years since the last Gulf News Blockbusters event. But it's back. As part of Gulf News' 30th anniversary celebrations, we are bringing Blockbusters back this Ramadan, with the final to be held in October. To enter, see the regular advertisements in Gulf News. Participants must fill out the form and either post, fax or email it back.
- Date: Heats: Until September 29; Quarter finals: October 17; Finals: October 18
- Venue: Kilachand Theatre, Dubai Community Theatre & Art Centre, Mall Of The Emirates (Heats); Centrepoint Theatre, Dubai Community Theatre & Art Centre, Mall Of The Emirates (Quarters and finals)
- Time: Heats 3 to 6pm; Quarters and finals: TBA
- Cost: Free for the Heats. Entry to the Finals will be by invitation only. These invitations will be available at Plug-Ins and Toshiba and will be limited to two per person per session.
- Contact: 04 3447100; email to blockbusters@gulfnews.com
Angsana Dubai
Bringing the best of festive dining to the table, Angsana Dubai is offering an Iftar buffet. The buffet at the International Restaurant offers a multitude of Middle Eastern flavours amongst international specialities.
With cuisines ranging from Lebanese, Moroccan to Iranian, a different menu is presented daily. Continue the evening in style at Nara Lounge amidst Mediterranean-style surroundings and enjoy over 30 shisha flavours.
- Date: Until the end of Ramadan
- Venue: Angsana Dubai
- Cost: Iftar buffet Dh165 and Dh80 (children)
- Time: Iftar from sunset till 2030; Nara Lounge from 1930 to 0100
- Contact: 04 3230000
Painting exhibition
If you enjoy art, head to Iranian painter Nargess Hashemi's exhibition. The Dubai leg of Hashemi's shows, titled Stories from the Boudoir, features dots, stripes and simple geometric forms to create richly coloured, multi-faceted patterns.
The painting feature faceless women in confined but comfortable ambiances, as well as mythological animals and imposing dagger dancers.
Dreamdays
Dreamdays offers Ramadan packages including overnight stays and iftars at some of the most beautiful and scenic locations in the UAE. Choose from exclusive resorts and enjoy traditional oud, kamanja and tabla music.
For those wanting to escape the city and retreat into the desert, Bab Al Shams provides the ideal getaway and an atmosphere ideally suited to Ramadan.
LG's Ramadan campaign
LG Electronic's Ramadan campaign sees the the company partner with some of thebiggest B2C portals including Gulf News, Facebook, Yahoo, MSN Messenger, Maktoob, MoneyWorks and PC Magazine. The first phase of the campaign runs until September 30 and is open to consumers and visitors to any of the websites located.
The campaign features LG banners on the above mentioned web portals which are linked to LG's B2C website homepage http://ae.lge.com/index.jhtml. Discount vouchers available upon registration vary from Dh100 to Dh650 depending on the products the customer would like to buy.
Metropolitan hotel
Al Saffa has lined up an array of traditional delights for iftar. The buffet features a spread of salads and starters, along with the traditional lentil soup. The main course includes Ouzi and many more delicious dishes. A must try are the mouthwatering desserts, with Umm Ali being a must on every iftar buffet.
- Date: Until the end of Ramadan
- Venue: Metropolitan Dubai Dubai
- Cost: Iftar buffet Dh99
- Contact: 04 3430000 or email metdubai@habtoorhotels.com
Learn the culture
Instead of a posh Iftars, give authenticity a chance this month. The Shaikh Mohammad Centre for Cutural Understanding has a daily Iftar with a selection of traditional Arabic food and drink. Following your meal, you can go on a short tour of the Bastikiya Mosque and observe volunteers pray.
Movenpick Hotel
Experience Ramadan in the traditional atmosphere of the air-conditioned Layali tent. Enjoy an Arabian feast that will delight your senses with live cooking stations and cuisine heralding from Syria to Lebanon and Tunisia to Kuwait.
Relax amid the oud players, mouth- watering aromas and Arabian Peninsula dates served upon arrival. The tent is complete with Majlis, local décor and uniforms flown in from Tunisia. On the weekends there is a separate area for the children, leaving adults free to lounge the night away.
Those who want something more than just Iftar can check into the hotel's guests room and enjoy Iftar plus an overnight stay at discounted prices. Also, with the 4pm check-out, there's no need to wake up early. Families can relax in two interconnecting rooms for Dh999 and be treated to a complementary Suhoor for 4 people.
- Date: Until the end of Ramadan
- Venue: Movenpick Hotel Bur Dubai
- Cost: Iftar Dh99; Room plus Iftar Dh700 and Dh750, Family rooms plus Suhoor Dh999
- Contact: 04 3104351 or 04 3366000 ext 651
Art & Iftar 2008
START, a UAE-based charitable programme is holding their Ramadan Event Art & Iftar 2008 at The Jam Jar Gallery, which gives families from many backgrounds the opportunity to participate in a creative and intercultural event. After breaking their fast with Iftar, families and children can participate in a range of exciting artistic activities and they also have the exclusive opportunity to view Gita Meh's Soffreh Exhibition.
- Date: September 20
- Venue: The Jam Jar Gallery and Studio, Al Quoz
- Contact: 04 3417303
Arabic Movie Festival: Murjan Ahmad Murjan
Ibn Battuta Mall will be showing popular Arabic films (with English subtitles) throughout Ramadan. This week, watch out for the movie Murjan Ahmad Murjan, a comedy about Murjan, a wealthy and successful businessman who knows how to manage things in the business world, but has been feeling inferior because he never completed his education. At the request of his children, Ahmad agrees to join their university. Now he has to apply his methods as a businessman in this new environment.
- Date: September 18 and 19
- Venue: Grand Megaplex, Ibn Battuta Mall
- Cost: Dh30, includes a small portion of popcorn
- Time: 9pm and 11.10pm
- Contact: 04 3669898
du: litle things matter
du is celebrating Ramadan with exciting offers and activities under the theme Little Things Matter. Events include a daily iftar with du in air-conditioned tents across the UAE. All tents are open to the public who can simply walk in and enjoy a free meal neatly packed in a box.
There is also the option of take-away meals. As part of their Ramadan SMS Challenge, du offers it's customers the chance to test their knowledge of the UAE, of Ramadan and the Arabic language.
Customers simply have to send "quiz" to 1000 to play the challenge in English and win big prizes. du is also offering mobisodes (mobile episodes) of MBC's pocket series Rabeh Wa Douktora. These mobisodes are not shown on TV and have been developed exclusive for mobile viewing on du mobile TV.
du viewers also have access to seasons 1 and 2 of Freej, as well shows from the Islamic TV channel Al Majd. Last but not least, there are special edition Ramadan recharge cards with free mobile content and free SMS with a hadeeth of the day.
Arabic Course and Cultural Sensitivity Workshops
Eton Institute is offering a free course in Arabic as well as cultural sensitivity workshops during Ramadan. They are aimed at promoting cultural awareness and sensitivity
- Dates: Arabic Course: Until September 30, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (4-5pm); Cultural Sensitivity Workshops: September 24 (6pm and 9pm)
- Venue: Dubai Knowledge Village
- Cost: Free
- Contact: 04 3652771, moaz@eton.ac, www.eton.ac
The Uncovered Exhibition
Enjoy the works of 16 international artists at the Basement Gallery. The artists include Iranian photographer Ali Nafasi, American architect Jeffrey Freund and Navid Nicknejad.
- Date: Until September 25
- Venue: Basement Gallery, Al Quoz
- Time: 4 to 9pm (Saturday to Thursday)
- Contact: 04 3414409; www.basementdubai.com
Mall of The Emirates
The mall is celebrating Ramadan with traditional music performances from around the world. On Monday, watch Abdelkader Saadoun, an Algerian Rai superstar, who will perform with his group.
Expect them to combine the genre's traditional folk roots with more modern western styles such as jazz and rap, singing in French or English together with Arabic, in its authentic Algerian dialect.
- Date: September 22 until Eid
- Time: 20-minute performance three times daily at 2145, 2245 and 2345
Spa out
Guys rarely ever pamper themselves in the lap of luxury, do they? This Ramadan, change old habits. Following a long day of fasting, send your man for a 55-minute facial at H2O The Male Spa, and, during Ramadan only, he will enjoy a complimentary Balinese Dream Experience body treatment for free.
Ibn Battuta Mall
Visitors to the mall's China Court where a host of traditional entertainment is available, have been partaking in an enjoyable family Ramadan experience. The China Court has been transformed into a decorative Majlis, or sitting area, where families and guests sit back in cultural surroundings to be entertained by customary sword dancers and an oud player.
From sunset each day, shoppers from all cultures join in the local festivities and break their fast with complimentary dates and laban courtesy of Ibn Battuta and friends.
To complete the Ramadan dining experience, guests of Finz restaurant indulge in a special iftar buffet until 8pm and Al Arrab Restaurant has its own authentic Ramadan Tent outside the mall.
SHARJAH
Ramadan Festival
This year's Sharjah Ramadan Festival features a mixed bag of attractions. Held in various locations in Sharjah until October 10, key events take place at shopping malls, which are also partly turned into health clinics where residents can receive an on-the-spot health check. Additionally, the Sharjah Expo Centre is playing home to the Ramadan Village, an indoor marketplace of sorts. The Expo Centre also has an area called Heritage Village and a Fun House for children. Sports fans can make their way to the Sharjah University which has opened all its sports facilities to the public.
Sahara Centre
The mall's Spreading The Light Of Happiness campaign has a host of activities lined up for the month. During the campaign, the wishes of needy children are fulfilled and every participant and customer who spends Dh200 at any of the mall's outlets gets a coupon to enter a draw to win a Hummer H2 SUT. Additionally, three cars – an Optra, Aveo and Epica – will be auctioned at the mall.
- Date: Until the end of Ramadan
- Contact: 06 5316611
FUJAIRAH
Al Diar Siji
Al Diar Siji Hotel is celebrating the month by giving guests a 50 per cent discount on the normal tariffs for all its rooms and suites. Additionally, guests can partake in the month-long culinary festival at the hotel and can even win Etihad airline tickets to any of the airline's destinations.
- Date: Until the end of Ramadan
- Contact: 09 2232000
OTHERS
Makeover your home
It's never too late to give your home a Ramadan make-over. Furniture store Homes r Us gives its customers a few tip to transform your everyday home into a welcoming, peaceful one during the month. The store says that everything from decluttering to a quick coat of fresh pastel paint on the walls will make way for peaceful prayer times.
Alternatively, if painting seems like too much work, head to Homes r Us to pick up fruit baskets to place on your tables during Iftar and Suhoor. A hint of glitter and gold on the dining tables with candles, vases, décor items and charger plates can also make your Ramadan evenings more enchanting than ever before.
The store also suggests throwing cushions with beautifully embroidered silk cover on your sofa or around the coffee table. Combine that with metallic trays to serve dates in or a new tablecloth with complimentary crockery. All of the above items to update your home in keeping with the traditions of the month are available at Homes r Us.
- Venue: Homes r Us, Mazaya Centre (Dubai), Madinat Zayed Gold Centre (Abu Dhabi), Al Qasimia Street (Sharjah), Mohd Bin Mattar Road (Fujairah)
- Contact: 04 3213444, 02 6312020, 06 5671678, 09 2242893
Ramadan Kareem from Google!
Your Ramadan experience does not have to be a hectic one this year.
Now you can quickly and easily check prayer times, find new recipes or use a zakaat calculator all from your home page.
Google has launched a set of special Ramadan specific gadgets and themes for your iGoogle page, Google's personalised homepage. iGoogle, allows users to customize their web experience by choosing the content they're interested in seeing and having it appear right on their Google homepage.
You can choose from two different Ramadan themes to decorate your home page, and a set of 6 Ramadan-specific gadgets in addition to the set of 30 gadgets that are already available in Arabic. Check out: http://www.google.com.eg/ramadangadgets
http://www.google.com.sa/ramadangadgets
http://www.google.ae/ramadangadgets
Majid Al Futtaim Malls
MAF'S four centres in UAE, Deira City Centre, Mall of the Emirates, Sharjah City Centre and Ajman City Centre, are initiating a charity drive this Ramadan wherein visitors are urged to donate specific items such as clothes, books, mobile phones and spectacles at the collection boxes set up at these malls. The donated items will then be passed on to those in need through the help of three charity organisations.
