12 great things to do in Dubai this week

Capturing Pablo: An evening with Javier Pena and Steve Murphy
Well, two evenings to be precise. With the third season of Narcos now with us, this show will offer an insight into the real-life pursuit of notorious cartel boss Pablo Escobar. Javier Pena and Steve Murphy are two of the US DEA Agents who tracked and ultimately killed the Colombian and, in the process, helped bring down the notorious Medellin Cartel he headed, and you can hear their first-hand accounts of the mission in a unique conversation at Dubai College. Expect just as many questions about their portrayal in the Netflix series as the actual police work, of course.
When: 7pm-10pm, October 5-6
Where: Dubai College Auditorium, Al Sufouh
Price: AED350 for gold passes
Contact:

Book a Muay Thai Kickboxing class
Test your strength or, acquire some with Rafat Shawe’s not for the faint of heart Muay Thai kickboxing classes. The world-renowned MMA fighter and former international karate gold medalist will be hosting classes at Rose Rayhaan by Rotana’s Bodylines Gym every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 7pm from October 14. The classes will be open to members and non-members and will start from AED90 per class. We suggest you opt for a package deal – it works out cheaper. It’s AED700 for 10 classes and AED1,300 for 20 classes. There’s also a 40 percent discount for all FACE Card holders – not bad.
When: From 7pm, every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday
Where: Bodylines Gym, Rose Rayhaan by Rotana, Sheikh Zayed Road
Price: From AED90
Contact: +971 4 323 0111,

Soul Jam
Some of the biggest stars of the 1980s soul scene – you know, gold lamé suits, massive hair, 35-man brass sections, electric pianos everywhere – team up for a night of top-rate entertainment. It is headed up by genuine legend Alexander O’Neal (14 top 40 singles and comparisons to Otis Redding) with notable support from Brit stars Jaki Graham, Mica Paris and Omar.
When: From 9pm, Thursday
Where: Irish Village, Al Garhoud
Price: From AED175
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Treasure Trove
This special pop-up exhibition-slash-trunk show serves up an eclectic range of curated art from contemporary Pakistani artists at D3 over three days, featuring works from the likes of Qamar Siddiqui, Abrar Ahmed, Raja Changez Sultan, Mansoor Rahi, Hajra Mansoor, Mohsin Shaikh, Mashkoor Raza and many, many more.
When: 11am-6pm, October 6- 8
Where: Unit 1, Dubai Design District
Contact:

Dream Theater
American prog-metal veterans – or perhaps the genre’s inventors – Dream Theater play live in Dubai for the first time. The show forms part of their Images and Words and Beyond 25th Anniversary Tour, a celebration of the 1982 album Images and Words that helped catapult them to success. Warning: they can play for over three hours. platinumlist.net
When: 6.30pm-11.30pm, Friday, October 6
Where: The Dome, Dubai Sports City
Price: From AED295
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Gold
More contemporary art is on display in DIFC as Opera Gallery hosts an exhibition on the theme of gold, with pieces from 25 renowned international artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Roy Nachum and Robert Indiana, whose “Love” block sculptures have now become so iconic.
When: October 5-19
Where: Opera Gallery Dubai, DIFC
Contact: +971 4 323 0909,

360° presents Mr V
Head out to the secluded 360° at Jumeirah Beach Hotel this Thursday for a night of house music courtesy of Mr V. The world-renowned DJ, producer and rapper – best known for his work with superstars, Fedde Le Grande and Louis Vega – will headline a high energy evening of eclectic tunes with support from Jack Woodcock, CN Williams and Miss Foster.
When: 5pm-3am, Thursday, October 5
Where: 360˚, Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Contact: +9714 432 3232, website

Groove on the Grass: Season 6 opening
Five years on and Groove on the Grass is rightly becoming a Dubai institution. The Season 6 festival opener comes in strong with a lineup that includes trip-hop legend Nightmares on Wax and electro music manipulator Nicolas Jaar. There’s an exhaustive support to keep you dancing all the way to the 19th hole.
When: Friday, October 6, 5pm-3am
Where: Emirates Golf Club
Contact: +9714 380 1234,

Blade Runner 2049 (18)
It’s been 35 years since Ridley Scott’s oblique, endlessly re-cut dystopian tale Blade Runner was released and now it has been given an even more dystopian sequel. The original focused on Deckard, played with lip-curling disdain by a Harrison Ford at the peak of his box-office powers, as an agent charged with tracking down and disposing of replicants, the androids designed to work on Planet Earth’s growing intergalactic colonies. Inherently desensitising – these robots were designed to look and act like humans after all – his job posed the kind of ethical questions that are now resurfacing with the imminent arrival of AI. Blade Runner 2049 forwards the action 30 years and shows Deckard (with Ford back in the role) as a recluse, having been charged with harbouring deadly secrets. He is then tracked down by Officer K, played by Ryan Gosling, as a new threat gathers. Denis Villeneuve directs this long, dense and intense reboot in which the leading pair are ably supported by Jared Leto, Ana De Armas and Dave Bautista. Bring coffee.
In cinemas from October 5