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Dubai’s cultural life comes in a distant third to making money and having fun, with cultural activities - where they are available at all - limited in scale. Dubai’s cultural life has always suffered from not having a major venue for cultural performances, although the Dubai Community Theater (tel: (04) 351 3400; website: www.dubaitheater.org) is currently being built, with the 550-seat two-level theater slated to open in 2006. With such a small population, there are no major indigenous orchestras or dance companies, although it is possible to find localized groups who occasionally put on public performances. A relative hive of cultural activity is the Creative Art Center, Al-Jumeirah Road (tel: (04) 344 4394), which runs from Saturday to Wednesday. Mornings are reserved for young children, afternoons for older children and, during winter, evenings are set aside for adult classes. A wide range of cultural and handicraft activities are covered. The Dubai International Art Center, off Al-Jumeirah Road (tel: (04) 344 4398; website: www.artdubai.com) offers a similar range, as well as art displays, with works for sale. Visiting international acts occasionally spice up the music scene.

The Time Out Ticket Line sells tickets for events (tel: (800) 4669; website: www.itp.net/tickets).

Music: Opportunities to hear classical music performed in Dubai are extremely limited. The Dubai International Convention Center, Dubai World Trade Center, Bur Dubai (tel: (04) 332 1000; website: www.dicc.ae) and The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 331 1111; website: www.dubai.crowneplaza.com) are the main venues that host visiting orchestras and musicians from around the world, although performances are far from regular. Many hotels employ a pianist to spice up the lobby, which is often as near to classical music as Dubai gets. Arabic nightclubs (see Dance) are the main venues for traditional Arabian music.

Theater: The acclaimed British Airways Playhouse no longer performs at the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai, but they still visit the Intercontinental in Abu Dhabi ((02) 666 6888; website: www.abu-dhabi.intercontinental.com). Dubai Drama Group (tel: (04) 333 1155; website: www.dubaidramagroup.org) is an amateur theatrical company with over 100 members. The British Touring Shakespeare Company (website: www.britishtouringshakespeare.co.uk) also frequently visits the emirate. Dubai’s first purpose-built community theater, Dubai Community Theater and Arts Center, is still being built. The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 331 1111; website: www.dubai.crowneplaza.com) also hosts regular theatrical performances.

Dance: There are no real dance companies in Dubai, although there are a number of dance schools, including the renowned Ballet Center, behind Jumeirah Plaza (tel: (04) 344 9776), with ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance on offer. In addition, belly dancing and traditional dance are a mainstay in Arabic nightclubs, such as Al-Diwan, Metropolitan Palace Hotel (tel: (04) 227 0000), and Escoba, Al-Khaleej Palace Hotel (tel: (04) 223 1000).

Film: Going to the cinema is a very popular pastime in Dubai. There are a number of cinemas to choose from, including Century Cinemas (tel: (04) 349 8765) on Jumeirah Beach Road and Grand Cinema in Deira (tel: (04) 228 9898), which provide English-language films. The programs are currently full of big-budget Hollywood films with little arthouse content.

Cultural Events: Dubai’s dominant culture is founded around the Muslim religion, with most of the main cultural events being deeply religious, with little opportunity for tourists to participate. The year’s major event is the month-long fasting of Ramadan, a Muslim celebration of the truth of the Holy Koran, which takes place in the month of Ramadan. Directly following Ramadan is the 3-day celebration Eid Al-Fitr. Eid Al-Adha is the 4-day festival that follows the main pilgrimage to Mecca (the Haj), celebrated in the Muslim month of Dhulhajj.

On a less spiritual note, Dubai Summer Surprises is an attempt to attract more visitors during the slump summer months, from June through to August, with a wide range of cultural events (including henna tattoo painting and traditional handicraft making) in many of the city’s shopping malls and big hotels. UAE Day, 2 December, is a public holiday celebrated in all of the seven emirates and increasingly is becoming a cultural event.

Literary Notes: To get right to the heart of Dubai, Graeme Wilson’s Father of Dubai: Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed al Maktoum (1999) is a detailed tribute to the founder of Dubai. Arabia Through the Looking Glass (1979), by Jonathan Raban, covers the region as a whole but also has an illuminating section on Dubai. A local perspective comes from the English translation of Muhammad al-Murr’s Dubai Tales (1991), with his famed short stories fleshing a bit of color into the place. Muhammed al-Murr is one of the most revered local writers and it is worthwhile trying to get a copy of his other famous book, The Wink of the Mona Lisa (1994). A good pictorial look at Dubai is Ronald Codrai’s mid-20th-century Dubai - An Arabian Album (1992). Kevin Higgins’ The Emirates (1995) is a look at all of the United Arab Emirates and puts Dubai in clear context, while William Facey and Gillian Grant’s The Emirates by the First Photographers (2002) shows the sheer scale of change in Dubai and the other emirates, over the last century. An insight into the machinations and ambitions of Dubai’s ruling family comes through Jason Levin’s From the Desert to the Derby (2002), a look at their attempt to train a horse to win America’s richest horse race. David Saunders’ The Arabian Dream (2003) is a beautifully photographed look at the development of the city, though given the pace of change, it is rapidly being dated.

Sport:

Sport is very popular in Dubai. As the city is home to few international sporting stars or teams, the trend is to bring in overseas teams to play in glamour friendlies and also to stage major sporting events, with lucrative prize money to attract the big-name stars. One of the biggest events in the sporting calendar is the PGA Dubai Desert Golf Classic (tel: (04) 399 5060; fax: (04) 399 3225; website: www.dubaidesertclassic.com), held in February every year. The Dubai International Rugby Sevens (tel: (04) 321 0008; fax: (04) 321 1688; website: www.dubairugby7s.com) is an event usually held at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Club, near Dubai Country Club, Al-Awir Road (tel: (04) 333 1198; website: www.dubaiexiles.com), in December. The Dubai Open Tennis Championship is held in February, at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Dubai Aviation Club, Al-Garhoud (website: www.dubaitennischampionships.com).

Horseracing is also very popular among Dubai's moneyed men, who are not content to idly watch and instead opt to buy and race a few horses. The Dubai World Cup (tel: (04) 332 2277; website: www.dubaiworldcup.com), organized by the Dubai Racing Club, Nad al-Shiba (tel: (04) 332 2277; website: www.dubairacingclub.com), in March, is now the world's richest horseracing event with US$6 million in prize money. A more traditional event is the annual Emirates Championship Cup, a 130km (80-mile) endurance horserace through the shifting sands of the desert. One grand sporting project currently under development is the new Dubai Cricket Stadium (to complement the existing pitches), while the rather unlikely sounding but very characteristic-of-the-city indoor resort Ski Dubai (tel: (04) 340 3392; website: www.skidubai.ae) opened its doors in December 2005.

There is no umbrella ticketing organization in Dubai and tourists wishing to buy tickets for sporting events can often get this organized through their hotels.

Fitness Centers: All the luxury hotels offer impressive leisure facilities. Some provide the unusual option of coaching from ex-Soviet Union Olympiads, who have flocked in droves from the economically bankrupt ex-Soviet states to work in Dubai. There are also private leisure clubs geared towards the expat community throughout the city. Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa, Jumeirah Beach Road (tel: (04) 346 1111; website: www.dxbmarine.com), boasts floodlit tennis courts, two outdoor pools, a children's pool, squash courts, gymnasium and a health spa with public access during the evening. Le Mirage Health & Leisure Club, Le Meridien Jumeirah Hotel, Jumeirah Beach (tel: (04) 702 2430; website: www.dubai.lemeridien.com) accepts non-members for a fee of Dh150.

Golf: For a nation dominated by so much desert, Dubai somewhat surprisingly has a number of top-quality grass golf courses. Emirates Golf Club, Junction 5, Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 380 2222; website: www.dubaigolf.com) was the Middle East's first championship grass course. Green fees start at Dh525 for the championship Majlis course and Dh375 for the Wadi course. Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, Al-Garhoud Road (tel: (04) 295 6000), welcomes guests on a pay-and-play basis. Green fees are from Dh425. The recently renovated Nad Al Sheba Club, Nad al-Shiba Road (tel: (04) 336 3666), boasts a Scottish-style links floodlit grass course. The Montgomerie, Emirates Hills, off Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 390 5600, website: www.themontgomerie.com), designed by renowned Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie, charges Dh525 per round. Non-members are welcome. It is important for golfing visitors to note that all golf courses in Dubai are spike-free. A new course, The Dunes, designed by Ernie Else, is currently being planned.

Swimming: The 5-hectare (12-acre) Wild Wadi Waterpark is part of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel complex, Al-Jumeriah Road (tel: (04) 348 4444; website: www.wildwadi.com). This is a paradise for kids and big kids alike, with a thrilling array of 24 interconnected water rides, including the terrifying 'Jumeirah Sceirah', which hurtles the foolhardy at speeds of up to 80kph (50mph). All-day admission is Dh140 for adults and Dh120 for children. Reduced rate 'Sundowner' admission is available after 1600. Most hotel pools are open to the public for Dh25-100.

Tennis: There are a number of tennis clubs that are open to the public. The Aviation Club, Al-Garhoud Road (tel: (04) 282 4122; website: www.aviationclubonline.com) has public courts, as does the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Al-Jumeirah Road (tel: (04) 406 8826). Many of Dubai's hotels also offer tennis facilities.

Watersports: The Arabian Gulf offers a wide range of watersports opportunities. Jet-skiing is available at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Umm Suqeim Road (tel: (04) 348 0000), for approximately Dh100 per half hour, water-skiing is available at most of the Jumeirah Beach hotels and scuba diving can be organized with Al-Boom Diving, Al-Wasl Road (tel: (04) 342 2993; website: www.alboomdiving.com), or Scuba International, Diving Village, Schindagha (tel: (04) 393 7557).

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