Drive down to the Al Ain-Abu Dhabi road and watch around 60 powerful cars and 140 bikes and quad buggies rough it out in the desert for top honours at the Al Ain Dune Championship. Visitors coming from Dubai will need to drive all the way to Al Ain and then take the Abu Dhabi road, looking for signs to Al Saad.

WHEN: May 1-2; 5pm-10pm

Bring your picnic basket to this two-hour musical show headlined by British talent Peter Grant, whose vocal style has been compared with Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. The event also features the Ronnie Scott’s Big Band, Scarlett Strallen and UK’s first lady of jazz, Claire Martin.

Where: Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club

India’s biggest music star AR Rahman will perform at a live concert in Sharjah Friday evening. Joining him on stage will be Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam, Kailash Kher, Chitra and percussionist Sivamani. Tickets, priced between Dh125 and Dh1,000, are available at Spinneys, Choithram and Lulu hypermarkets. Alternatively, you can try your luck and win these by sending the sms ‘arr’ from your du line to 6692

Where: Sharjah Cricket Stadium

When: Friday, April 18

A rare treat awaits movie buffs at the inaugural Gulf Film Festival (GFF) which kicks off from Sunday. As many as 146 movies from 25 countries, including 35 from the UAE, will be screened during the six-day-long event.

According to Masoud Amr Allah Al Ali, Festival Director of GFF, 90 per cent of these movies will be world premieres. The event is a platform for Arab filmmakers to cultivate their creativity and develop local and regional film culture. Prizes will be given for various categories.

Dance lovers should get ready for another entertaining edition of Kandy Club at Crowne Plaza Hotel on April 17. The main highlight of the Asian club night will be a session by DJ Sunil who is known for producing the popular hit Tum Se Hi from the movie Jab We Met. He has also cut other catchy tracks such as Main Teri Hoon Janam and Yeh Mera Dil. The event also features DJ Hani and DJ Shadow.

For details call 050-739 8169.

ARTE (Artisans of the Emirates) are holding their second ARTE souq Friday.

Felted hats, leather book covers, wooden and stone sculpture, pottery, mosaic art, jewellery and haute couture clothing are among several locally-made art and craft items up for grabs.

A Konkani drama dedicated to mothers is being staged Thursday. Titled Maim Tuzo Upkari Hanv, the play is directed by playwright Roseferns.

WHERE: Al Nasr Leisureland

Mumbai’s number one rock band Zero will regale music buffs at a live concert next week. Zero will be supported by resident bands Flip Side and The Rock Spiders.

WHERE: Majestic Hotel, Bur Dubai

The Tiger Chilli Crab festival is back in Dubai and it’s celebrating Singapore’s signature chilli crab dish. The two-day fun-filled event showcases some of the best in food, drink and entertainment from Asia.

The distinct ambience of a food street in Singapore will be recreated and magicians and traditional lion dancers from China will entertain the crowd. The mouth-watering chilli crab dish was first created by Singaporean chef Madam Cher Yam Tian and is now the unofficial national dish of the country. Entry to the event will cost Dh20 per head and children below 16 will not be allowed.

Close on the heels of a food festival, Al Qasba (formerly known as Qanat Al Qasba) is preparing to host a flower festival.

Florists from all over the world are expected to participate in the five-day-long event. Invitations have also been sent out to perfumers and other outlets dealing with flower-related products, said Dina Al Nakhi, Events Manager, Al Qasba Authority.

In Your Hands, an exhibition featuring a series of thought-provoking oil paintings by Belgian artist Beatrijs Tavernier, a Dubai resident, opens at Gallery 76 next week. Tavernier is known as a movement-filled artist and you will have to visit her exhibition to find out why.

WHERE: Gallery 76, Dubai International Art Centre, Jumeirah

Dubai-based Lebanese artist Nadine Kanso explores her identity as a modern Arab woman in an exhibition titled Rewind Ya Zaman. The 20 multi-layered photo assemblages showcased at the exhibition reflect the vitality of the Arab culture and also celebrate cultural and political icons from the Arab nationalist movements between 1940 and 1960.

WHERE: B21 Gallery, Al Quoz

Air race: Sky’s the limit

The world’s most talented pilots will be pitted against each other at the Red Bull Air Race World Series which gets off to a flying start in Abu Dhabi from Thursday.

The race requires a dynamic discipline of flying where the objective is to navigate a challenging course in the sky in the fastest possible time.

DJ Zeus aka Baljit Singh, a familiar face on the UK bhangra scene, is all set to play his fabulous music at the Kandy Club on Thursday. The British-Asian artiste who is known for producing the smash hits Don’t Be Shy and Kangna has a wide range of music to keep the crowds on their feet.

WHERE: Crowne Plaza Hotel

One of the UK’s best-kept secrets, the Hat Club returns to The Apartment, Jumeirah Beach Hotel on April 10. A host of artists like John Spoor and Dan Chadwick as well as DJs Ish and Ricardo Da Force will provide hours of foot-stomping music.

WHERE: The Apartment, Jumeirah Beach Hotel

Starting April, 2, Third Line presents Martin Parr: Dubai, an exhibition of photographs which explore Dubai, its glitterati, bling and consumer culture. Parr’s work also includes events like the Dubai World Cup and Cartier Polo World Cup.

WHERE: Third Line

The charismatic Dave Crane returns with his entertaining and hilarious hypnosis show, scheduled to take place at Cinestar, Mall of the Emirates from April 8 to 11. From talking fluently in Martian language to finding an invisible pet dog, The Dave Crane’s Hypnosis Show invites brave volunteers onto the stage for a first-hand hypnosis session. Under Dave’s spell, the volunteers and Dave’s stage skills keep the audience teary-eyed with laughter.

Crane is a qualified hypnotherapist and Life Designer and through hypnosis he has helped people deal with stress and give up smoking as well as helped obese people lose weight.

France-based artist Violette Cheng Posth presents an exhibition of Chinese brush painting titled The Way of The Brush at the Dubai International Art Centre from April 1 to 8. Violette, who was trained in this ancient form of painting, blends Chinese brush painting and Sumi-e style.

WHERE: Gallery 76, Dubai International Art Centre

WHEN: Until April 8