H.E. Helal Saeed Almarri tours Dubai Food Carnival presented by Etisalat 12.02.2015: ... as huge crowds soak up unique "gastro-tainment" family event Celebrity Chefs, Restaurant Stalls, Retail Outlets, Diverse Entertainment

... as huge crowds soak up unique "gastro-tainment" family event




Celebrity Chefs, Restaurant Stalls, Retail Outlets, Diverse Entertainment and Family Fun Galore at Three-Day Food, Beverage and Entertainment Extravaganza


Headline Event of Month-Long Dubai Food Festival Opens to Public


Dubai Food Carnival presented by Etisalat, the UAE’s largest family-friendly food, beverage and entertainment extravaganza, opened to the public at 3pm yesterday (Thursday 11th February) with hordes of visitors flocking to the waterfront Dubai International Marine Club in the event’s first few hours.


His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the Carnival organiser, toured the extensive venue and took in a diverse collection of more than 40 restaurant stalls and 40 food retailers.


“As one of the headline events of this year’s month-long Dubai Food Festival, the award-winning Dubai Food Carnival is a unique, food-themed, family event designed to strengthen the city’s position as the culinary capital of the Middle East,” said Almarri.


“The restaurants, vendors and entertainment offerings have been stringently selected to appeal to the widest possible cross-section of Dubai’s multinational community and the thousands of international visitors holidaying in the emirate.”


With thousands of food fans expected for last night’s dinner rush and upwards of 20,000 visitors expected over the event’s three days, the Dubai World Trade Centre-organised ‘gastro-tainment’ concept features a family-friendly schedule of live cooking demonstrations and entertainment for all ages .


Headlining the talent line-up are 14 celebrity and local chefs conducting live cooking demonstration in the Chef’s Dome and Dubai Food Festival Academy, a new concept to this year’s event. The kitchen heavyweights include Chef Simon Rimmer – the host of Channel 4’s 'Sunday Brunch', twice Michelin-starred Atul Kochhar, Silvena Rowe, India’s Sanjeev Kapoor, Tarek Ibrahim, and Manal Al Alem, the ‘Queen of the Arabic kitchen’.


British expat Sophie Carrington, the first member of public through the Carnival doors, said she was looking forward to spending the entire weekend at the event: “I was the first in the queue today and I’ll be coming back on Friday and Saturday – I’ve been looking forward to this event since last year.


Living in Dubai is fantastic because we get to experience some many different international cuisines on a regular basis. The Carnival brings them all together in one place, it ramps things up a notch for food lovers.”


When asked what aspect of Dubai Food Carnival she was most looking forward to, Sophie added: “I used to watch Simon Rimmer on television in the UK so I can’t wait for his live cooking session, but I’m also excited about the DJ sets by Sarah L, the Great Yalla BBQ because my partner is cooking in it, and all the food!”



Dubai Food Carnival – a ‘feast for families’

Away from the chefs, more than 80 food brands – comprising 40 restaurant stalls including Loca, Sumo Sushi and Bento, Tortuga, the noodle house, SoHo Grill, Tidjoori, and Biker’s Café amongst others – will provide an indulgent menu of food options for Dubai Food Carnival visitors.


With the UAE’s leading comedian, Ali Al Al Sayed, performing several daily sets, a plethora of Dubai’s top musical talent and entertainment acts will join the nation’s favourite funny man live on stage.


Highlights include ‘Crunksta’, a beat-box specialist in pop music hits, movie trailers and stand-up comedy routines, and popular Irish F&B outlet McGettigan’s house bands and solo artists. Elsewhere, Street Nights - a community-based celebration of street culture – will give a series of live street art performances, impressive graffiti canvases and world-class break-dancing across the venue.


The Carnival’s presenting partner, Etisalat, will also roll-out an array of family activities including healthy smoothie-making and water melon eating competitions, puppet shows, face painting, parades, music sessions with DJ Sarah L of Ministry of Sound fame, a ‘guess what you’re eating’ competition and culinary-themed quizzes.


Dubai Food Carnival will also feature competitions galore. In addition to ‘The Great Yalla BBQ’, a mega grill-off concept which returns with an exciting new format; event newcomer SoHo Grill, Dubai’s home-grown New York-themed steakhouse, will host a ‘Ribs n Bibs’ eating contest, while Hummingbird Bakery, the home of quality American baking in Dubai, will stage a ‘Little Bakers’ competition for kids at its stand.


Meanwhile, parents can keep little ones entertained at the fully-supervised Naughty Corner, where a wealth of activities for kids of all ages include Bouncy Castles, Bungee Swings, Electric Trains, Face Painting and all-new Pizza Making station.



Quick and Easy – How to get to-and-from Dubai Food Carnival


With a host of public transport options available to and from Dubai International Marine Club, Dubai Food Carnival organisers have arranged shuttle buses to the event venue from free parking sites at Skydive Dubai and Nakheel Gateway at the bottom of the Palm Jumeirah. A full schedule of shuttle bus times is available on the event website.


Fun, three-minute water taxis from Skydive Dubai to Dubai International Marine Club will also be in operation, while the public are also recommended to take the new Dubai Tram service to the Carnival’s location opposite Mina Seyahi station.


In addition, the Carnival’s partnership with Uber will see new subscribers to the world’s leading transport service app rewarded with a promotional code worth AED100 of complimentary travel either to or from the event.


Dubai Food Carnival is open 3pm to 10pm on Thursday 12 February, and 12pm to 10pm on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 February. One-day tickets are available for only AED30 per person, while customers of the event’s Official Bank Partner, Emirates NBD, can take advantage of an AED10 discount. Children under 12 enter for free.


All tickets are available from www.dubaifoodcarnival.com and Time Out Tickets (www.timeouttickets.com).



Katie Johnston / Sara Mahmoud, Total Communications Dubai also photos