The Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival has taken place in the city since 2003, growing from its original 8,000-strong audience to more than 50,000 being predicted at the 2012 event, which features such notable international artists as James Blunt, Jools Holland, James Morrison and Jason Mraz across nine days in the United Arab Emirate.
This year, the festival moves to a new, larger and more prestigious venue at Dubai Festival City, and takes place from 16 to 24 February, with the popular Jazz Garden being open from the 18 to 22. The biggest gigs are scheduled to take place on the weekends of 16 and 17 February and 23 and 24 February, with tickets selling fast for these high-profile performances.
The festival is operated by Chillout Productions and has been a popular fixture of Dubai's music calendar for almost a decade, with audiences growing significantly each year and the calibre of artists becoming ever greater and more eclectic. The festival expanded in 2005 to take place across three days and on three separate stages across the DMC lakeside area, also increasing the frequency of shows to six per night to offer attendees even greater value. These improvements were recognised the following year, as the festival was awarded the 'What's On Favourite Festival' award in 2006.
Initially drawing local residents, expats and audiences from other GCC countries, the festival received greater international attention in the years that followed, and more European attendees and performers flocked to the event from 2007 onwards, a year that included performances from Jamie Cullum and Toto among others. 2008 was another landmark year for offering free concerts across its first seven days, with artists including David Gray and Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees, followed in 2009 by the likes of James Blunt and John Legend, James Morrison in 2010 and Macy Gray in 2011.
2011 also saw successful collaborations with the British Council in Dubai and UK Jazz Services to encourage more people to take flights to Dubai from Britain, as the diversity of artists expanded to cover more genres of music. Whether you're a fan of jazz, blues, R&B, pop or rock, the Dubai Jazz Festival is sure to offer something to whet your appetite, and a number of free events are planned across its nine days this February. If you've never visited the UAE before, the festival could be a great opportunity to explore what Dubai has to offer.
Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article about the jazz festival and flights to Dubai is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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