Dubai Jazz Festival

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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Dubai Holidays - Guaranteed Fun and Adventure

Dubai is certainly emerging as one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world. Apart from delightful shopping experiences at the huge malls, supermarkets and souks, beach tours, spectacular architectural feats like the Burj Khalifa, Dubai has plenty to offer to the adventurer in you.

A lot of thrilling activities like mountain climbing, sky jumping, scuba diving, water surfing,crab hunting, snorkelling, swimming, go karting, wadi bashing etc await you here, but a Dubai tour would seem incomplete if you did not experience the Desert Safari.

There are three types of Safaris-in the morning, evening and overnight. You would be picked up from the hotel you are staying in and taken to the outer deserts and sand dunes of Dubai. The unending stretch of the desert and its sand dunes is in itself a spectacular sight. Once here, you can experience the magic of the desert with an adventurous drive in sturdy Jeeps and Hummers driven by skilled safari drivers over the magnificent dunes of the deserts. As you ride down the uneven and steep slopes you cannot help scream with fear and joy at this natural roller coaster ride!!!Dune bashing is one of the major attractions when on a desert safari. It is also called sand bashing-the adventurous part of your safari when the car glides up and down the high and golden sand dunes. This exhilarating experience will certainly send your adrenalin soaring high and is sure to leave you spellbound. Sand boarding is another activity you could enjoy here. You get a chance to slide on the high dunes of the deserts. This is also known as sand skiing.

This thrilling experience can be followed by lots of entertainment which will make your Dubai holidays truly memorable. You can be spoiled with traditional Arabian hospitality where you are served sumptuous buffet meals or lunch with barbecue near an oasis while graceful oriental belly dancers dance around you. You could also view the stunning desert sunset, or ride the camels, paint traditional henna designs, or enjoy smoking sheesha sitting under a blanket of stars.

A Dubai tour could also include visits to sites like the Alfahidi Fort, amusement parks like the Wild Wadi Water Park, Atlantis Marine and Water Park, Dreamland Aquapark,Wonderland Water and Theme park and Al Nasr Leisureland and Ski Dubai -which is an artificially built snow surface where you could ski and enjoy the experience of skiing in the middle of a desert!The beautiful beaches of Dubai also offer a whole range of water sports like wind surfing, scuba diving, sailing,deep water diving etc. Some of the beaches are the Jumeirah beach, Palm Beach and Al Mamzar Park. Water sports are taught in the Emirates sailing school and Dubai Off shore Sailing Club. A visit to Aqua venture Water Park is yet another enjoyable activity where you have access to rivers,rapid waves and water slides. Hot air ballooning is another thrilling activity you could indulge in. You can fly in a hot air balloon over dunes and mountains enjoying a panoramic view of the desert and its landscapes which will leave you with awesome memories of the desert thus making your Dubai holidays a unique experience.

A memorable Dubai Tour is just nor possible without exploring the various adventure tour options. Your Dubai Holidays guarantee you some of the best opportunities for fun and leisure.

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Living in Dubai Is Quite Reasonable

Whether the cost of living in Dubai is cheap or expensive is a matter of perception. If you are accustomed to paying $8 per kg of ground beef, you will think $13.50 is expensive. On the other hand, if the country you live in has higher prices compared to Dubai, then you will find living in Dubai quite reasonable.

If you are thinking about moving to Dubai, the cost of living is a paramount question. You have to make sure your intended job will be enough to cover the basics and few extras, like traveling to your home country occasionally to visit relatives.

There is no mandatory minimum wage or any type of standardized salary in Dubai. What you get paid for services depends largely on your negotiating skills. The first question on employer will ask is what you expect your salary should be. Go into the interview with a specific figure in mind, in AED.

It is very common for a secretary to earn a higher salary than a sales executive. Even tow people working side by side, doing the same job can have different pay rates. It all depends on who is the better negotiator. The key is to sell yourself and your qualifications to get the best price.

Accommodation

This is probably your biggest expense and needs serious consideration. Real estate is a thriving business. The cost of residential housing has gone up considerably over the past few years with the surge of new businesses and influx of foreign workers. Living quarters are scarce raising the price of rent.

Transportation

Dubai's Road and Transport Authority or RTA operates quite smoothly, however, the vast number of daily passengers is more than the system can handle. The main thoroughfares, in particular the areas along Sheikh Zayed Road are overflowing during peak hours. The heavy traffic makes it extremely difficult for buses and taxis to turnaround quickly.

Food

Food is the least of your worries. Despite inflation and the overall economic state of the world, food has remained quite affordable in Dubai for all salary levels. Dining out is a different story. However, even laborers at the industrial areas of Al Quoz can afford this luxury from time to time.

Dubai Travel

Practically overnight Dubai tourism has exploded. The thriving city has become a famous tourist destination catering to more than ten million visitors per year. Dubai offers world-class dining experiences, unparalleled shopping adventures and a slew of recreational activities guaranteed to please every taste and style.

For more information about what is the salary in Dubai and the cost of living in Dubai visit our website guide2dubai.com.

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