With the Eid break winding down, Dubai's cultural calendar is picking up again. The week ahead brings a little bit of everything: a major fashion pop-up, a thoughtful local art exhibition, a new restaurant opening, Arab Cinema Week at Cinema Akil, Secta's summer season launch, and a café that has already become one of the most talked-about openings of the year. Whether you are easing back into the city or looking for plans after the holiday, these are the events worth having on your radar.

Where? Ounass Stage, Jumeirah

For the first time, the New York lifestyle label is bringing its world to the Middle East with a special takeover at Ounass Stage in Dubai. More than a retail space, the pop-up is designed as an immersive brand experience, blending fashion, art, design, and café culture in one destination.

Visitors can explore a curated selection from the brand while discovering signature elements of the ALD universe, including art installations, vintage-inspired interiors, a classic Porsche 911SC display, and Café Leon Dore.

Running throughout the summer, the space offers a rare chance to experience Teddy Santis’ distinctive vision beyond clothing — bringing a slice of contemporary New York culture to Dubai.

Where? XVA Gallery

Dubai through the eyes of someone who actually looks at it — not the skyline, not the malls, but the dusty hardware shops and haberdasheries that have been there forever, walls cracked and stained like giant abstract paintings, swimming pool tiles lined up in quiet geometric grids. Jane Beveridge's first solo show is about belonging, repetition, and the meditative act of making — tiling, stitching, knotting — finding rhythm in the city's overlooked corners.

On view until June 18.

Where? Dubai Harbour

A new restaurant just opened at Dubai Harbour, and it has a very clear point of view: wagyu, and nothing else. Sutēki is described as a wagyu room with an art-house attitude — low lighting, warm wood, art on the walls, and a menu entirely dedicated to beef, explored from raw preparations to grilled signatures.

Where? Cinema Akil

Five editions in, Arab Cinema Week is back at Cinema Akil with its strongest programme yet — 9 feature films from 7 Arab countries, and a special focus on Lebanese cinema this year. Films that deal with memory, survival, and what it means to reimagine a nation's past on screen.

The festival opens with Do You Love Me?, followed by a Q&A with director Lana Daher, while highlights throughout the week include Khartoum, My Father and Qaddafi, The President's Cake, and Cotton Queen, with several screenings accompanied by conversations with filmmakers and producers.

Where? P7 Arena | Media One Hotel

Secta kicks off its indoor season with a full venue takeover, transforming the space into a multi-room experience with two music stages, an art hub, community hangout areas, a freshly stocked vinyl corner in collaboration with Killa Cutz Records, new merch, tooth gems, plus food and drinks throughout the night.

Headlining is Lars Huismann, the Dutch techno producer whose high-energy, hardgroove-inflected sound helped shape Secta's musical identity in its early years. Joining him are local favourites Rose End and Adil Elaouad, alongside Secta resident Ju Lovett.

Beyond the dance floor, Emirati artist Talal Najjar takes over the Art Hub, making this as much a community gathering as a club night. Expect six hours of music, art, digging through records, and the kind of groove-heavy energy Secta has built its reputation on.

Where? Al Safa

One of the most talked-about new café openings in Dubai right now — and it has been seven years in the making. Cherry House in Al Safa 1 is the latest project from Emirati entrepreneur Mohamed Matar Al Falasi, the founder behind Saddle and Feels. A specialty coffee roastery, an artisan bakery, and a full all-day café under one roof, with an immersive setup where you can actually watch the roasting and baking happen around you — coffee beans moving through the ceiling and all.