This week starts with matcha and gets progressively louder. Some Dubai galleries are slipping into their little summer micro-holidays (fair enough), but not everyone is taking August off, so there is still art to see. Then come bagels in a tiny JVC spot, dancing at 25hours Hotel and, by Sunday, an attempt to become sporty people again. Here is the plan.

Where? La Petite Ani, Gate Avenue, DIFC

This matcha comes from Kagoshima, Japan, and the menu moves from the classics to things that are considerably harder to pretend you ordered purely for the caffeine. There is a simple Matcha Latte and Iced Matcha Latte, plus a Matcha Lemonade with lime and sparkling water for something lighter.

Then come the Clouds. The Matcha Cloud combines matcha, coconut water and whipped cream froth, while the Matcha Strawberry Cloud adds strawberry cream and freeze-dried strawberries. There is also a layered Matcha Strawberry Bliss with coconut milk and strawberry syrup and, for anyone who has completely abandoned the idea of restraint, a Vanilla Matcha Milkshake with three scoops of ice cream.

Where? Bayt AlMamzar

Bayt AlMamzar and Mo Reda Projects have opened a solo exhibition by artist Habeeb M. Abu-Futtaim, bringing together two bodies of work: The Ongoing Performance of Melancholia and Songs in Solitude.

Together, they move between the collective and the deeply personal, touching on identity, memory, imagination and belonging. We are particularly drawn to Songs in Solitude, which looks at solitude not as something to escape from, but as necessary space for contemplation, play and creativity.

In a city — and a world — where doing absolutely nothing for ten minutes can somehow feel irresponsible, the idea lands quite nicely.

The exhibition runs until October 2.

Where? Dalia, JVC

The tiny JVC spot borrows from New York deli culture on the food side, while drinks run from filtered coffee to matcha and ube lattes.

And when we say tiny, we mean it: there is a window bench, one leather sofa and a built-in bench along the wall. So either arrive early and claim your territory or embrace the takeaway life.

Honestly, we are mainly here for the combination of bagels and disco ball.

Where? Cinema Akil

Cinema Akil’s Summer of Classics continues, and this week it is bringing Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver back to the big screen — exactly 50 years after its original release.

Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, an insomniac Vietnam veteran who starts driving a taxi through New York at night and gradually becomes more and more detached from the world around him. Dark, uncomfortable and very much not your easy Friday-night watch — but that is precisely why you should see it in a cinema rather than half-watching it on a laptop.

The screening starts at 7:15 pm, which also leaves enough time to wander around Alserkal before disappearing into the dark.

Where? 25hours Hotel Dubai

Okay, enough slowing down.

Best of Both Worlds is back with Episode 6, this time taking over 25hours Hotel Dubai for its Festival Tent Experience.

And there is another return involved: South African DJ Justin99 is coming back to Dubai for the first time in three years, joining forces once again with the Republic of HOY.

It starts at 8 pm, so keep Saturday evening clear.

Where? The Summer Court, Level 1, ICD Brookfield Place

After Saturday night, we aren't suggesting a 6 am run. We aren't monsters.

Instead, Sunday can be reserved for something a little more forgiving: pickleball at The Summer Court inside ICD Brookfield Place.

The indoor court, created in collaboration with Picklers, is open every day from 10 am to 10 pm through August 31 — meaning you can play without experiencing Dubai's August temperatures firsthand.