Mitchelle D’Souza, Sub-editor/Reporter
Dubai has a spanking new hangout for lovers of jazz, blues, funk and contemporary music.
We are talking about The Jazz Garden!
Once a regular feature on the city’s entertainment circuit, jazz nights are back, this taking up permanent residence in an outdoor green space at Habtoor Grand Resort, Dubai Marina.
In line with the Jazz Garden Series hosted on the grounds of the hotel back in 2017, the current Jazz Garden was bought back on popular demand by Chillout Productions, which threw it open to the public on Jan.30 this year.
Each weekend (Thursdays and Fridays) will see an eclectic mix of live performers, including jazz, blues, soul and funk artists from all over the world, with shows starting at 7.30pm.
This means you can kick back and enjoy weekend musical nights, getting enthralled by talented musicians till the balmy weather lasts, i.e. the first weekend of April 2020.
A performance underway on the Jazz Garden stage.
To give you a little primer on the history of the event, here’s some information: The much-loved Jazz Garden was initially launched in 2008 as a seven-day sub-event of the Dubai Jazz Festival.
It was an instant success, having attracted hundreds of mainstream jazz and blues artists, as well as thousands of fans.
The last edition of the Jazz Garden was held during the massive Dubai Jazz Festival 2014 hosted in Dubai Festival City, following which it returned to its original home in Dubai Media City.
After three long years of non-stop requests to bring back The Jazz Garden, the organisers gave in.
It was rebranded and re-launched as a stand-alone series of events featuring internationally acclaimed jazz and blues acts in 2017 at Habtoor Grand Resort.
Fast forward 2020, it’s finally back in full swing (pun intended).
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The spot is an open-door venue offering a wide variety of affordable F&B outlets.
Those who enjoy scrummy nibbles along with tasteful music will be in for a treat, for the set up houses assorted international street food kiosks, bars and beverage stations in a cool, relaxed ambiance.
To gain entry to the event, all you need to do is pre-register and avail free access. This doesn’t get you a table, but you are free to grab a bean bag or a picnic table from the venue.
If you’re not the one to fall back on a last-minute scamper, you can also get your own camping chair and blanket.
Alternatively, you can book your table for a minimum spend (Dhs100 per person, with a minimum of four people required), which can be redeemed for food and drinks at the venue.
The Jazz Garden is an outdoor venue, set amidst the towering skyscrapers of Dubai Marina.
Apart from live entertainment and tasty grub, the venue boasts a stretch of arts and crafts stalls on arrival, an Arabic henna booth, and a night sky glittering with Dubai Marina’s luminous skyscrapers, making it a perfect selfie spot.
The Jazz Garden stage has witnessed mesmerising performances in the past months, including live acts by Denise King, Roy Young, Veronique Hermann-Sambin, Faby Medina and Chanda Rule to name a few.
On schedule are performances by American jazz singer Ronald Baker on March 6 and California based jazz and blues singer Karmen Moxie on March 16, with many more to follow in the coming weeks.
For more information on the registration process, and the upcoming performances, you can check out their website www.thejazzgarden.com