There cannot be many people living in the Dubai who struggle to find things to do.
Time off work can be spent relaxing on the beach, enjoying some retail therapy in a shopping mall, playing a favourite sport or even investigating history in a museum.
However, when it comes to the arts and live entertainment, it is slightly less certain what the city has to offer.
While there are plenty of talented bands playing at the hotels, some promoters have recently claimed that putting on paid-for pop concerts or comedy is getting tougher because people are not turning up.
For every successful concert like Mark Knopfler's recent show that attracted 10,000, there have been other gigs that have failed to spark the interest of the public.
There has been talk of artists leaving town with a bitter taste in their mouths after a less than ecstatic welcome.
And those with more rarefied tastes may struggle to find enough theatre performances and classical music events to satisfy their artistic appetites.
That is not to say there is nothing on offer. Last night, for example, the Russian State Ballet performed at the Madinat Jumeirah, while stage play Art is scheduled for later this month and Luciano Pavarotti will be dusting off his vocal chords in early April.
Pop fans can look forward to Westlife and Destiny's Child at Dubai Media City over the next two months.
However, the feeling remains that there is not a great deal of top quality live entertainment other than the thriving DJ scene given how big Dubai now is.
Gulf News took to the streets to find out what the public enjoyed the most and what else they would like to see the city offer.
Swedish dentist Dr Alexander Tosev said Dubai had most things people could want in terms of entertainment.
Since arriving in Dubai five months ago, he has been to a classical music concert and said there were new events announced all the time.
But he added: "It's a shame Dubai doesn't have a full-time theatre and it lacks operas, but I don't know if they would be appreciated here by most people. The Europeans would like it, but I am not sure about the other groups."
South African housewife Pam McGregor, 54, agreed that Dubai was not likely to become a thriving centre for the ballet or theatre.
"I don't think people are really interested in the arts. That's the impression I get," she said.
Caroline Sims, 44, a housewife from England, was more optimistic. The mother-of-three has lived in Dubai for nine years and said over that time things had improved.
"It's certainly getting better. The people who live here appreciate the heavy opera and ballet and there is also demand from tourists for light entertainment," she said.
"Now we have the Russian State Ballet five years ago you would never have had that. The building of the Madinat Theatre and Arena at the Madinat Jumeirah has helped because there's more chance to put these things on.
"Also, Dubai is good because you get the chance to appreciate art from other countries. In England, you would just stick to going to English opera, but here you can experience Indian culture for example as well."
Tom Koster, a 32-year-old management consultant from Sweden, agreed that things were getting better, although he said there were factors that would always hold Dubai back when it came to the arts and entertainment.
"I wish we would see a lot more theatre and performing arts, but it's not well developed because it's a fairly fragmented market," he said.
"When you have cities with a very homogenous population, with one event you could attract a large number of people.
"But here you might have Hindi performers for Indians and Western performers for the Westerners. The city has to be a jack of all trades and master of none."
Nissar Basher, a 24-year-old Indian barber who has lived in the UAE for two years, confirmed this view because like many of his compatriots he sticks to Indian entertainment.
"I go to the cinema for the Hindi films and I like seeing Hindi singers as well. We have a good range of Indian cinema in Dubai," he said.
Mohammad Shafiq, a 26-year-old Pakistani, also enjoyed entertainment from his home country.
"I go to Pakistani concerts there are about three a month and the tickets start from about Dh40. I don't go to ballet or theatre that is not my thing," he said.
Sadly, not everyone has the time or the money for going out and having fun at paid-for events on a regular basis.
Hard-working 26-year-old Sri Lankan stock taker Heral Antony, for example, is paid Dh800 a month and cannot afford expensive concert tickets, although he does occasionally go to the cinema.
"I came here to make money and my salary is not enough as I have my relatives in Sri Lanka to support. I have to be very careful with money," he said.
Felcy Bastion, 22, a store worker from India who has lived in Dubai for three months, also has to be careful with money.
"Dubai is full of entertainment but it's only good for people on a good salary. If you are on a lower salary, it's just a case of work, work and go back to your own country," she said.
Filipino engineering worker Rico Tan, 28, also said that costs could be prohibitive.
"I don't go to concerts. They are much more expensive here compared to the Philippines," he said.
"I have enjoyed going to see Filipino bands in the hotels it's much cheaper than going to a concert."
Filipina Rosabel Biong, 31, a boutique saleswoman, struggles to find the time to enjoy live entertainment.
"I don't have time for theatre and concerts we're working 10 to 12 hours a day.
"They are expensive as well," she said.
Like Tan, however, she has made time to see the Filipino singing groups that can be found across Dubai.
"If you are going out to watch them, you don't have to spend large amounts of money. Even so, you cannot go out every evening just sometimes," she said.
Berengere Almasy, a 37-year-old housewife with two children, admitted that Dubai seemed to have fewer artistic attractions than her home country, Belgium.
"I miss the history and culture of Europe there aren't really antiques shops and galleries here," she said.
"Maybe it would be nice to have a big exhibition of a famous painter and perhaps more international groups and orchestras should come."
"Maybe it would be nice to have a big exhibition of a famous painter and perhaps more international groups and orchestras should come."
Gulf News
