The night of Wednesday 7 March, which we have dubbed ‘Heritage Night’, will see the opening of our brand-new heritage venue, Al Arish, and talks by two major international authors.

The events

At 7:30pm, David Nicholls, author of the bestselling novel One Day, will take the stage to talk about his life, his writing, and Charles Dickens, whose Great Expectations he is adapting for film.

Then, at 8:45pm, renowned Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti, whose I Saw Ramallah was described by Edward Said as ‘one of the finest existential accounts of Palestinian displacement’, will speak about his latest book, I Was Born There, I Was Born Here. A winner of the Palestinian Award for Poetry and the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature, Mourid is a powerful speaker whose talk is not to be missed.

Both events will have simultaneous translation. Tickets for each session can be booked separately, but why not make an evening of it and enjoy two great talks in a fantastic setting?

The venue

Situated by the side of the Creek at Dubai Festival City and built with traditional materials, including the palm-leaf from which it takes its name, Al Arish will host a number of sessions throughout the Festival, including Sandra Piesik’s talk on Friday 9 March about Arish architecture and cultural identity.

Around the outside of the venue there will be traditional music, Youla, tasty snacks and the heritage village, featuring traditional arts & crafts.