The activities of its third edition concluded with dazzling performances by elite musicians

Dubai Metro Music Festival. A testament to the allure of a city that pulsates with arts and joy

  • The festival attracted musicians and unique talents from around the world. From the source

  • The festival ensured that the theme of sustainability was present through artistic performances. From the source

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The third edition of the Dubai Metro Music Festival, which has gathered since its launch on the sixth of March, a distinguished group of creative musicians and unique talents from around the world to perform their creations in five metro stations in Dubai, concluded yesterday in a celebration that highlighted the vibrant spirit of Dubai and creativity, organized by «Brand Dubai», the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office, in partnership with the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, as this session was organized as an extension of the success achieved by the artistic event. and creative since its inception as the first art event of its kind in the region.

The festival comes in line with the directives of the leadership to strengthen Dubai's position as a major destination for creativity, creators and talents from around the world, and to create a supportive environment for them to launch their creativity, and to consolidate Dubai's position as the best city to live, work and visit in the world.

From its inception until the closing day, more than 800,<> people have been using the Dubai Metro at the five stations that hosted the festival.

Creativity Arenas

The Dubai Metro Music Festival was organized as part of the #وجهات_دبي campaign, and coincided with the events of the #موسم_دبي_الفني, which is full of diverse artistic and cultural events, and includes a large number of creative people from within the UAE and different regions around the world, and the festival lasted for a week at Etihad stations, Mall of the Emirates, Burjuman, Dubai Financial Centre and Sobha Properties, where 20 musicians from 15 countries turned these main stations into arenas for musical creativity with outstanding performances.

Rawda Al Mahrizi, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at the Corporate Administrative Support Services Sector at RTA, said that the festival, which was inspired by the slogan of its third edition of the UAE's declaration of 2023 as the Year of Sustainability, is in line with the authority's vision of global leadership in easy and sustainable mobility, by raising community awareness of the importance of the environment and ways to preserve natural resources and protect them from waste.

She said that the festival has fully achieved its objectives this season, as the metro stations dedicated to it witnessed a great turnout, and the metro stations turned within a whole week into live centers for arts and music, with which the residents of the surrounding urban areas interacted with passion and happiness. She added: "At RTA, we are keen to make commuting through the Dubai Metro an unforgettable experience, and the popularity of the Dubai Metro has contributed to highlighting sustainability issues in an interactive and contemporary way during this festival."

Rawda Al Mehrezi pointed out that the festival, which hosted local, regional and international musicians for a whole week, contributed to spreading awareness of the importance of sustainability and enhancing social interaction, pointing out that the number of Dubai Metro users reached 225.1 million passengers in 2022, thus accounting for the largest percentage of the number of users of mass transport, shared mobility and taxis in 2022 in Dubai, by 36% compared to 33% in 2021.

A platform for talent

Shaima Al Suwaidi, Director of Brand Dubai, said: "As a platform for exceptional creative talent from around the world, the Dubai Metro Music Festival highlighted the diversity and richness of Dubai's creative scene, and contributed to consolidating Dubai's position as a major destination for creators and talents. Inspired by a group of creators from different regions of the world.

Shaima Al Suwaidi thanked the RTA, stressing Brand Dubai's pride in the long-term strategic partnership with RTA, which contributed to the success of the third edition of the festival, like its previous two editions. She added: "We are delighted with the great positive impact of the festival, which reflects our commitment to translating Dubai's creative approach into initiatives, programmes and projects that reflect its vibrant spirit. Brand Dubai will continue its efforts to establish Dubai's growing position as a global hub for culture and creativity."

Sustainability is present

In line with the UAE's declaration of 2023 as the 'Year of Sustainability', the Dubai Metro Music Festival was keen to ensure that the theme of sustainability was present through performances, and the musicians created throughout the festival with musical pieces, a number of them using musical instruments developed from recycled materials.

The festival featured a mix of artists from the UAE, Egypt, India, France, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Cuba, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Canada, the Netherlands, Jordan and Australia. All the creators and musicians participated in the festival with a range of musical instruments, including qanun, piano, flute, oud, drums, saxophone, dulcimer, guitar, harmonica, electric guitar, and others.

Among the participating artists is Emirati pianist and electric guitarist Eman Al Raisi, whose musical creativity has attracted the attention of large numbers of Dubai Metro users as one of the stars of the third edition of the festival. Saudi Arabia's Shady Al-Harbi entertained the audience with his oud performance, and Egyptian artist Mohamed Fawzi Bakkar delighted the audience with a marionette show that seamlessly blends music and hologram.

Lara Zeid, a young Canadian musician of Iraqi descent, amazed the audience with her playing the qanun. Lebanese musician Marcel Gharib excelled in using the dulcimer, which resembles the qanun, and Jordanian Radhi Skalli took Dubai Metro users on a journey into the world of fantasy by playing the harmonica. Pakistani Faraz Ahmed dazzled the audience with his flute performances.

Azerbaijani teenager Michelle Rasul was admired as one of the best DJs, despite her young age, and British saxophonist and songwriter Carrie Sterling performed to the audience's acclaim. French flute was played by Anita Morozova and Nicolas Brass on recycled instruments. John Buttigieg and percussion performances featured guitar and musicians Sagar Patel and Devianch Kashulya from India, and France's Isabelle Clarinson performed a mix of playing and light effects. Dutch musician Boris Mogilevski showed skill in playing the harp, while Cuban Ernesto Vidal thrilled the audience with different genres of rock and jazz.

Remarkable interest

In its third edition, the Dubai Metro Music Festival has received great media attention from various local and international media, as the number of media reports highlighting the festival's activities exceeded 750 reports, while the volume of spread on social media reached 136 million followers, and about 1000,<> various articles about the festival were published on social media throughout its days.

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Musicians from 15 Arab and foreign countries participated in the festival in its third edition.

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A thousand people used the five stations that hosted the festival over the course of a week.