Spectator Sport entertainment in United Arab Emirates
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Meydan Racecourse
Racing season starts in November with the 10-week Winter Racing Challenge, but doesn’t heat up until January. It culminates in late March with the elite Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest horse race, with prize money of a dizzying US$10 million. Dubai racing’s new home (from 2010) is the spectacular Meydan Racecourse, a futuristic stadium with a grandstand bigger than most airport terminals. Spanning 1.6km, it has a solar- and titanium-panelled roof, can accommodate up to 60,000 spectators and integrates a five-star hotel. A museum and IMAX theatre are in the works as well. There’s a free-admission area where dress is casual. For the grandstand you’ll need tickets…
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Bull-Butting
If possible, visit Fujairah on a Friday when the ancient sport of bull-butting takes place in a dusty dirt patch on the southern outskirts of town (before Al-Rughailat Bridge). It was introduced centuries ago by the Portuguese, and today’s contests see bulls brought here from all over the UAE to lock horns and test their strength against each other. The goal is to push the other out of a circle, which usually takes only a couple of minutes. Traditionally, the fighting took place in an open field, but since angry bulls would occasionally charge spectators, a new wire fence was recently built to protect them.
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