Touring Dubai from the comfort of your own sofa

Newsgate360 – Dubai: Whilst we are all trying to still live our lives to the full indoors, you can start your virtual journey in Dubai from Dubai Museum, housed in the oldest building in the city, to Al Fahidi Historial District before heading to Al Naif Museum and The Third Line art gallery in Al Quoz.

Dubai Museum is a must-visit for anyone interested in experiencing the historical sights, sounds and scents of pre-modern UAE and discovering how Dubai’s great visionary leadership guided the city into becoming the vibrant place it is today.

Learn about Dubai’s traditional way of life by touring through the narrow lanes of Al Fahidi Historical District where visitors can soak up history and heritage of the city. A virtual stroll though this district will take you back in time, but very much sustain the city’s cultural essence as it houses and incubates a number of cultural activities including art, arts and culture societies and specialised museums.

An old fort built out of clay, Al Naif Museum was once the headquarters of the Dubai Police Force, serving as the base of Dubai’s very first police station. Built in 1939, the building now consists of two showrooms, provides fascinating insights into how the city’s justice system and its journey into modernism.

The Third Line art gallery in Al Quoz, which represents and supports contemporary Middle Eastern art on a local, regional and global level, is giving art lovers their fix through online virtual tours of its gallery. Virtual visitors can sign up with Art Basel to view the online viewing rooms.

The UAE’s independent cinema Akil has launched a new service to bring great movies into your homes. It has partnered with on-demand streaming platform Mubi to provide a catalogue of films to watch for free for the next 90 days. Each month there will be 20 independent movies streaming. You will also be able to temporarily download the films on your mobile device.

To watch the films, visit www.mubi.com/cinemaakil.

Brand Dubai, the creative arm of government body Dubai Media Office, has launched a series of regular online workshops. All of the workshops will be posted to the Brand Dubai Instagram page so you can follow along and get creative at home.

On Monday April 6, Amna from Tepingitoo will show you Creative Character Design at 3pm. While on Wednesday April 8, prolific henna artist Azra will demonstrate Henna as a Work of Art.

Check out all the videos as they appear at @BrandDubai

Calling all theatre fans in the UAE. The world may be in isolation, but the show must go on. If you are missing out on seeing your favourite musicals live on stage due to staying at home, then we have got your back with the next best thing.

Get ready to experience your favourite Broadway and West End shows from the comfort of your own sofa, as we have found five great streaming services that offer virtual theatre experiences. Yes, you can watch the likes of Phantom of The Opera, Cats and several Shakespeare classics such as Hamlet and while it may not be the same as the real deal, it sure is close.

Broadway HD: This is a popular streaming service bringing the best theatre performances to your home. The platform offers more than 300 plays, musicals and ballet shows to make your way through. Best of all? There’s currently a seven-day free trial, so make most of it while you can.
Stream now at www.broadwayhd.com/.

Digital Theatre: Partnering up with leading theatre and performing arts companies worldwide, Digital Theatre capture some really great live performances in order to stream them for us online. The streaming service offers over 100 productions for you to watch by subscribing to a monthly account or renting individual shows. They have recently added The Crucible with Richard Armitage at The Old Vic.
Stream now at www.digitaltheatre.com/