The Opera District – Downtown Dubai

/in /by

THE OPERA DISTRICT – DOWNTOWN DUBAI
The Opera District is the long awaited stylish cultural destination of Dubai. Located in Downtown Dubai it is set to promote the arts, culture, and events scene by ensuring global exchange and promoting local talent as well as serve as a vibrant events venue. Once completed this area will feature luxury hotels, elegantly designed residential and serviced apartments, a retail plaza, waterfront promenades, recreational spaces and parks.

Situated at the heart of this master project is Dubai Opera. A first of its kind in Dubai the Dubai Opera is a 2,000-seat multi-format venue for opera, theater, concerts, art exhibitions, orchestra, film, sports events, and seasonal programmes.

Set to become one of the most iconic buildings in Dubai, Dubai Opera is styled on the classic wooden dhows that are synonymous with the world-famous Dubai Creek. The state-of-the-art opera house along with the varied lifestyle components of The Opera District are set to energize Dubai’s events and tourism sectors.

Community Highlights

Home to the 2000 seat multi-format Dubai Opera building
Set to become the most stylish and cultural community of new Dubai
The most sought after location within Downtown Dubai

Dubai Opera is a 2,000-seat, multi-format, performing arts centre, which is located within The Opera District in Downtown Dubai. It was developed by Emaar Properties to host a variety of performances and events including theatre, opera, ballet, concerts, conferences and exhibitions. Its plans were announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in March 2012 and it was completed in 2016. It opened on 31 August 2016 with a performance by Plácido Domingo. The first season featured Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers opera and also the legendary tenor José Carreras. Dubai Opera have flat floor capacity of 1800 square meters. This floor can be hired for weddings, gala dinners, fashion shows and exhibitions.

In January 2015, Emaar named Jasper Hope as the Chief Executive of Dubai Opera. Hope was the COO of London’s Royal Albert Hall. Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) was the main contractor for the development, having worked with Emaar in building the Dubai Mall.

An earlier proposal to build a cultural centre on an island in the Dubai Creek designed by architect Zaha Hadid was announced in 2008 and shelved during the property crash in Dubai. This venue, located in The Lagoons, would have accommodated an opera house with a 2,500 seating capacity, an 800-seat playhouse, a 5,000-square-metre (54,000 sq ft) arts gallery, a performing arts school, and a ‘6-star’ themed hotel. There is a free parking and paid parking for visitors of Dubai Opera. The Paid Parking is known as Green Parking.

The first Emirati singer to appear at Dubai Opera was Hussain Al Jassmi on 10th October 2016.

Shortly after that, the award winning hit musical Les Misérables graced the stage for a 3 week run.

In 2017 the venue staged the inaugural BBC Proms Dubai – just the second time ever that the United Kingdom’s premier classical music series hosted events abroad in its 112 year history.

Dubai Opera’s longest running show was the Phantom of the Opera in late 2019.

In just under 4 years of operating, Dubai Opera has won a number of awards including ‘Best Theatrical Performance’ at the Timeout Dubai Nightlife Awards 2017 for Les Misérables, ‘Favorite Show’ at the 2017 What’s On Awards Dubai for Les Misérables, and ‘Best Theatrical Performance’ at the Timeout Dubai Music and Nightlife Awards 2019 for Othello. Recognition was also given at the Timeout Dubai Music and Nightlife Awards 2019 to Dubai Opera’s Chief Executive Jasper Hope, where he was presented with the highly prestigious ‘Outstanding Contribution’ award.

Projects In The Opera District:

  • Grande Signature Residences
  • ILPrimo
  • Forte
  • Act One|Act Two
  • The Address Residences Dubai Opera