DUBAI // Entertainment ranging from the traditional to the bizarre will be on offer at the Dubai Marina Mall next week as the facility hosts 10 days of international street performances.
More than 100 shows will take place on three stages beginning March 24. They will include escape artists, fire-eaters, clowns, comedy troupes and chainsaw jugglers, among others. Performers from Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Portugal have been booked.
“All the shows will be free with no requirement to pay the artists,” said Stuart Every of Dolphin Creative Events, which organised the festival. “The event [will] help enhance the outside area of the Marina Promenade and create a community event that will bring together residents and tourists.”
Performers at the event will include Todd Various from the US, an escapologist who has been likened to the legendary Harry Houdini. He is noted for his straitjacket escapes, which he has performed in more than two dozen countries.
He is also known for a routine in which he pulls a volunteer out of the crowd to tie him up in chains. He then stands atop a ladder and frees himself. He is also quite skilled with whips, which he snaps eerily close to daring volunteers.
Also performing is J-P Koala, an Australian who juggles everything from medieval axes to knives to cuddly toy koalas. He has thrilled crowds from Australia to Bermuda and is a popular performer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The Dubai Marina Street Festival will run daily from 3pm to 6pm through April 2.
ealghalib@thenational.ae
