Top 10: get your FIFA Club World Cup tickets, visit an old Emirati home in Al Ain, catch exhibition Arsnecopinata

Your essential guide to what's happening in the Emirates

The indoor playground features eight galleries with various activities to keep children engaged. Courtesy OliOli

Al Ain

Cultural event

Register to take part in My Old House, led by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and organised by Al Ain National Museum. The tours offer a view of old houses in Al Ain, showcasing building styles adopted by early Emirati residents, and will include a discussion of the materials used, and the lifestyles and traditions popular during the time period the houses were built. The tours start at Al Ain Palace Museum and will include Al Ain Oasis, Al Qubaisi House, Jimi Historic Buildings, Qattara Historic Buildings and Al Qattara Arts Centre and Souk.

December 23, 9am to 12.30pm, free with registration, meeting point is Al Ain National Museum, Al Ain, register at [e-mail]

Abu Dhabi & Al Ain

Fifa event

Get tickets now for the Fifa Club World Cup, in which continental club champions, including UAE hosts Al Jazira, Auckland City, CF Pachuca, Wydad Athletic Club, Urawa Red Diamonds and defending champions Real Madrid will all play for the tournament title.

Wednesday until December 16, 7pm on Wednesday in Al Ain; 3pm on Saturday in Abu Dhabi; 4pm on December 12 in Al Ain; 7pm on December 13 in Abu Dhabi; 4pm on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, from Dh100, Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi; Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, www.ticketmaster.ae

Abu Dhabi

Yoga class

Book your spot in the class Introduction to Jivamukti Yoga: Backbends, Bhakti and Total Heart Opening with Yogeswari (pictured). The certified teacher will visit Bodytree Studio from New York and will lead a class exploring the role that bhakti – devotional yogic practices such as chanting, poetry and ritual – play in Jivamukti yoga, and what it has to do with opening the hip flexors, spine, shoulders and heart region.

December 11, 6pm to 8pm, from Dh275, Bodytree Studio, Abu Dhabi, register at 02 443 4448, [e-mail]

Abu Dhabi

Exhibition

See Comic Craze, an exhibition of comic-strip artworks created by members of the UAE’s flourishing community of graphic artists and organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. See examples of various techniques and materials, from fabricated portraits to animated films.

Daily until December 23, 9am to 8pm, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, www.visitabudhabi.ae

Abu Dhabi

Exhibition

Catch the final week of Arsnecopinata, by Abu Dhabi-based German artist Katharina Moeller, who creates art in monochrome, in ink and graphite, acrylics and sand, to explore spaces where the everyday intersects with the uncanny. Latin title ars necopinata means unexpected or surprising art.

Daily until December 6, noon to 8pm, La Parole Art Gallery, Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, 02 656 5624, www.laparoleartgallery.com

Dubai

Family fun

Register to take part in parent and child art classes with We Love Art. Starting with a special Christmas edition on Saturday, the classes aim to bring families together through creating a holiday-themed painting to gift someone or to keep as a decoration.

Saturday, 10.30am to noon, Dh289 for two people including equipment and snacks, ages 5+, We Love Art, The Wooden Cellar, Dubai Sports City, Dubai, www.weloveart.ae

Dubai

Comedy show

Get tickets to see comedian Jason Manford as he launches his Muddle Class tour in Dubai on New Year's Eve. The British comedian will relate his experiences of growing up working-class, then discovering he has become part-middle-class. Ring in the new year with DJ Gail playing top hits, with a 360-degree view of the fireworks. Additional shows will take place in Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi.

December 31, doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8.30pm, from Dh195, Al Thuraya Ballroom, Grand Millennium Dubai, Barsha Heights, Dubai; January 4, DoubleTree by Hilton Resort & Spa, Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah; January 5, Ballroom, Park Rotana, Abu Dhabi, www.thelaughterfactory.com

Dubai

Holiday fun

See the family show Santa's Invitation and learn what happens when Alice receives a letter from Santa Claus asking her to help out the elves at Christmas, at the North Pole. The audience is also invited to dress up as elves. Today at 5.30pm, Ductac will also present the Big Christmas Light Switch!, as Magic Phil turns the tree lights on. Enjoy the festive atmosphere with a choir and arts and crafts market.

Today and Saturday, 11am, 2pm and 4.30pm performances, from Dh130, Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, 04 341 4777, www.ductac.org

Dubai

Performance

Get tickets to see Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in high-definition on a 12-metre-high screen as the Czech National Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams's score live, in the Harry Potter Film Concert Series.  

Thursday to Saturday, 8pm on Thursday and Friday; 3pm on Friday and Saturday, from Dh175, Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai, www.dubaiopera.com