Top things to do in Abu Dhabi — week of 6 April

A measured week in Abu Dhabi. The cultural calendar is dense, the weather is still kind in the evenings, and there is an unusually strong line of openings on Saadiyat Island that will make the next few weekends busy.

I keep a running shortlist on Rifio so I can avoid jumping between the museum site, Platinumlist and various gallery mailing lists — the UAE country page is where I check first.

Monday: A reading at NYU Abu Dhabi

The university has a public lecture series that is consistently underused by people outside the campus. This week, a literature reading at the arts centre at 6:30pm. Free, registration via the NYUAD events page. Sound programming, modest crowd, a courtyard for tea afterwards.

Tuesday: Dinner at BOCA

The Spanish kitchen at BOCA on Al Maryah Island has just refreshed its spring menu. The asparagus dish is the order, the tortilla is excellent at lunch but better at dinner, and the wine list is more thoughtful than the room initially suggests.

A Tuesday booking is the right call. AED 350 for a set menu, AED 250 à la carte if you are careful.

Wednesday: Manarat Al Saadiyat Opening

The new group exhibition opens on Wednesday with drinks from 7pm and a curator-led walkthrough at 7:30. Six emerging Emirati photographers, all working in documentary, with a strong piece on the Liwa oasis at the centre of the show.

Free with RSVP. The room will be busy until 9, then it thins out and you can actually look at the work.

Thursday: Louvre Abu Dhabi Late

The Late programme runs once a week and is, for my money, the better way to visit the museum. A small group, a curator on hand, two hours focused on a single wing or theme. This week is a session on the Islamic ceramics collection.

AED 95, sold separately to standard entry, book on the museum site at least a day ahead.

Friday: An evening at Erth

Erth in the Cultural Foundation is the Friday choice. Emirati cuisine, served slowly, in a building that is itself worth the visit. The set menu at AED 295 is enough for two if you are not ravenous.

Walk along the Corniche afterwards. The breeze in early April is the reason people who left the city in summer come back in March.

Saturday: A morning at Yas Marina, an evening at Cipriani

The morning belongs to Yas Marina Circuit, which runs a public walking tour on the second Saturday of each month — AED 60, ninety minutes, a small group around the pit lane.

The evening belongs to Cipriani Yas Island. The terrace is the move. Order the carpaccio. The room rises in volume as the night progresses, but the early sitting at 7:30 stays civil.

Sunday: A quiet morning on Mamsha Al Saadiyat

A walk along Mamsha Al Saadiyat, breakfast at one of the cafés, and an unhurried stroll back to the car. There is no event on this list for Sunday morning because there does not need to be one. Spend the afternoon at the public beach if the heat permits, otherwise the air-conditioned galleries at Saadiyat Cultural District remain open until 6.

For an event, the Sunday lecture at NYUAD is reliable — this week, a discussion on contemporary Gulf architecture, free, 5pm.

That is the week. The pace is slower than Dubai by design, and the cultural calendar is unusually strong for a non-festival month. I will be at Manarat on Wednesday and the Louvre Late on Thursday.

Save the events that interest you on Rifio so they do not slip — the Abu Dhabi events page (use the filter to switch emirate) is the simplest way to plan a week here.