From music and art to sneakers and sport and everything in between, Sole DXB returns for the coolest festival in the region.
The two-day celebration of urban culture will take place on Friday and Saturday at the Dubai Design District (D3), bringing together people young and old to enjoy both shared and distinct interests.
After humble beginnings in 2010, Sole DXB has exploded onto the Dubai scene and will continue in this fifth edition to bring major names to the city, such as music icons Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC and Mobb Deep, tennis and shoe legend Stan Smith, as well as local artists, designers, DJs and basketball talent.
It doesn’t matter what you’re into, the multi-faceted festival will have something for everyone to sink their teeth into.
“It’s trying to promote urban youth in Dubai, whether it’s music, shoes, culture, different food or basketball. It’s everything to do with urban youth,” said Belal Abiad, creator of the Sole Ball Above All Classic Tournament.
“It’s trying to bring the culture of Dubai into one place to enjoy similar and different kinds of things. There are similarities with the joy of sports and art, but there are different cultures coming together to promote diversity.”
The 2015 basketball tournament will have 11 hand-picked teams bat- tle it out for a winner-take-all prize of Dh10,000 and bragging rights.
Being double-elimination, the format features teams falling into two brackets on the second day of the event. Winners from day one will move to the “Classic Bracket”, while the losing teams will have a chance to fight back through the “Retribution Bracket”.
With the tournament bringing out some of the very best basketball players in the city, competitive and exciting action can be expected.
“There is a team from the Indian community, an all-star team from the Filipino community and also one from the Chinese community. The teams are of a fairly high level, they’ve grabbed the best of the best and put them on one team,” Abiad said.
“From the other teams’ perspective, they play in my league so what they’ve done is kept their core team and then recruited some star-calibre players, whether it’s ex-NBA players, or ex-European players or ex-college players. So every team has kind of a superstar you could say. It should be very competitive.”
The hype will be taken up several notches in the semi-finals and final, where legendary New York City street ball personality Bobbito Garcia aka Kool Bob Love will play MC.
Garcia is an icon of the game, having co-directed the documentary “Doin’ It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, NYC” and authored “Where’d You Get Those? New York City’s Sneaker Culture, 1960-1987”. Garcia will also be doing a book signing during the weekend, which is just one of the many things going on at Sole DXB.
You can also meet McDaniels of Run DMC and Smith, who will be brought over by adidas Originals. They will hold panel sessions at the adidas stand tomorrow with Smith running from 15:30 to 16:00 and McDaniels going from 18:30 to 19:00.
Adidas won’t be the only footwear gracing Sole DXB as the UAE’s sneakerhead community can bring their own collection to buy, sell and trade. Local music acts will pump up the crowd before the headline act, Mobb Deep, formed by rappers Havoc and Prodigy, take the stage hailing from Queensbridge, New York.
Both days of the event will begin at noon and last into the night. Register at www.soledxb.com to gain free admission to the venue prior to 15:00. Entry after 15:00 costs Dh100 and grants admission for the full day. Children aged 12 years and younger can get in free.
WHAT: Sole DXB
WHEN: Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21 beginning at 12:00
WHERE: Dubai Design District (scan QR Code above for exact location)
Sport360 VERDICT: Sole DXB caters to lovers of fashion, music, art, sport and more, showcasing Dubai’s urban culture. It’s one of the coolest events held in the city all year and shouldn’t be missed
CONTACT: Visit www.soledxb.com to register and for a full slate of what’s taking place
