The Grand Reveal of Atlantis The Royal in Dubai
The world’s newest and most iconic ultra-luxury resort, Atlantis The Royal, kicked off its exclusive Grand Reveal Weekend with the ultimate 'Feast of Dreams' offering a show-stopping gastronomic experience like no other, with food served by 6 world-famous chefs who are all opening restaurants in the new resort this February.
Crafted by the world’s leading designers, architects and artists, the new resort hosted some of the world’s most recognisable faces for a three-day-long extravaganza of ultra-luxury curated events and experiences across its Grand Reveal Weekend.
Guests attended the once-in-a-lifetime epicurean dining adventure to toast the opening of Atlantis The Royal’s 8 brand-new celebrity chef restaurants, headed up by culinary icons including Nobu Matsuhisa, Jose Andres, Costas Spiliadis, Ariana Bundy, the Queen of couture cakes Mich Turner, and Gaston Acurio all under one roof for one night only.
VIP’s from around the world gathered in the resort’s unrivalled dining experience, Gastronomy, which features a host of live cooking stations serving up a treasure trove of culinary masterpieces from around the world. Guests at the Grand Reveal Weekend were the first to experience the eclectic dining on offer to guests, before Atlantis The Royal officially opens its doors to guests in February this year.
The specially curated ‘Feast of Dreams’ menu offered guests culinary delights from across the world including blue lobster from Peruvian restaurant La Mar, Wagyu Bresaola Sicilian style pizza at the hotel’s world-class pizzeria, and an expansive selection of sushi at The Seven Seas sushi counter housed within Gastronomy (full Feast of Dreams menu attached). To satisfy their sweet tooth, guests were invited to end their evening with a choice of delicacies from The Little Venice Cake Company owned by Mich Turner MBE – baker of patisseries and breads to royalty and global celebrities. The world-famous selection included sweet treats from Raspberry and Rose Buttercream Cake to Caramel Shortbread, as well as the piece de resistance, an enormous Grand Reveal Weekend Celebration Cake, presented to Atlantis The Royal by Turner to commemorate the resort’s hotly anticipated launch. Weighing a metric tonne, the 5ft tall by 4ft wide cake was baked to feed 1,200 guests, boasted a total of seven layers and was adorned by 25 handmade sugar birds and 80 hand painted butterflies which took 7 pastry chefs 6 days to create.
The Friday evening ‘Feast of Dreams’ marked the beginning of the special and exclusive weekend taking place before the resort officially opens. Guests were invited to enjoy the hotel’s ultra-luxury offerings with a curated itinerary of events and experiences, including a Saturday night spectacular performance from a 29-time Grammy award-winning artist - more details on this to follow tomorrow.
In total, Atlantis The Royal’s 17 world-class restaurants and bars not only treat guests to an unmatched gastronomic experience, but guests are also welcomed to a dazzling array of unforgettable entertainment destinations including Cloud 22, an outdoor entertainment space featuring a swim up-bar and a glittering head-shaped DJ booth, and the iconic and world-famous Ling Ling, a modern Pan-Asian restaurant offering the ultimate day to night experience.
Eight culinary icons are set to open their doors at Atlantis The Royal:
- Nobu by the Beach
- Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
- Jaleo by José Andrés
- Ariana’s Persian Kitchen
- La Mar by Gastón Acurio
- Estiatorio Milos by Costas Spiliadis
- Little Venice Cake Company by Mich Turner
The Grand Opening of Nobu Dubai
Nobu founders, Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper celebrated the grand reopening of Nobu Dubai at Atlantis, The Palm, with an exclusive attendee list featuring A-List celebrities and special guests from around the world.
After 14 years of residence in The Avenues at Atlantis, The Palm, Nobu Matsuhisa’s celebrity hotspot, celebrated its 15th year in Dubai in an iconic-new space within the crown of the destination resort. Taking the space formally home to The Royal Bridge Suite, the 22nd floor has been completely transformed to house a brand-new Nobu, complete with an updated menu, a Nobu lounge and bar, and an expansive terrace offering incredible views over the Palm Island and Arabian Gulf.
Scheduled as the opening event to Atlantis The Royal’s exclusive Grand Reveal Weekend, celebrity attendees and special guests joining the celebrations included Kendall Jenner, Liam Payne, Jonathan Cheban, and Simon Huck. The VIP invitees were some of the first to experience the reimagined Nobu Dubai menu before gathering in the restaurant’s stylish lounge to join Nobu Matsuhisa and Meir Teper for the kagami biraki ceremony – an ancient Japanese ritual dating back to the 15th century that involves the breaking and opening (biraki) of the round sake barrel lid (kagami), ushering in harmony and good fortune for the years ahead. Each of the founders took a wooden mallet and, counting down from three, broke open the lid of an enormous barrel of sake, which was served to revelers in traditional masu cups. Throughout the evening, guests enjoyed champagne and signature Nobu cocktails, while being treated to an array of delicious canapes.
Red Carpet Celebration
Atlantis The Royal then hosted a star-studded Red Carpet to celebrate the launch of the world’s newest and most iconic ultra-luxury resort. Crafted by the world’s leading designers, architects and artists, the new resort hosted some of the world’s most recognisable faces for a three-day-long extravaganza of curated events and experiences across its "Grand Reveal Weekend". The Red Carpet featured global A-Listers including Beyoncé, Kendall Jenner, Liam Payne, Rebel Wilson, Ellen Pompeo Winston Dukes and Letitia Wright. Stars from around the world also gathered including Germany’s Verona Pooth, British TV presenter Mark Wright with wife Michelle Keegan, former Australian Masterchef judge and chef Gary Mehigan, as well as, former champion boxer Amir Khan. Dubai faces Huda and Mona Kattan and Mahira Abdelaziz joined Bollywood stars Sibani Dandekar and Farhah Khan on the carpet that brought together celebrities from the 4 corners of the globe.
Guests walked the carpet showcasing an array of eye-catching outfits including Beyoncè dazzling in custom Dolce and Gabbana dress and coat, with shoes from Rene Caovilla and bag from Marzook.
Beyoncé's Performance
Saturday night saw the Grand Reveal of Dubai’s newest icon, Atlantis The Royal, the world’s most ultra-luxury resort. Inaugurated by an unforgettable performance by the world’s most celebrated performer, the global icon Beyoncé, over one thousand celebrities and special guests gathered beneath the resort's iconic façade to witness the unforgettable event.
Beyoncé’s 60- minute performance – her first live show since 2018 – opened with a stunning rendition of the Etta James’ classic, "At Last," before she treated the star-studded audience to some of her biggest career-spanning hits, including "Halo" and "Crazy in love."
With powerful vocals, high-energy choreography, and an awe-inspiring production, the global superstar was accompanied by Firdaus, a 48-person all-female orchestra, mentored by Academy Award-winning composer, A.R. Rahman. America’s Got Talent winners, The Mayyas, an all-female precision dance group from Lebanon, were also featured on stage, with stunning choreography by Emmy-nominated Fatima Robinson.
Inspired to work with leading entrepreneurial females in the region, Parkwood Entertainment, the entertainment firm, founded by Beyoncé, partnered with IAM Entertainment, founded by CEO Sonal Vara-Parmar, who worked closely with Managing Director at Atlantis The Royal, Tim Kelly, to deliver this once in a lifetime iconic moment.
In a breathtaking finale moment, set against the stunning backdrop of Atlantis The Royal, GRAMMY’s most nominated artist (tied with her husband JAY-Z) was raised sixteen feet into the air amidst one of the world’s unique performance fountains, Skyblaze. Surrounded by a field of water and fire, a powerful rendition of “Drunk in Love” closed the magnificent and awe-inspiring show.
With a wardrobe designed by Atelier Zuhra from Dubai, Nicolas Jebran of Lebanon, Frolov from Ukraine and Dolce and Gabbana, Beyoncé was joined by her parents, and family, including husband JAY-Z, as well as, special guests from across the globe, including British Vogue Editor Edward Enninful, model Kendall Jenner, actress Rebel Wilson, singers Chloe x Halle, actress Letitia Wright, actor Winston Dukes. Favourite UK couples such as Millie Mackintosh & Hugo Taylor, Rochelle & Marvin Humes, Mark Wright & Michelle Keegan all gathered to watch the star perform, whilst Israeli model Bar Refaeli, actress Ellen Pompeo and socialite Jonathan Cheban also attended.
The epic performance was followed by a fireworks and drone extravaganza, lighting up Dubai’s newest icon, in an echo of the 2008 display that launched Atlantis The Palm to the world. As the fireworks settled, Swedish House Mafia took to the stage to perform hits, including "One" and "Don’t You Worry Child," as guests celebrated until the early hours.
The Saturday spectacular is the pinnacle of the resort’s Grand Reveal weekend, which has seen guests dine from the kitchens of the world’s finest chefs including Nobu, Jose Andres and Heston Blumenthal. The weekend also features the star-studded Grand Opening events of Nobu and Ling Ling and the launch of Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila on the resort’s sky pool, Cloud 22.
Tim Kelly, Managing Director of Atlantis Dubai says "This is it. Our moment to unveil Atlantis The Royal as the world’s most ultra-luxury entertainment resort has arrived. We’re delighted that global superstar Beyoncé was here to launch this extraordinary resort in an unforgettable way – a true icon, launching an icon. We are excited to begin welcoming guests in February and treat them to an experience that will completely redefine their perspective of luxury."
Eight years in the making, Atlantis The Royal has been specifically designed to challenge the boundaries of imagination and reshape what ultra-luxury travel means. The Grand Reveal Weekend is set to cement Atlantis The Royal as an instant icon in Dubai and around the world.
