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Dubai Festival City honours Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival by Welcoming it to its New Home

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DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY WILL SERVE AS NEW HOME FOR THE 10TH EDITION OF SKYWARDS DUBAI INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL (SDIJF) WHICH WILL SEE AN OUTSTANDING LINE-UP OF LEGENDS, STARS AND DIVAS CONVERGE ON A SPECIALLY DESIGNED, ACOUSTICALLY ENHANCED VENUE FROM FEBRUARY 16TH TO FEBRUARY 24TH 2012.

A fresh format will celebrate the 10 years of the globally acknowledged festival of jazz across 9 days with three exclusive shows every night, allowing thousands of music enthusiasts a glorious opportunity to listen to some of the finest music genres. The Festival will feature a chilled atmosphere with comfortable seating and seating-free zones and alongside a specially created Food & Beverage zone by InterContinental Hotel-Dubai Festival City.

The 2012 Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival will present concerts and performances as a celebration of key moments in the 10 year history of the multi-award winning event while reflecting the evolution of jazz in the US, Europe and Africa.

The Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival has now grown to an annual icon featuring world-class artists and performers covering all genres of music with an emphasis on Jazz music ranging from blues, funk, swing, acid, rock, contemporary, modern, and fusion. This year the international event takes a different hue, enhanced by the beautiful setting of the Al Badia Golf Course that skirts the Jazz Festival grounds which overlook the majestic Dubai skyline. Coupled with this is the ease of parking for more than 12,000 vehicles.

Skywards, Emirates, Dubai Festival City, MasterCard, InterContinental Hotel Group-Dubai Festival City and Al-Futtaim Motors-Toyota are key sponsors of the event.

The 2012 Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival will introduce its new format celebrating a decade of achievements. Starting up with the first weekend of Main Gigs (Feb 16th & 17th), it is followed by five nights of the Jazz Garden (Feb 18th㬒nd) and finally ties up with a second weekend of Main Gigs (Feb 23rd & 24th). The 'Jazz Garden' event from Feb 18-22 promises spectacular jazz filled nights with 15 international jazz artists featuring a mix of the finest jazz shows from all around the world. The opening acts are supported by the Italian Embassy.

The Main Gigs weekends on Feb 16- 17 & 23㬔 will host ticketed mega concerts featuring the cream of the world-class artists delivering pure high-energy entertainment.

James Blunt, Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra and James Morrison, will make a return for the celebratory edition in February next year along with Jonathan Butler, Brett Dennen and Spyro Gyra. The long awaited artist and the multi-talented superstar Jason Mraz will add on to the list of previous performers bringing on a very special show.

Anthony Younes, Managing Director of Chillout Productions, founders and organisers of the Dubai International Jazz Festival said the new venue is a celebratory statement for the 2012 edition which is going to be one of the finest in the event's 10 year history.

“We are very excited to have Dubai Festival City as the Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival's new home. The move was necessary in order to accommodate what we believe will be a record attendance for the 10th edition. Dubai Festival City has hosted some grand international events in the past so playing host to the jazz festival was a natural choice that had to happen," Mr. Younes said.

“Dubai Festival City matches the international stature of the Festival while offering everything that the SDIJF 2012 artistes and audiences require; the beautiful marina walk, a great shopping and entertainment precinct, and above all some of the finest gourmet and hospitality outlets. We are ready to welcome a long list of outstanding and award winning artistes who will make the 10th anniversary of the jazz festival an event to remember."

Skywards, Emirates' award-winning frequent flyer programme has been the mainstay of the jazz festival as title sponsor since 2007.

'We are delighted to support the success of the jazz festival now in its 10th year," said Brian LaBelle, Senior Vice President, Skywards. “During that time the Dubai Jazz Festival has done much to contribute to the growing arts and cultural scene in Dubai and has contributed substantially to our profile as a truly international city and top-notch tourist destination. As title sponsors of the Dubai International Jazz Festival, we look forward to extending exclusive live-music opportunities to jazz aficionados from across the region."

MasterCard said the jazz festival supports their overall objective to provide guests with world-class jazz performances while maintaining a very high standard of guest services.

“MasterCard's sponsorship, for the third consecutive year, of the Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival 2012 reflects our ongoing efforts to provide cardholders with superior benefits that match their lifestyle. MasterCard cardholders can enjoy world-class music performances and also avail exclusive discounts and benefits," said Eyad Al-Kourdi, vice president and country manager, UAE, MasterCard Worldwide. “We are confident that MasterCard cardholders will have a priceless experience at SDIJF 2012."

MasterCard cardholders can enjoy special discounted rates when using their MasterCard cards to book their tickets between 1st and 31st December 2011 when visiting the festival's official website at www.dubaijazzfest.com. The exclusive window offers a 10% discount on any purchase of 4 tickets of any category, solely for MasterCard cardholders. Hosts Dubai Festival City has already set plans rolling to build a venue that will not only allow thousands of fans enjoy the sound of brilliance from great musicians but have also galvanised the venue's F&B, entertainment, shopping and leisure offerings to match the event's stature.

Ian Plumley, General Manager—Marketing & Sales, Dubai Festival City said: “We are immensely proud to be hosts to the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival. We have organised and hosted some of the most successful international events here so it is but natural that the jazz festival be part of Dubai Festival City. It will be an event to remember."

Al-Futtaim Motors, exclusive distributors for Toyota cars in the UAE, recognises the important role it plays as a member of the UAE community and is extremely happy to support SDIJF.

Simon Frith, Managing Director, Al-Futtaim Motors said: “Toyota has a long global history of backing sports, arts, music and artistes. As exclusive distributors of Toyota in the UAE, we are ensuring the UAE's favourite auto brand continues this tradition. We are extremely happy to be part of the Jazz Festival as it fits in with our role of being part of the community we serve."

InterContinental Hotel Group-Dubai Festival City will lay an array of food and beverage that matches the international flavour of the Jazz Festival.

Tom Lord, Acting General Manager at InterContinental Hotels Group Dubai Festival City, said: “The 2012 Dubai International Jazz Festival will be a fantastic, unique experience and we are delighted to be able to support such an established event. We intend to enhance this wonderful occasion with food and beverage that compliments the overall ambiance and we hope the beautiful setting of Dubai Festival City will provide the perfect backdrop for jazz lovers to thoroughly enjoy one of Dubai's most popular music festivals."

About Dubai Festival City

Dubai Festival City is an Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate development project which covers 5.2 million square metres and stretches 3 kilometres along the historic Dubai Creek that optimises the thriving and visionary spirit of Dubai.

Dubai Festival City is an established creek side, mixed use destination and premier waterfront community interconnecting finest residential, shopping, dining, leisure & entertainment, international hotels, schools, golf course, automotive park and offices. It is formed into three distinct districts and connected by a 30 kilometres internal road network and creek side promenade. This existing community offers freehold villas and apartments for sale and lease which combine traditional and contemporary architecture. Upon completion, the community will be home to 50,000 residents living in 20,000 villas and apartments, and ideal place to work for 50,000 office staff.

About Festival Centre

The award-winning Festival Centre is home to Dubai's premier concerts and festivals and has hosted world class entertainers such as Carlos Santana, Maroon 5, Tamer Hosni, Amr Diab, Shah Rukh Khan and Kylie Minogue. It has also presented Dubai with a wide array of festivals from the Emirates Airlines International Festival of Literature through to Dubai Desert Rock and Dubai Bike Week. Festival Centre hosts events, parades, entertainers and musicians each week ensuring families are always engaged and rewarded for their visit. Festival Centre is a landmark 2m sq. ft. urban retail resort which forms the epicentre of Dubai Festival City. Set on the historic Dubai Creek, Festival Centre, offers over 370 world class retailers, 85 restaurants, cafés and bistros, a 12-screens Grand Festival Cinemas complex and a parking for 13,000 cars. It also boasts a stunning Marina and some of the emirate's most photographed sunset vistas.

About ChillOut Productions:

Founded in 2002, Chillout Productions has become one of the leading event management companies in the Gulf. With a team of creative solution providers that have over 20 years of experience in producing world-class events, Chillout Productions offers services that range from simple event concept creation to scouting locations and designing venues. With access to a long list of local and international event suppliers, agents and entertainment consultants, Chillout Productions provides a unique and professional outlook into the world of event management. The Dubai International Jazz Festival has drawn in over 250,000 fans since its inception in 2003 with people coming in from across the UAE, GCC and around the world. With hundreds of artists every year, the Jazz Festival's list of legendary musicians, Grammy award-winning artists, critically acclaimed jazz and contemporary groups, and pop sensations covers over 40 years of music history. To complement the success of its public and private events, Chillout Productions has gained extensive experience in working with TV and other media outlets to increase reach and visibility of its event.

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