Ras Al Khaimah launched its new events platform ‘Seven Wonders’ on Thursday with a 1,000-capacity performance by DJ Armin van Buuren, ahead of plans for a concentrated seven-week festival in late 2025.
The inaugural show at Ritz-Carlton Al Wadi Desert served as a proof of concept for potential sponsors and partners, according to RAK Hospitality COO Donald Bremner.
“What today is about is showing that RAK is ready, showing that we have global standards, world-class events,” Bremner told Arabian Business. “Are you going to partner with us? Are you going to have confidence that your brand is going to be represented in the way you want it to be represented if we’ve never done it before?”
The 2025 festival will run from mid-November through December 31, featuring seven different events targeting specific audience segments. Events will be spread across locations including Jebel Jais mountain, the mangroves, desert venues, and beachfront locations.
Bremner said the concentrated timeline aims to build momentum and prove the emirate’s events capabilities.
“Everyone tells me, why are you going to do seven events in seven weeks – it’s nuts,” he said. “The rationale is you get a concentration of interest, of awareness, of competence.”
The platform will target specific market segments to attract focused sponsorship deals. “If I do a K-pop event, I could go to Korean companies. If I do a Chinese cultural event, I could go to Lenovo,” Bremner said.
Thursday’s launch event offered tickets ranging from AED 1,200 for general admission to AED 4,500 for VIP access.
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