Cirque de Cuisine Night Brunch at Atlantis, The Palm

Cirque de Cuisine is a night-time food-and-party event at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, and this edition is billed as The Candyland Edition. For one evening The Avenues, the resort's dining and entertainment promenade, is turned into a Christmas Candyland, and guests move between the participating restaurants instead of settling at a single table.

The format is a walk-around progression through some of the resort's best-known kitchens. The line-up of venues spans MICHELIN-starred dining, celebrity-chef favourites, sizzling steaks and Mexican flavours, among much else. Canapés from Nobu Dubai are served throughout the evening, and drinks include free-flowing cocktails, sparkling wine and other beverages poured at the 360-degree Rotunda bar. Live DJs, music and performances run through the night, and a Christmas Dessert Wonderland at The Lost World Aquarium handles the sweet course. When the main event winds down, the party carries on at Wavehouse until 2am.

The Avenues sits inside Atlantis, The Palm, the large resort at the top of the crescent on Palm Jumeirah. The island is known for its beach resorts, waterfront restaurants and views back toward the Dubai skyline, and the resort itself combines hotels, an aquarium, a waterpark and a long list of restaurants and bars, so a dining crawl can stay entirely under one roof.

This is a lively, social night rather than a quiet sit-down dinner, and it suits groups of friends, couples and colleagues who like to roam, sample and dance. Since the evening is spread across several venues, expect to be on your feet and moving between them. For those who would rather not travel home late, a room-and-ticket package for two people is offered as an Atlantis staycation, with a one-night or a two-night stay including two Cirque de Cuisine tickets.

The event belongs to the festive season, and the Christmas theme runs through the decor and the dessert finale, which makes it a lively option for a December night out in Dubai.