Dubai is quickly aspiring to enrich its cultural scene with the $13.6 billion development of the Dubai Cultural Village. This development will include art museums and performing arts centres as well as libraries, schools for music and dance, rare book stores and open spaces for recreation.

Dubai has a growing number of stages including the Royal Hall at the Dubai Pearl, and the Dubai Community Theatre. The Madinat Theatre is one of the most significant and luxurious theatres in the region, hosting many international theatre productions including those from London's West End.

The Dubai Film Festival is an annual film festival that attracts the stars from all over the world. Dubai is also developing the Dubai Studio City which aims to be a centre for artistic production on the screen. As well as this: an island opera house which has been designed by Zaha Hadid; an art museum and a general museum are currently being built.

The Dubai Chamber Orchestra was founded in 2002 and performs in the various existing and newly developed concert venues.

Dubai is probably the construction capital of the world at the moment. They say that the national bird of Dubai is the 'crane'. It has been said that a vast majority of the world's construction cranes are in Dubai. There are more cranes in Dubai than there are in the entire nation of Canada! One of the main reasons for the boom in construction in Dubai is its drive to diversify the economy. The Dubai government does not want to depend on its oil reserves which are largely believed to become exhausted by 2010 and, as such, has diversified its economy to attract revenues in the form of expanding commercial and corporate activity. Tourism is also being promoted at a staggering rate with the construction of Dubailand and other projects that include the making of mammoth shopping malls, theme parks, resorts, stadiums and various other tourist attractions.