The eighth Esquire Awards will go down in the books as arguably the one of the best one yet. Taking place in Dubai on December 5, 2018, the annual event celebrated the outstanding achievements of both men and women across the Middle East over the past year.
Hosted in the spectacular Fort Island venue at the Madinat Jumeirah, the open-air gala dinner was a true spectacle to behold as a uniformly glamorous array of invite-only guests were welcomed to rub shoulders with a multitude of stars from film, fashion, sport, business and the arts.
An opening speech from Editor-in-Chief Matthew Baxter-Priest followed a fantastic performance by the excellent vocal talents of Mr Gari Deegan. After a rousing opening, hosting duties were handed over to the impeccable master-of-ceremonies Tom Urquhart.
The 400-strong crowd of the region’s who’s who sat down to a lavish dinner, before the presentation of 10 awards ranging from Musician of the Year (won by Layla Kardan) and Chef of the Year (Sean Connolly) to the Contribution to the Arts award (Ali F Mostafa) and both Regional Designer (Hatem Alakeel) and International Designer of the Year (John Varvatos).
The evening culminated with a very special recognition, for the of Esquire’s Person of the Year, the founding father of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Dubbed ‘the year of Zayed’ 2018 was a celebration of 100 years since the birth of His Highness, and his legacy continues to shape the daily lives of all those who call the United Arab Emirates home.
Afterwards, guest were launched into the official after-party by a barnstorming performance from DJ Darryl Rees, before eventually being ushered to the exit in the very early hours…
As always, huge thanks goes to the hard work and dedication from the event’s partners: BOSS by Hugo Boss, Passion F&B, Bremont, Rivoli, Le Clos, MMI and Stackla.