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PLAYLIST launched at Someone’s House and Someone’s Backstage in Dubai with Hilda Khalifeh, John Achkar, team games, live DJs, and prizes on October 15, 2026.
Dubai welcomed PLAYLIST on October 15, 2026, when the new social entertainment concept held its first event at Someone’s House and Someone’s Backstage on Al Khayat Avenue. The opening evening was called “A Night to Press Play,” and the idea was familiar to anyone who had ever enjoyed a competitive game with friends. Adults came together to compete in unusual challenges and laugh at themselves. Many also met people for the first time during the evening.
Hilda Khalifeh hosted the event, while John Achkar performed a special live comedy set. Panic Zones led the games, and DJs Jixo and Danz provided the music. Food and drinks were also part of the evening. Teams competed for prizes as the event moved between challenges and comedy. For PLAYLIST’s founders, Zeina Ladki and Fady Karim, the launch introduced a social format built around doing something together.
PLAYLIST came along with an idea that just made sense once people teamed up. People at the event got involved as the evening went on. They had games to attempt and teammates to work with. The challenges gave people plenty to laugh about, especially when a team’s enthusiasm outpaced its ability to win.
The guest list included founders and creative professionals. Businesspeople and Dubai residents with busy social calendars also attended. Guests arrived with different careers and interests, yet the games gave them a shared reason to talk. Competition made introductions feel natural because people immediately had something in common. They were teammates for the evening or had competed against one another in a funny challenge.
Someone’s House and Someone’s Backstage hosted the launch. The private setting suited an evening built around team participation and an invited audience. People could move between conversations and entertainment while PLAYLIST remained the main reason everyone had come.
PLAYLIST was created around a feeling most people recognize. Childhood games could make an ordinary afternoon memorable because winning mattered intensely for a few minutes, and laughter usually followed. The founders wanted adults to have access to the same kind of fun in a social setting that suited their current friendships and schedules.
The launch gave guests a reason to play together again. Teams faced unusual challenges and competed for prizes. People cheered for teammates and laughed at the results. Joining a team gave newcomers an easy reason to speak to one another.
Competitive games gave the evening its energy, while comedy helped everyone enjoy the surprises. The format treated participation as entertainment. Guests each had a role in the night because their decisions and responses influenced what happened next. PLAYLIST gave its central idea a real test through the guests themselves.
Hilda Khalifeh took on the hosting role for “A Night to Press Play.” She was the bridge between the evening’s show and the crowd. Games and changing teams benefit from a host who can welcome guests and guide the program while keeping everyone comfortable.
The launch combined organized challenges with an informal social atmosphere. Guests had opportunities to meet people between games and share the funny moments that had happened during the competition. The hosting provided continuity as the evening moved from one game to the next.
PLAYLIST had invited people who knew how to entertain an audience. Hilda played a key part in the opening program and really gave the launch its vibe. By taking part, she highlighted how PLAYLIST values making everyone feel part of the night.
John Achkar joined PLAYLIST for a special live comedy performance. His set gave guests another reason to laugh together and added a familiar part of live entertainment to the event’s unusual gaming format. The combination worked naturally because competitive games tend to produce funny moments of their own.
Comedy also gave the audience something to enjoy together. People who had been competing on separate teams could enjoy the performance as one audience. Later conversations had plenty of material to return to, including the evening’s challenges and the jokes that landed during the set.
John’s appearance formed part of PLAYLIST’s first Dubai event and gave the opening night a special guest performance alongside the games. The entertainment program had its own character, while the central concept still belonged to the guests and their participation.
Panic Zones took responsibility for the games during the PLAYLIST launch. Guests formed teams and attempted unexpected challenges, with prizes giving everyone an extra incentive to compete. The games were meant to be both silly and competitive, which made the results fun for players and spectators alike.
Team games are useful at a social event because they give strangers an immediate shared task. People can quickly discover who enjoys leading and who has surprising skills. Teammates get to celebrate victories together and laugh through attempts that go differently than planned.
PLAYLIST valued the social side as much as the competition. Its founders wanted the audience to participate directly. The games gave guests a direct role in the entertainment. PLAYLIST’s format also helped new conversations begin throughout the evening.
Music gave the opening program another familiar part of a good night out. DJs Jixo and Danz joined the launch and played during the evening. The music helped keep the fun and lively atmosphere during the games and comedy.
Music matters at events where guests move between games. It keeps a social evening moving during breaks and gives people another common interest. PLAYLIST paired that musical element with food and drinks so that guests could enjoy time together throughout the evening.
The DJ performances complemented the games and John Achkar’s comedy set. PLAYLIST offered several forms of entertainment for adults who came to have fun and meet people.
Zeina Ladki, PLAYLIST’s Co-founder and Creative Director, explained the concept's idea through a childhood memory. She wanted to recreate the feeling people had when the main objective was to win a game and laugh with friends. The opening evening permitted adults to enjoy that feeling again.
Fady Karim, Co-founder and Managing Director, shared another part of the concept. He wanted guests to take part in an evening where joining a team could lead to new friendships and funny stories. The games were the social introduction. People could arrive knowing a few guests and leave with new names in their phones.
The founders’ vision explains why PLAYLIST used a team format. Games gave the evening a shared purpose and encouraged people to speak with one another. Comedy supported the playful mood, while music kept the social atmosphere moving between games. The founders also planned for PLAYLIST to grow through further events in the region.
PLAYLIST’s opening evening offered a practical reminder that meeting new people can be easier when everyone has something to do together. Team challenges gave guests an immediate reason to speak. Funny results gave them something to discuss later. Music and food created additional opportunities for conversation during the night.
The idea worked especially well for a group that included business founders and creative professionals. People who spend much of their week at business events could meet through team games and laugh together. The evening encouraged people to get acquainted through play.
October 15 was PLAYLIST’s first Dubai event. Its founders had already described plans to take the format to other locations in the region. Someone’s House and Someone’s Backstage hosted an original private event that introduced PLAYLIST through the simple pleasure of playing games with other adults.
Someone’s House is the kind of spot that fits private social gatherings. Guests enter a setting designed around the feeling of a house, while professional technical systems support event production. Someone’s Backstage joined the House as the second location for the PLAYLIST opening night. They handed the organizers a private location in Al Quoz for the launch.
PLAYLIST needed a setting where guests could participate and feel comfortable with people they had recently met. The private format also suited an invited group who came for a particular concept. Conversation and entertainment shared the evening, and the House’s familiar character suited that balance.
Hosting PLAYLIST added another original event to the venue’s calendar. Someone’s House and Someone’s Backstage also welcome private dinners and brand events. PLAYLIST arrived with a specific program and a clear audience, and both venues hosted the event on the first night.
