Side-hustling Pinoys bring artists to Dubai for the holiday season

Dubai, United Arab Emirates —Lights, camera…money. With the weather finally cooling down and most people loving to go out at night, side-hustling Filipinos bring artists from the Philippines to perform in jam-packed venues at ticket prices that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would not mind spending.

Everybody’s happy – the artists, the crowd, the venue people, and the Pinoy producers.

There’s money to be had; otherwise, why go through all the trouble of spending on plane fare and looking for sponsors who’d cover accommodation, food, and venue, among others?

Full house

“The concert was a full house. The profit was three times what we expected,” said Bea Mariz P. Bagac, who, along with two other producers, Nathan Villegas and Jossel Villoso, pooled resources together and had Kris Lawrence, Filipino-American singer-songwriter, perform on Dec. 14 at a restobar.

This, following a marketing blitz that included a press conference at a separate venue and a meet-and-greet at the Winter Night Market, frequented by a predominantly Filipino crowd in Rigga, Deira.

“Kris Lawrence is a personal friend, and while many producers expressed interest, only (Villegas) took the project seriously and made it happen. I would also like to acknowledge Villoso, who played a major role in securing sponsors and supporting the project,” said Bagac, a yacht owner.

Tickets at the one-night gig started at AED59 ($16).

“We are planning to bring Angeli Khang and Robb Quinto of Viva Max on Jan. 26, 2026,” said Bagac, who rents out her yacht to partygoers.

One-woman show

Another producer, Anne Princess Montealegre, who brought the Paolo Santos Trio in Dubai, said “Kumita naman (We made money). Not that big, but good enough.”

The artists performed at the same restobar on Dec. 20 at tickets that started at AED145 ($40).

Montealegre, who shouldered the performers’ plane ticket, food and hotel stay, said the Paolo Santos Trio was their debut production.

“The whole production, organization and overall is just me and my family,” said Montealegre, a product specialist at a Germany-based, dermoscopy company in Dubai.

Montealegre is not new to events like this. She used to organize concerts back in the Philippines, she said.

With her first production in Dubai having gone well, Montealegre is working on sending in more artists. “Will announce it soon – international, local bands and solo artists,” she said.

‘Break-even’

Grace Yurie Moore, a furniture shop owner by day, will be bringing in Elias J.TV Band on January 9 and 11 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively.  Dubai tickets start at AED99 ($27), while Abu Dhabi is at AED297 ($81), both for the early bird special.

She was behind the “Queen of Soul” Jaya’s Nov. 2024 performance in the UAE, joined by Geo Rebucas and Poppert Bernadas.

“Sometimes, it’s break-even,” she said of the earnings.

Moore said she arranged for everything – from hotel to marketing.

Meantime, Villegas, who has also been behind recent shows like The Juans and Arci Muñoz, has also been doing this as a side-hustle, his day job being brand design and marketing, where he works from home.

His third was the recent Kris Lawrence concert, which he did with Bagac.  He plans to team up anew with Bagac for the Angeli Khang and Robb Guinto gig next month.

“‘Pag winter lang naman malakas ang events,” he said. (Events like these are good only during winter.)

‘There’s earnings’

“May kita siyempre (There’s earnings of course.) More detailed answer is confidential,” he said.

Villegas said he provides for the plane fare and hotel accommodation, “but later on, as the cash flow comes in, it will be covered on the total profit and loss.”

Ticket prices range from AED69 ($19) to AED399 ($109), depending on the artist, demand, and venue capacity, among others, he said.

“Generally, Filipino audiences are engaging when it comes to local Filipino artists coming all the way from the Philippines to here. Filipinos are sentimental and almost always emotionally invested, so when they attend an event with their favorite artist, you can expect to have a really good time with the crowd,” said Villegas.—LDF, GMA Integrated News