SXSW 2025: Museum of the Future

The pop-up also offered programming from diverse speakers and topics not seen elsewhere at the festival, from Arab cinema, to growing sustainable food in the desert and even featuring an appearance from Hazzaa Al Mansoori, the first Emirati astronaut.

Alongside the food for thought, guests could also indulge in a taste of Dubai hospitality in the museum’s garden. Chocolatier FIX brought its pistachio and tahini chocolate, a TikTok viral sensation inspired by the Middle Eastern dessert knafeh, while Project Chaiwala offered traditional chai demonstrations.

VML Intelligence spoke to Brendan McGetrick, internationally renowned curator and creative director of the museum, who explained that the time is right to share some of Dubai’s optimism. “People's assumption of what the future is going to be like is grim” he said, adding “there's a self-fulfilling dimension to that, where if you're incapable of imagining a better future, then you're probably incapable of producing a better future.”

The nation itself stands as an example of what can be achieved. “The United Arab Emirates is just fifty years old,” he said, “What they've achieved in that time is extraordinary - in 1971 we had one high school and one road. Who knows where we're going to be in 50 years?”

The goal of the pop-up then is to open minds and ultimately, encourage people to think differently about Dubai. “I would like people to feel a bit more curious, and maybe a bit warmer about it,” said McGetrick. In a year in which brand activations were significantly thinner on the ground, the showcase suggested a city confident of its emerging role as a global leader in innovation and creativity.