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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for magpie
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TZID:Asia/Dubai
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DTSTART:20250101T000000
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260119
DTSTAMP:20260418T064431
CREATED:20260113T090910Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260113T090910Z
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SUMMARY:Sharjah Festival of African Literature
DESCRIPTION:The second edition of the festival brings together 20 African and nine Emirati authors for around 20 Library sessions\, book talks and panel discussions – and a series of African cooking sessions. The theme is “The African Way”\, which is more or less what you’d expect given the title. There’s not much detail on what happens when and who’s involved\, but The National has listed some of the authors due to attend: \nLemn Sissay British-Ethiopian poet\, writer and playwright\nSiphiwe Gloria Ndlovu Zimbabwean novelist\, winner of Best International Fiction Book award at last year’s Sharjah International Book Fair\nTsitsi Dangarembga Zimbabwean author who has been longlisted for the Booker\nNahida Esmail Tanzanian author and poet known for young adult and children’s literature\nRichard Mabala British-Tanzanian cultural activist and author\nSefi Atta Nigerian-American author\nDilman Dila Ugandan writer and filmmaker\nBeatrice Lamwaka Ugandan author
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/sharjah-festival-of-african-literature/
LOCATION:University City\, Sharjah
CATEGORIES:Festival,Words
GEO:25.3561698;55.427211
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260116
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260209
DTSTAMP:20260418T064431
CREATED:20260112T180856Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260112T180856Z
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SUMMARY:Ras Al Khaimah Art 2026 Festival 
DESCRIPTION:In the last few years the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival has grown into a solid contributor to the UAE’s arts and culture scene\, with a community-oriented twist to the mix of exhibitions\, performances\, workshops and film screenings. There’s always a theme – this year it’s ‘Civilizations’\, a catch-all which should be able to accommodate just about any kind of culture – but the characteristic feature is the community engagement and the strong sense of RAK itself being part of the festival. \nIt has an excellent site at Al Jazeera Al Hamra Heritage Village\, which is where most of the exhibitions and events happen – exhibitions are open for the whole of the festival (16 January to 8 February)\, but performances and other one-offs occupy the three weekends. \nThis first weekend sees guided art and heritage tours\, several workshops – including calligraphy\, light art\, traditional agriculture\, and a two-day Photowalk and Film Photography masterclass – and live performances. They kick off with AlMaydee’s soulful soft rock (Friday\, 9-9.45pm) and the Saturday stage gets Luiza (jazzy pop\, great voice) followed by the AFCENT Band (that’s the official US Air Forces Central ensemble with a signature mix of pop\, rock\, and big band jazz). \nElsewhere in the village there’s Alana Hicks with a one-woman show titled Voices in the Dark (“a thoughtful exploration of identity\, culture\, and the threads that bind us: Saturday 6pm) and James Scarr with his excellent Mime Show (Sunday 6pm). \nNew for 2026 is The Hidden Table\, a curated culinary programme that expands the festival into gastronomy by positioning food as a form of cultural storytelling; the first two weekends get Chama\, an open-fire dining experience by Portuguese chef Tiago Pazzini with no fixed menu (“each evening is guided by seasonality\, elemental cooking\, and instinct\, allowing cuisine to unfold as a live\, creative expression”). The final weekend it’s Restaurant Pine\, the creation of Northumberland chefs Cal Byerley and Ian Waller to celebrate “the rhythm of the seasons [and] a modern echo of ancient land”. \nChama will cost you AED 350 but entrance to the festival and most of the other happenings are free\, including the live music. Preregistration is required for the spaces-limited events like the workshops; check out the full first-weekend programme here.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/ras-al-khaimah-art-2026-festival/
LOCATION:Al Jazeera Al Hamra\, Ras Al Khaimah
CATEGORIES:Community event,Festival
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260117
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260202
DTSTAMP:20260418T064431
CREATED:20260112T182305Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260112T182553Z
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SUMMARY:Al Hosn Festival
DESCRIPTION:This living expression of Abu Dhabi’s Culture is always worth a visit. The emphasis is on heritage\, so the Al Hosn programme includes traditional souks\, performances (lots of ayyalah)\, food\, coffee\, kids’ workshops and more. It runs 4pm to 11pm daily.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/al-hosn-festival-2/
LOCATION:Al Hosn\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Festival,Heritage
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://magpie.ae/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/al-nosn-festival.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260119
DTSTAMP:20260418T064431
CREATED:20250918T121046Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250918T121046Z
UID:10012701-1768694400-1768780799@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:LAST CHANCE Ala Younis: Past of a Temporal Universe
DESCRIPTION:This mid-career retrospective marks the first institutional survey in the region for Ala Younis. It includes archival installations\, textiles\, murals\, mosaics\, and drawings spanning the last two decades of her hybrid practice as an artist-researcher-curator. There will also be some major new works\, including a collaboration with historian Dr Masha Kirasirova supported by NYUAD’s Research Kitchens\, and new projects developed during the artist’s tenure as research scholar at NYUAD’s al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art. \nInformed by her training in architecture and visual cultures\, Younis’ projects centre on the physical developments and narrative intersections of the Arab geographies in which she grew up\, frequently drawing from a wide range of formal and informal archives. Together\, these works trace conceptual and formal throughlines in her work\, from the tools and skills she developed as she emerged in the art scene of Amman to her experiments in navigating new knowledge as she evolved the unique methods and perspective for which she is noted today.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/last-chance-ala-younis-past-of-a-temporal-universe/
LOCATION:NYUAD Art Gallery\, Saadiyat\, Abu Dhabi\, United Arab Emirates
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T170000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T213000
DTSTAMP:20260418T064431
CREATED:20251231T152957Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260114T154515Z
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SUMMARY:War and Peace
DESCRIPTION:The second and final performance of the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre adaptation of Tolstoy’s epic novel\, by celebrated director Rimas Tuminas. Reviews suggest that most of the grandeur and complexity of Tolstoy’s work has been retained\, with the Napoleonic Wars as the background for the lives\, ambitions\, hopes and sorrows of the three families portrayed: the Rostovs\, the Bolkonskys\, the Kuragins. It’s performed in Russian with English surtitles.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/war-and-peace-2/
LOCATION:Dubai Opera
CATEGORIES:Theatre
GEO:25.1928528;55.2789648
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DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T190000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T203000
DTSTAMP:20260418T064431
CREATED:20251231T151354Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251231T151354Z
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SUMMARY:Memory under Construction: Rashad Bukhash in conversation with Lina Najem
DESCRIPTION:Architect Rashad Bukhash has restored and protected from demolition hundreds of buildings in Dubai. In this conversation with researcher Lina Najem\, he revisits decades of work on both shores of Dubai Creek\, including a long tenure at Dubai Municipality\, with a look back on what has been learned along the way. \nThis is a public event associated with the Jameel’s Night School 2026\, an intensive five-week seminar programme (which itself is now fully subscribed).
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/memory-under-construction-rashad-bukhash-in-conversation-with-lina-najem/
LOCATION:Jameel Arts Centre\, Al Jaddaf\, Dubai
CATEGORIES:Conversation
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T190000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T203000
DTSTAMP:20260418T064431
CREATED:20251231T152214Z
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SUMMARY:School is a City: Prasad Shetty and Rupali Gupte
DESCRIPTION:Prasad Shetty and Rupali Gupte reflect on the motivations and challenges that shaped their commitment to the School of Environment and Architecture in Mumbai which they founded in 2014. Today\, it is a fully accredited architecture school with around 200 students\, 30 faculty members\, and a reputation for a critical and playfully experimental approach. Gupte and Shetty suggest one of the clearest ways architects contribute to a city: by engaging those who will soon be designing it. \nThis is a public event associated with the Jameel’s Night School 2026\, an intensive five-week seminar programme (which itself is now fully subscribed).
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/school-is-a-city-prasad-shetty-and-rupali-gupte/
LOCATION:Jameel Arts Centre\, Al Jaddaf\, Dubai
CATEGORIES:Talk
GEO:25.216757;55.3309395
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DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T190000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T223000
DTSTAMP:20260418T064431
CREATED:20260115T102434Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T102434Z
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SUMMARY:Sunday Night Comedy
DESCRIPTION:Dubomedy’s standup night at Social Distrikt returns. This has become a bit of a fixture: good vibes\, good comedy\, and “you never know who will pop in”. Recommended. \nIt’s free\, but it’s popular\, so pre-booking is recommended to get a seat. And there’s a minimum spend of one drink or food item (which you were probably going to get anyhow).
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/sunday-night-comedy-4/
LOCATION:Social Distrikt\, The Pointe\, Palm Jumeirah\, Dubai
CATEGORIES:Comedy
GEO:25.1268007;55.1219323
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T193000
DTEND;TZID=Asia/Dubai:20260118T213000
DTSTAMP:20260418T064431
CREATED:20260113T144527Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260113T144527Z
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SUMMARY:Aakash Odedra: Songs of the Bulbul
DESCRIPTION:Aakash Odedra returns to the Arts Center with his latest work\, an hour of beautiful\, engrossing virtuoso dance from a single dancer that unashamedly embodies emotions – mostly joy\, some reflection\, a tinge of sadness and pain – in a piece that ultimately describes a journey towards unity with the divine that is the core of Sufism. You don’t have to believe in the spiritual to feel the story\, though; the dancing\, the choreography\, the music\, the lighting are all that good. \nIn Persian tradition the bulbul is the bird we know as the nightingale\, famous for its melodious song and symbolising beauty\, love\, and even springtime in many cultures. The beauty of the bulbul’s singing is supposed to increase as it nears the end of its life\, mirroring the way physical boundaries can be transcended as we move towards enlightenment and the divine. \nTo extract the most powerful melody from the caged bird\, a bulbul underwent a gruelling process of ‘training’. “It was first placed in a pitch-black room so that it would sing out of a desperate longing for light to touch its feathers once more. This was followed by several harsh stages of deprivation. Finally\, in the last stage\, the bird’s eyes were removed. Blinded and broken\, the bird realised its only remaining option was to leave its mortal body by singing one final\, powerful\, and melancholic song – leaving its earthly cage behind to transcend to a higher realm where it could no longer be confined”. \nSongs of the Bulbul shows us this progress from within a minimal but highly effective set designed by Emanuele Salamanca that includes a bank of (electric) candles and endless rose petals. It’s all set off by Fabiana Piccioli’s exquisite\, atmospheric lighting; watch out for the dramatic blinding sequence … \nThe score is by Rushil Ranjan (from the Orchestral Qawwali Project) that weaves classical Indian rhythms with modern orchestral textures. It’s played (in a recording) by co-commissioners Manchester Camerata.  Principal choreography is by Rani Khanam\, a distinguished kathak dancer with more three decades of professional experience and numerous accolades to her name. \nOriginally staged at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2024\, Songs of the Bulbul has been touring in Britain to rave reviews (we saw it somewhat arbitrarily in Norwich). After Abu Dhabi it moves on to three dates in Australia and one in Florida. \nThe performance will be followed by a Q&A with Aakash Odedra and Dr Alka Bagri of the Bagri Foundation\, co-presenter of Songs of the Bulbul. \nOur feature on Songs of the Bulbul is here.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/aakash-odedra-songs-of-the-bulbul/
LOCATION:The Arts Center @ NYUAD\, NYUAD Campus\, Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi\, United Arab Emirates
CATEGORIES:Dance
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