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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:20260116
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260209
DTSTAMP:20260417T234653
CREATED:20260112T180856Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260112T180856Z
UID:10013232-1768521600-1770595199@magpie.ae
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://magpie.ae/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/RAK-ART.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260117
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260202
DTSTAMP:20260417T234653
CREATED:20260112T182305Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260112T182553Z
UID:10013237-1768608000-1769990399@magpie.ae
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260122
DTSTAMP:20260417T234653
CREATED:20260112T180751Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260123T121822Z
UID:10013230-1768953600-1769039999@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Picasso\, the Figure
DESCRIPTION:A landmark monographic exhibition that traces Picasso’s lifelong preoccupation with the human form. Included are more than 130 artworks from the Musée National Picasso-Paris and other institutions\, as well as Louvre Abu Dhabi\, DCT Abu Dhabi\, and other regional collections that suggest the artist’s influence on the Arab world; also featured are works by key Arab modernists who have engaged with Picasso’s legacy\, such as Jewad Selim’s Alqailoula [The Nap] (1958\, below). \n \nThe exhibition offers a chronological itinerary of Picasso’s radical transformations\, intertwining figuration with enduring mythological archetypes across painting\, sculpture\, drawing\, and ceramics. It is curated by Cécile Debray\, Virginie Perdrisot-Cassan (both from Musée national Picasso–Paris) and Aisha AlAhmadi (Associate Curator at Louvre Abu Dhabi). \nUnmissable. To 31 May.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/picasso-the-figure/
LOCATION:Louvre Abu Dhabi\, Saadiyat Island\, Abu Dhabi
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://magpie.ae/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/picasso1.webp
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X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Louvre Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Saadiyat Island:geo:54.4451578,24.5302924
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260122
DTSTAMP:20260417T234653
CREATED:20260114T102330Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260114T102330Z
UID:10013287-1768953600-1769039999@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Caty Cordahi: Dubai\, from Dunes to Vibrant Crowds
DESCRIPTION:An expressionist exploration of the city that captures Dubai as it is felt\, rather than as it is seen. “Through [Cordahi’s] expressive brushstrokes\, colour becomes a language\, revealing the city’s complexity – its energy\, diversity\, and profound contradictions.” \nTo 5 February.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/caty-cordahi-dubai-from-dunes-to-vibrant-crowds/
LOCATION:La Galerie\, Alliance Française Dubai\, Alliance Française Dubai\, Dubai\, United Arab Emirates
CATEGORIES:Art,Exhibition
GEO:25.2334844;55.3155556
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=La Galerie Alliance Française Dubai Alliance Française Dubai Dubai United Arab Emirates;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=Alliance Française Dubai:geo:55.3155556,25.2334844
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260128
DTSTAMP:20260417T234653
CREATED:20260113T170612Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260114T152756Z
UID:10013274-1768953600-1769558399@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
DESCRIPTION:LitFest is back with the usual rich brew of panel discussions and conversations\, talks\, workshops\, family activities and the LitFest After Hours programme. It looks like the biggest and most varied yet\, so that probably means it will be the best … \nSome sessions are free (including workshops for beginner writers) but most are charged-for – AED 50 upwards (AED 200 for many of the single-author sessions\, AED 300+ for workshops\, AED 425 for the Desert Stanzas poetry-music performances under the stars). There’s a multi-day pass at AED 400\, which looks like a bargain – in fac it only gets you into Conversations\, Family Activities\, and LitFest After Hours\, but you could easily spend a lot more than 400 on those. \nMore multi-session pass options would be a good thing. So would a scheduler; there are 22 venue rooms in total and half-hour slots between 8am and 10pm across the seven days (not all of which are filled\, of course\, but there are more than 150 events in total) so it can get quite complicated looking for non-clashing events. There’s a PDF grid here which might help\, though it’s bit and difficult to use; something a bit more AI-ish would have been better – “is this mix of events doable?” or “will I have time to get from A to B?” for instance.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/emirates-airline-festival-of-literature-2/
LOCATION:InterContinental Hotel\, Dubai Festival City\, Dubai
CATEGORIES:Festival,Words
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://magpie.ae/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/litfest.webp
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