All Day

Children’s Biennial

Umm Al Emarat Park Abu Dhabi

What a good idea this is: the Abu Dhabi Festival is running the first outdoor children’s art biennale in the Middle East Under the theme How the World Feels, the Biennale will explore how children experience the world through touch, [... more]

Standard park entry AED 10

Mahmoud Moussa: Sculpture, Form & Memory

Region Concept Space MiZA, Abu Dhabi

The UAE's first solo exhibition dedicated to the Egyptian sculptor. Mahmoud Moussa (1913–2003) is described by Maha Al Mansoori Art Gallery – which is responsible for this short-run Frieze-adjacent show – as one of the most important figures in Arab [... more]

Free

DIFC Art Nights

DIFC Gate Village Dubai

Under the theme Future Forms, DIFC Art Nights claims to feature more than 600 artworks in exhibitions, "interactive art installations", creative workshops, live artistic performances and musical entertainment. This edition also has a dedicated Emirati heritage art corner with works [... more]

Free

Down to Earth 2026

Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

The Jameel’s annual festival for eco-consciousness and sustainability is back for its seventh edition in the Arts Centre and across the Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park. Expect a weekend of botanical inspirations, workshops, performances, tours and family-friendly activities alongside artists, gardeners, [... more]

Free

Sharjah Architecture Triennial: opening week

[various Sharjah locations]

The third edition of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial runs 14 November to to 14 April under the theme Architecture Otherwise: Building Civic Infrastructure for Collective Futures. Curated by Vyjayanthi Rao, with Tau Tavengwa as Associate Curator, SAT03 brings together 35 [... more]

Free

Sebastian Mayer: Hannibaby and Zarafa

Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, Sharjah

Two further performances of Sebastian Mayer’s Hannibaby and Zarafa. Hannibaby manifests as a walkabout performance by a life-sized baby elephant puppet, alongside a workshop series instructing families in the art of creating and decorating their own 3D elephant masks. It [... more]

Free, but pre-register

Shakespeare for Kidz: Macbeth

Cultural Foundation Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Abu Dhabi

A thrilling, child-friendly musical-thriller adaptation of Shakespeare’s play of shenanigans in the Scottish court with daggers and added witches. The S4K (Shakespeare for Kidz) team has been bringing the world of Shakespeare to young people around the world for more [... more]

From AED 135

CLOSING TODAY Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial

Calligraphy Square – Sharjah Art Museum Sharjah

This 12th edition of the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial has the theme 'Balance' and features 297 works by 145 artists from around the world. It's always an interesting visit because of the range of styles and techniques on show, covering traditional [... more]

Free

Sliman Mansour: Promises and Scars

Warehouse 46 Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

A mini-retrospective for Sliman Mansour during Alserkal Art Week 2026 covering five decades of his work – “the first time since 2011 that such an extensive body of the artist’s work has been brought together in a single exhibition”, says [... more]

Free

History Otherwise: Women Modernists from the Arab World

Concrete Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Curated by Suheyla Takesh and Rémi Homs, this exhibition features works from the Barjeel Art Foundation collection, including pieces by Inji Efflatoun, Samia Halaby and Mona Saudi; it also has some archival exhibition posters dating from the 1940s to the [... more]

Beyond the Book Club: Sense and Sensibility

Emirates Literature Foundation Dar Al Adaab, Al Shindagha, Dubai

An afternoon dedicated to Jane Austen’s novel of love, family, heartbreak, and societal expectations (which of course you could say about most of her novels. Maybe not Northanger Abbey ...) This sort-of book club with tea and good conversation will [... more]

AED 105

Comedy at the Speakeasy

Moon Bar Mina Al Salam, Madinat Jumeriah, Dubai

The Mad Cat team does the rather cool Moon Bar at the Sana Restaurant in Mina Al Salam – a great venue: quite intimate, few distractions. Featuring surprise drop-ins, fresh material, and “the kind of intimate room where sitting in the [... more]

AED 99

Dubomedy’s Stand-up Showcase

La Vue Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Cluster T, Dubai

An evening of stand-up with graduates of Dubomedy's Stand-up Workshops plus special guests. Free, but you're recommended to pre-register because spaces are limited and go fast ...

Free