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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260119
DTSTAMP:20260425T071107
CREATED:20260113T090910Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260113T090910Z
UID:10013254-1768348800-1768780799@magpie.ae
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:20260425T071107
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:20260425T071107
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
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260128
DTSTAMP:20260425T071107
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
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260123
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260202
DTSTAMP:20260425T071107
CREATED:20260119T170458Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260119T170458Z
UID:10013321-1769126400-1769990399@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Sikka Art and Design Festival
DESCRIPTION:The 14th edition of what has become one of Dubai Culture’s flagship initiatives is back in Al Shindagha Historic District\, this year with the theme ‘Imagining Dubai: Identities of the Future’. \nThe festival promises “a diverse array of artworks” in gallery and public art formats\, workshops\, panel discussions\, live performances\, food and retail markets\, “and other activities”. As usual there doesn’t seem to be any specific advance information – no website\, no overall directory/guide – but the press releases says there will be more than 250 artworks showing in 16 houses. To find out what’s out when the Instagram feed is probably your best option\, but with less than a week to go it was still full of last year’s info. \nStill\, Sikka is always worth the trip – especially as it’s free to enter.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/sikka-art-and-design-festival-4/
LOCATION:Al Shindagha\, Dubai Creek\, Dubai
CATEGORIES:Festival
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260124
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260126
DTSTAMP:20260425T071107
CREATED:20260120T151617Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260120T152421Z
UID:10013333-1769212800-1769385599@magpie.ae
SUMMARY:Quoz Arts Festival
DESCRIPTION:Quoz Arts Fest returns to Alserkal Avenue on 24 and 25 January with a mix of experimental art installations\, live music\, exhibitions\, “food experiences”\, and “encounters designed for all ages”. Basmah El Bittar\, Director of Alserkal Avenue\, reckons the 2026 Quoz Fest highlights the depth of regional talent – “artists whose work reflects the pulse\, perspective and creative energy of the region … local artisans whose craft and culinary expressions shape the cultural fabric of the festival …” \nThere’s no theme as such\, but the press release says “this edition foregrounds practices that invite movement\, collective listening\, and new modes of engaging with art in public spaces\, transforming the neighbourhood into a space for sound\, gesture\, and shared experience”. Which could cover just about any festival with a performance and visual art component\, but hey … \nMusic\nThis year’s music programme is led by the Palestinian hip-hop collective DAM and Gayathri Krishnan on Saturdays\, Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan (indie-Arabic royalty) plus TootArd (below) on Sunday. Throughout the weekend\, Stage 2.0 offers a dedicated platform for the emerging and less well known\, a “space for experimentation\, exchange\, and new collaborations” as the blurb has it. \n \nThe Fridge Warehouse is also running two days of evening shows – Serena & The Velvet Chords and Calista Liaw on Saturday\, Imelda Gabs and Hosny on Sunday – with Open Mic slots between sets for new talent to showcase their work (if you’re interested there are still some slots available\, we hear). \nArt\nFrom the Lips to the Moon (below) is a “collaborative sonic journey” created for the festival by Pouya Ehsaei and Tara Fatehi – an immersive soundscape shaped by voice\, gesture\, and improvisation. And Jean-Baptiste André will present Floe\, a nomadic project bringing together a visual installation designed by Vincent Lamouroux that sets as a stage for a choreographed performance. \n \nThe biggie is Numen/For Use’s TAPE project at Concrete (top). This is a series of site-specific cocoon-like structures shaped through self-forming processes inspired by patterns found in nature – each installation begins as a set of linear trajectories stretched across the space\, before being diagonally wrapped in layers of elastic tape. Says the PR: “these installations dissolve the boundaries between sculpture and architecture\, turning viewers into participants and space into a shared organism …” This is the project’s first time in Dubai\, but it has been presented successfully in more than 10 cities around the world. \nCommunity et al\nJossa at Warehouse 45 has activity zones with fun soft structures for kids\, Mawaheb has a multimedia presentation of works by adults of determination\, and the Reel Palestine souk returns with 50+ vendors selling crafts and food rooted in Palestinian heritage. And there will be many curated pop-ups\, warehouse takeovers\, and “neighbourhood culinary concepts” across the lanes. \nExtras\nAlongside the ‘official’ programme (which you get in return for your entrance fee of AED 100 per day – no\, theren’t any discount if you buy a two-day pass) many of the Avenue’s regular venues are putting on shows of their own (with separate\, and therefore additional\, ticketing). They include Cinema Akil with Reel Palestine screenings starting this weekend\, and the Junction is running three fringe-ish shows (Hold on to your Butts\, La Lezione di Teatro | The Acting Class and Fly\, You Fools!) perhaps as a precursor to the fully-fledged fringe festival it plans to bring to Al Quoz later this year.
URL:https://magpie.ae/event/quoz-arts-festival/
LOCATION:Alserkal Avenue\, Al Quoz 1\, Dubai
CATEGORIES:Festival
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