9 October 2025

Candlelight: From Mozart to Chopin

Mina A’Salam Hotel Jumeirah Road, Dubai

Aldo Dotti plays a 65-minute programme of classical piano favourites by the gentle glow of candlelight. The programme: Mozart: Rondo alla Turca from Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K 331 Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 12 in F Major, [ ... ]

From AED 150

Sharjah International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFF)

Vox Cinema, City Center Al Zahia University Road, Al Zahia, Sharjah

The 12th Edition of SIFF takes place 6 to 11 October at VOX Cinemas in City Centre Al Zahia with what looks like a strong lineup – 76 films (chosen from 1,740 submissions!) representing 26 countries. South Korea is participating [ ... ]

tbc

Mo Amer

Dubai Opera

First of two Dubai Comedy Festival nights with two shows per night (6.30 and 9.30m) for the Palestinian-American stand-up and writer. Expect reflections on family, fresh takes on fatherhood, and candid insights on today’s world.  

From AED 295

Banafsheh Hemmati: Body Geometry

Satellite Gallery DIFC, Dubai

The first solo exhibition in the UAE for the Tehran-based artist-designer presents a collection of the artist’s jewellery and wearable sculptures. Body Geometry is a research-based project, where the design process is presented as well as the finished pieces. As [ ... ]

Free

And After

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

A major group exhibition that explores the element of air and its various states through the lens of Arabic terminology, specifically Sukoon, Hawaa, Naseem and Riyah. Sukoon symbolises stillness and the pause between movement; Hawaa refers to the gentle, everyday [ ... ]

Free

Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim: Two Clouds in the Night Sky

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

A solo show celebrating the work of Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, a massively influential figure in the development of contemporary art in the UAE. He was part of the UAE's first generation of contemporary artists from the late 1980s, an avant-garde [ ... ]

Free

Masood Boomgaard

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

The rather good South African / Indian comedian is back for a Dubai Comedy festival gig with his alter ego, Self-Help Singh, alternative life coach and de-motivational speaker (who apparently “first appeared to Boomgaard in a vision after he fell [ ... ]

From AED 250

Psycho: dir Alfred Hitchcock (1960)

Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

It doesn't get much better than the original if you want a psychological thriller dripping with suspense. Janet Leigh stars as Phoenix secretary Marion Crane, absconding with a small fortune of her employer’s money; she takes a wrong turn in [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

Shakespeare’s Othello

The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

A much acclaimed version of Shakespeare's original, adapted for Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre Centre by director Lara Foot. Other reworkings of Othello have riffed on the notion of the outsider (and a victim of racism) who will always be looked [ ... ]

AED 105

German Laugh Club

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

Benaissa Lamroubal, Khalid Bounouar, and Salim Samatou – three big names in German stand-up – are bringing an evening of sharp wit, bold stories, and non-stop laughs to the Dubai Comedy Festival And it's all in German, which is something [ ... ]

From AED 170

Mo Amer

Dubai Opera

Second of two Dubai Comedy Festival nights with two shows per night (6.30 and 9.30m) for the Palestinian-American stand-up and writer. Expect reflections on family, fresh takes on fatherhood, and candid insights on today’s world.  

From AED 295

Paul Taylor

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

Offbeat expat anecdotes of being a Brit in France from a British comedian who has made a name for himself there by creating, writing, and starring in the hit TV show WTF France. He also claims to be the first [ ... ]

From AED 250

Les Choristes: dir Christophe Barratier (2004)

Germaine Tillion Garden, SUAD Campus Abu Dhabi

This French-language musical drama has a famed French conductor performing in the United States returning to his home in France for his mother's funeral. An old friend calls round with a diary that belonged to their old teacher; reading it [ ... ]

Free

Shakespeare’s Othello

The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The second performance of Lara Foot's decolonial version of Shakespeare's original, set in 1880s Namibia (which at the time was German Southwest Africa) and inviting the audiences to see the legacies of the brutal violence of colonisation. It feels like [ ... ]

AED 105

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

The Agenda Media City, Dubai

The October Laughter Factory tour, billed as "Arena-Quality Comedy in an Intimate Setting"; it's certainly a good one this time round. The acts: Jimmy McGhie Gold-plated comedy from a UK standup who's performed all round the world (he's been a [ ... ]

AED 160

The Shape of Things to Come

Efiɛ Gallery 2 Al Khayat Art Avenue, First Al Khail Street, Dubai

A striking collection of artists feature in this group show, with works by El Anatsui, Iman Issa, Abdoulaye Konaté, Adam Pendleton, Yinka Shonibare and Carrie Mae Weems. Curated by Japan-based American curator Dexter Wimberly, the exhibition responds to "the shifting [ ... ]

Free

Matty Grey: 101 Ways to Annoy Your Parents and Other Really Old People

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

Matty Grey’s award-winning show for the Dubai Comedy Festival has a dangerousy seductive title. We're promised outrageously funny antics, gross-out games, and "hilarious tips on how to drive grown-ups crazy (in the best way)". There's a second show tomorrow (12 [ ... ]

From AED 75

Jonny Awsum: The Kids Show

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

Feel-good musical comedy for the Dubai Comedy Festival, "guaranteed to get all ages singing and laughing along". Each show finishes with a meet and greet session with Jonny and a photo opportunity with the bowler hats from ‘This is a [ ... ]

AED 125

Amer Zahr

Dubai Opera

The Palestinian-American comedian (and author, political activist and adjunct professor at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law) brings more than 10 years of comedy experience to this Dubai Comedy festival gig. He was great at last year's Festival, too, [ ... ]

From AED 150

Laser Kiwi: Rise of the Olive

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

"The world’s only surreal sketch circus" comes to the Dubai Comedy Festival. This award-winning trio brings world-record bounce juggling, jaw-dropping aerial acts, Jenga stunts, and plenty of pimento-stuffed olives in a wildly inventive show that blends next-level circus skills with [ ... ]

From AED 100

Édith par Jil Aigrot

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

The 'Edith' is Edith Édith, and singer Jil Aigrot provided Piaf's voice in the Oscar-winning La Vie en Rose. This production, which has already been a success when staged in Dubai some months ago, takes audiences on a journey through [ ... ]

From AED 150

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Africa Hall Al Manakh, Sharjah

The fourth edition of Sharjah Art Foundation's Perform Sharjah programme of performances opens with Muhanad Kareem’s adaptation of the 2009 novel by Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk. In a remote village, surrounded by a dense forest full of wild animals, a [ ... ]

Free

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

Studio One Hotel Dubai Studio City, Dubai

The October Laughter Factory tour looks a good one. The acts: Jimmy McGhie Gold-plated comedy from a UK standup who's performed all round the world (he's been a hit in Dubai too). Highly recommended Karen Bayley Well-established (over a decade [ ... ]

AED 160

Matty Grey: 101 Ways to Annoy Your Parents and Other Really Old People

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

A second outing for Matty Grey’s award-winning show for the Dubai Comedy Festival. We're promised outrageously funny antics, gross-out games, and "hilarious tips on how to drive grown-ups crazy (in the best way)".

From AED 75

Jonny Awsum: The Kids Show

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

Another performance of this feel-good musical comedy for the Dubai Comedy Festival, "guaranteed to get all ages singing and laughing along". Each show finishes with a meet-and-greet session with Jonny and a photo opportunity with the bowler hats from ‘This [ ... ]

AED 125

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein: dir Charles Barton (1948)

Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Gratifyingly, this does exactly what it says on the tin (or rather, in the title): the world of railroad baggage handlers Chick Young (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Lou Costello) is turned upside down when they receive a strange shipment [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

The Mummy: dir Stephen Sommers (1999)

Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Action-packed tongue-firmly-in-cheek adventure. Deep in the Egyptian desert, a band of explorers searching for long-lost treasure have accidentally unearthed and resurrected a 3,000-year-old Egyptian priest. Adventurer Rick O' Connell (Brendan Fraser) pairs up with librarian (?) Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) and [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

Imah Dumagay: Rice and Sand

Playhouse Studio Theatre New Covent Garden, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

A mash-up of expat life, identity crises, marriage survival, and the everyday chaos of being too polite and too tired at the same time, the funniest Filipina in Dubai dives deep into what it means to be a woman navigating [ ... ]

AED 150

Laser Kiwi: Rise of the Olive

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

A second Dubai Comedy Festival performance for "the world’s only surreal sketch circus". Expect world-record bounce juggling, jaw-dropping aerial acts, Jenga stunts, and plenty of pimento-stuffed olives in a wildly inventive show that blends next-level circus skills with a lot [ ... ]

From AED 100

Riaad Moosa & Joey Rasdien: Brother from Another Mother

Dubai Opera

The South African comedy reunite on stage for this Dubai Comedy Festival show. Expect witty takes on identity, politics, and family, with contrasting styles that make for very good on-stage chemistry ...

From AED150

PechaKucha: On Noise

Etihad Museum 1 Jumeirah St, Dubai

Sound is a force we rarely notice, yet it shapes our spatial, emotional, and cultural experiences in profound ways. This PechaKucha explores the unseen aspects of sound, spanning audiology, vinyl technology, architectural acoustics, voice as branding, and early childhood communication [ ... ]

Free

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

Studio One Hotel Dubai Studio City, Dubai

The October Laughter Factory tour looks a good one. The acts: Jimmy McGhie Gold-plated comedy from a UK standup who's performed all round the world (he's been a hit in Dubai too). Highly recommended Karen Bayley Well-established (over a decade [ ... ]

AED 160

Redouane Bougheraba

Dubai Opera

French comedy icon Redouane Bougheraba is back in Dubai, headlining a Dubai Opera show for the Dubai Comedy festival. French comedy doesn't get much better than this ...

From AED195

The Teachers’ Lounge: dir İlker Çatak (2023)

Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch) is an idealistic new high-school teacher. She seems to have connected with her Year 8 students, who are engaged and eager to learn in her maths class. But something is bubbling underneath the surface, and she’s [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro

Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Exactly what it says: an evening of scenes, stories and narrative improvisation influenced by audience suggestions and featuring the Courtyard Playhouse's most experienced improv performers plus guests. Classic Courtyard improv. It's free, but you need to put your name on [ ... ]

Free

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

Aura Skypool Palm Tower 50th floor, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai

The October Laughter Factory tour looks a good one. The acts: Jimmy McGhie Gold-plated comedy from a UK standup who's performed all round the world (he's been a hit in Dubai too). Highly recommended Karen Bayley Well-established (over a decade [ ... ]

AED 250

Slava’s Snowshow

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

It might be a bit early for Christmas, but this really is one of the best seasonal shows around – a whimsical blur of laughter, awe, and magic that has already been seen by more than 12 million theatregoers in80 [ ... ]

From AED 225

Happy Holidays: dir Scandar Copti (2024)

The Arts Center @ NYUAD NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Studying away from home has given Fifi (Manar Shehab) a new sense of autonomy, but waking up in a hospital room after minor car accident in Jerusalem and surrounded by her family she will have to decide how much of her [ ... ]

AED 30

Slava’s Snowshow

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

It might be a bit early for Christmas, but this really is one of the best seasonal shows around – a whimsical blur of laughter, awe, and magic that has already been seen by more than 12 million theatregoers in80 [ ... ]

From AED 225

Silvio Porzionato and Laurence Jenkell: Sweet Faces

Oblong Contemporary Art Gallery Al Khayat Art Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai

Italian painter Silvio Porzionato offers monumental oil portraits, "transforming everyday faces into universal icons of humanity" as the gallery has it. French sculptor Laurence Jenkell brings a colourful and dynamic style, her 3D works suggesting "playful symbols of memory and [ ... ]

Wednesday Night Impro: Maestro

Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Courtyard's most peopular evening of elimination improv. Ten actors converge for a night of scenes, songs and games based on audience suggestions. After each round you score the players on a scale of 1 to 5, and the one [ ... ]

Free

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

The Strand Palm Wesy Views, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai

The October Laughter Factory tour looks a good one, and this looks an interesting gig for them – "the world’s first-ever, dog-friendly, live stand-up comedy event". Yep, bring your dog. Thendoor price includes a drink. The acts: Jimmy McGhie Gold-plated [ ... ]

AED 185

LAST CHANCE Ranim AlHalaky: Of Liminal Threads

Tashkeel Studio and Gallery Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tashkeel reopens its Nad Al Sheba Gallery with this solo exhibition by Syrian-Lebanese artist and designer Ranim AlHalaky, the culmination of a year-long journey of research, mentorship, and production as part of Tashkeel's Critical Practice Programme.

Free

Slava’s Snowshow

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

It might be a bit early for Christmas, but this really is one of the best seasonal shows around – a whimsical blur of laughter, awe, and magic that has already been seen by more than 12 million theatregoers in80 [ ... ]

From AED 225

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

The Bay, Al Hamra Golf Club Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah

The October Laughter Factory tour looks a good one. The acts: Jimmy McGhie Gold-plated comedy from a UK standup who's performed all round the world (he's been a hit in Dubai too). Highly recommended Karen Bayley Well-established (over a decade [ ... ]

AED 160

Prix Pictet: Storm

Ishara Art Foundation Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Prix Pictet, founded in 2008 by the Pictet Group, is the world’s leading award for photography that draws attention to issues of global sustainability; this exhibition showcases work by 12 photographers who have been shortlisted for the eleventh cycle of [ ... ]

Free

Slava’s Snowshow

New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

It might be a bit early for Christmas, but this really is one of the best seasonal shows around – a whimsical blur of laughter, awe, and magic that has already been seen by more than 12 million theatregoers in80 [ ... ]

From AED 225

Friday Night Spotlight – Month of Magic Edition

Courtyard Playhouse Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Courtyard's community theatre night, described as "a celebration of creativity, experimentation, and theatrical wizardry" with community members and in-house performers taking the stage to try out fresh ideas and showcase their talents. The first half features performances from the [ ... ]

Free

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

Radisson DAMAC Hills Hessa Street Dubailand, Dubai

The October Laughter Factory tour looks a good one. The acts: Jimmy McGhie Gold-plated comedy from a UK standup who's performed all round the world (he's been a hit in Dubai too). Highly recommended Karen Bayley Well-established (over a decade [ ... ]

AED 160