16 February 2025

Remote Abu Dhabi by Rimini Protokoll

Rimini Protokoll pushes the boundaries of conventional theatre. During this performance walk within the collective’s ‘Remote X’ series (2013–ongoing), you are invited to explore the growing presence of artificial intelligence in future cities; for this tour, designed specifically for Abu [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

Dubai Bibliophiles: The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years

21grams Urban Balkan Bistro Meyan Mall, Al Thanyah St, Umm Suqeim 2, Dubai

Anyone who has read The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aitmatov is free to take part in this book club meetup – attendees will each get the chance to express their impressions, then a moderator will [ ... ]

Free

Boiler Room Six

The Junction Unit H72, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The second (and final) performance of Tom Foreman's account of the almost impossible but true survival story of Frederick Barrett, lead firemen in one of the boiler rooms on the Titanic. Barrett’s story is one of the most devastating accounts [ ... ]

AED 120

Romeo and Juliet

Theatre by QE2 Queen Elizabeth 2, Port Rashid, Dubai

The final performance for this version of the Shakespeare play – featuring a five-piece band, songs by Queen, dancing, and lots of swordfighting. Says the blurb: “Imagine Shakespeare’s classic envisioned by Freddie Mercury, blending elements of Zeffirelli, Baz Luhrmann, Jamie [ ... ]

From AED 120

Almost, Maine

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

The final Courtyard performance of John Cariani’s play, a series of interconnected vignettes that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical New England town called Almost. A charming exploration of love's many facets, filled with wit, warmth, and unexpected [ ... ]

Free

Omar Lye-Fook Live at Jazz Avenue

Jass Lounge DIFC – Gate 2, Dubai

Second of two nights at this superb jazz lounge for a top British soul talent who has had a long and storied career, much peer approval and an MBE but still deserves wider recognition.

AED 175

Cosmopolitan Imagination: Cultural Reflections from the 21st Century

NYUAD Campus, Conference Centre NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

What does it mean to be a citizen of the world? How do literature, culture, and identity shape our understanding of belonging and difference? These are the kinds of profound questions that Werner Sollors, one of our time's most celebrated [ ... ]

Free

Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro

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

Exactly what it says: a regular Monday 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 [ ... ]

Free but donations welcome

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 but donations welcome

Pencil In

421 Arts Campus Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

A writers’ group intended for writers to practice their craft without the pressures of producing a final outcome, designed to provide a supportive environment for writers to write alone yet in a group. You're invited to polish your writing skills [ ... ]

Free

Potted Potter

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

A very silly, very funny show: all seven Harry Potter books (and a game of Quidditch) condensed into 70 minutes, with all the main Harry Potter characters, endless costumes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props, and a special appearance from a fire-breathing [ ... ]

From AED 120

La grande vadrouille: dir Gérard Oury (1966)

Germaine Tillion Garden, SUAD Campus Abu Dhabi

Massively popular French-British comedy about the crew of a RAF bomber shot down over Paris in 1942 making their way through German-occupied France to safety with the aid of a motley group of civilians. La Grande Vadrouille remained the most [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

Potted Potter

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

The two final performances (at 2.30pm and 7.30pm) for this very silly, very funny show: all seven Harry Potter books (and a game of Quidditch) condensed into 70 minutes, with all the main Harry Potter characters, endless costumes, brilliant songs, [ ... ]

From AED 120

Daughters of Dissidents Need Not Apply: Book Launch with Nadina Ronc

Kutubna Cultural Center Madina Avenues 17, Nadd Al Hamar, Dubai

Nadina Ronc’s powerful memoir Daughters of Dissidents Need Not Apply chronicles her journey from fleeing war-torn Bosnia as a child to becoming an internationally recognized journalist and political analyst, touching on the long-lasting impacts of displacement and the challenges of [ ... ]

Free

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial: Bik Van der Pol’s The poem that jumps the fence

Abu Dhabi Beach Al Hisn Street, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Artist duo Bik Van der Pol (Liesbeth Bik and Jos Van der Pol) engage in collaborative projects on how art constructs public spaces for speculative thought and collective creativity. The poem that jumps the fence features weekly performances on Abu [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

Remote Al Ain by Rimini Protokoll

Rimini Protokoll pushes the boundaries of conventional theatre. During this performance walk within the collective’s ‘Remote X’ series (2013–ongoing), you are invited to explore the growing presence of artificial intelligence in future cities; for this tour, designed specifically for Al [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro & Ahmed

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

One of the Coutryard's two-act evenings of spontaneous scenes and stories based on audience suggestions. First up is the regular Monday evening mix of scenes, stories and narrative improvisation from some of the Courtyard Playhouse's most experienced improv performers plus [ ... ]

Free but donations welcome

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 but donations welcome

LAST CHNCE Imprinted Narratives. Stories of a Nation Through Postal Stamps

Etihad Museum 1 Jumeirah St, Dubai

This exhibition, curated by researcher and architect Rashed Al Mulla, revisits key moments in the UAE's history through examples of the country's postage stamps that highlight achievements in education, science, environmental Awareness, and international collaboration.

General admission AED 25

Lmark>LAST CHANCE Paresh Maity: Cricket’s Greatest Canvas

Taj Dubai Burj Khalifa St, Business Bay, Dubai

Maity’s first solo exhibition in Dubai celebrates the intersection of art and sport via a dozen works inspired by the 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup; the large-scale acrylics are signed by winning captains, too.

Free

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial: Bik Van der Pol’s The poem that jumps the fence

Abu Dhabi Beach Al Hisn Street, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Artist duo Bik Van der Pol (Liesbeth Bik and Jos Van der Pol) engage in collaborative projects on how art constructs public spaces for speculative thought and collective creativity. The poem that jumps the fence features weekly performances on Abu [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

LAST CHANCE Zineb Sedira: A way of surviving, a way of life …

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

Sedira's films represent a profound archival exploration of identity, and cultural activism. Born in 1963 to Algerian parents, her work is deeply rooted in her self-narration but also sheds light on broader, interconnected global anxieties surrounding cultural emancipation and diaspora. [ ... ]

Free

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial: Bik Van der Pol’s The poem that jumps the fence

Abu Dhabi Beach Al Hisn Street, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Artist duo Bik Van der Pol (Liesbeth Bik and Jos Van der Pol) engage in collaborative projects on how art constructs public spaces for speculative thought and collective creativity. The poem that jumps the fence features weekly performances on Abu [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

LAST CHANCE Hot Spots

Sotheby’s Dubai DIFC Gate Village Building No3, Unit 01, Level B2, Dubai

The second in The Gallery Collective, a series of sort-of gallery takeovers whereby Sotheby's Dubai is giving its DIFC exhibition space over to a series of local galleries in a two-year run starting in November. Every six to eight weeks, [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Jamal A. Rahim: The Art behind the Stars

Kutubna Cultural Center Madina Avenues 17, Nadd Al Hamar, Dubai

"An exhibition that bridges the glamour of international stars from cinema and music and the depth of fine art portraiture" – a total of 22 portraits by Bahraini artist Jamal A. Rahim of figures from Hollywood and the Arab world, [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Three Tired Tigers

Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

Bringing together more than 40 artists and collectives, drawing from politics, history, economics and urbanism, this exhibition takes a playful yet serious approach to how animals navigate and thrive within the gaps of urban environments. What happens when animals escape [ ... ]

Free

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial: Bik Van der Pol’s The poem that jumps the fence

Abu Dhabi Beach Al Hisn Street, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Artist duo Bik Van der Pol (Liesbeth Bik and Jos Van der Pol) engage in collaborative projects on how art constructs public spaces for speculative thought and collective creativity. The poem that jumps the fence features weekly performances on Abu [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

LAST CHANCE Solimar Miller: Symphony of the Wetlands

XVA Gallery Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, Bur Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

This solo show by the Dubai-based artist/designer celebrates the Gulf’s mangroves, celebrating their vital role in protecting wildlife, the coastline, and the balance of nature, "celebrating their inherent tranquillity and the intricate tapestry of endangered wildlife thriving within their protective [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Morteza Darehbaghi: Timeless Blossoms

Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Throughout history, nature has shape artistic expression across cultures. Persian carpets exemplify this influence, transforming the beauty of gardens and delicate blossoms into intricate designs. These motifs are deeply woven into Iranian craftsmanship, creating timeless works that connect the human [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Dale Chihuly: Selections From Four Decades of Iconic Work

Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A chance to see work from the last four decades by Dale Chihuly, undoubtedly the world's best-known glass artist. Synthesising ideas and practices of the Studio Glass movement in North America with the traditions of the Venetian glass ateliers, Chihuly’s [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Melis Buyruk: Four Birds and One Soul

Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Buyruk is known for her intricate and otherworldly creations, she has long explored the themes of harmony and individuality in nature. This new body of work, however, takes a more introspective turn, reflecting on the barriers that humans create within [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Morteza Darehbaghi: Timeless Blossoms

Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Throughout history, nature has shape artistic expression across cultures. Persian carpets exemplify this influence, transforming the beauty of gardens and delicate blossoms into intricate designs. These motifs are deeply woven into Iranian craftsmanship, creating timeless works that connect the human [ ... ]

Free

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial: Bik Van der Pol’s The poem that jumps the fence

Abu Dhabi Beach Al Hisn Street, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Artist duo Bik Van der Pol (Liesbeth Bik and Jos Van der Pol) engage in collaborative projects on how art constructs public spaces for speculative thought and collective creativity. The poem that jumps the fence features weekly performances on Abu [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro & Ahmed

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

One of the Coutryard's two-act evenings of spontaneous scenes and stories based on audience suggestions. First up is the regular Monday evening mix of scenes, stories and narrative improvisation from some of the Courtyard Playhouse's most experienced improv performers plus [ ... ]

Free but donations welcome

LAST CHANCE Dance Will Be You

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

Efie Gallery continues its commendable promotion of artists of African origin with this group show featuring María Magdalena Campos-Pons, ahead of her debut solo exhibition in the Middle East at Efie in April, alongside works by JK Bruce-Vanderpuije, Dina Nur Satti and Myles Igwebuike. [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHNACE Hoda Tawakol: My Mothers – The Siren, The Vessel, The Womb

Gallery Isabelle Unit 17, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Through film, photography, and sculpture, Tawakol reclaims the female body as a site of creation and resistance, reflecting on motherhood and the complex layers of identity. This exhibition’s centrepiece is a three-channel video made from stitched Super-8 film fragments (1960s–1980s) [ ... ]

Free

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial: Bik Van der Pol’s The poem that jumps the fence

Abu Dhabi Beach Al Hisn Street, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Artist duo Bik Van der Pol (Liesbeth Bik and Jos Van der Pol) engage in collaborative projects on how art constructs public spaces for speculative thought and collective creativity. The poem that jumps the fence features weekly performances on Abu [ ... ]

Free, but pre-register

LAST CHANCE Behzad Khosravi Noori: The Life of an Itinerant Through a Pinhole

Gulf Photo Plus Unit D36 Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Behzad Noori, PhD is a self-described artist, writer, educator and necromancer; his research-based practice includes films, installations, and archival studies, investigating histories from the Global South, labour and the means of production, and histories of political relationships that have existed [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Athar Jaber: Vestiges

Ayyam Gallery B11, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A solo exhibition for an artist only recently signed by Ayyam Gallery. This large body of work, an exploration of the fragile relationship between the human form and the forces that shape it, re-imagines the human form as figures that [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Slavs and Tatars: Simurgh Self-Help

The Third Line Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

This is The Third Line's third solo exhibition with the artist collective Slavs and Tatar, presenting a new body of work inspired by Marcel Broodthaers’ Musée d'Art Moderne – Département des Aigles (1968-1972) – one of the most influential works [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Shama Al Hamed: I Jump – Will I Stick the Landing?

Aisha Alabbar Gallery Warehouse C19, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

This first solo show by Shama Al Hamed, curated by Walter Williems, features a collection of paintings, sculptures, and installations that offers insight into the formative experiences and emotions that have shaped the artist's creative practice and artistic perspective. Says [ ... ]

Free

LAST CHANCE Nour Malas: Evil is Banal

Carbon 12 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Nour Malas’ solo exhibition starts with Hannah Arendt's quote about the Nazis' unconscionable acts of genocide: they were not exceptional but part of a wider belief that estimated some human lives as disposable. For Malas, displacement upheaves feelings of belonging; [ ... ]

Free