For their year-end concert, the Youth Orchestra and Choir deliver a selection of pieces from The Nutcracker, Bizet’s Carmen, and Carl Nielsen’s Aladdin Suite. Organized by Abu Dhabi Culture in collaboration with the International Music Institute, this concert promises a celebration [ ... ]
The festival season has truncated the usual Laughter Factory tour, but instead we have three parties featuring a very strong lineup of comics – Danny O’Brien (high-energy wit), Luca Cupani (quirky dry humour deriving in part from his dual Italian/British [ ... ]
A solo show for the noted Indian artist, whose paintings aim to explore the essence of reality rather than its literal representation. His signature use of strong colours evoke emotions rather than depictions – "his works feel like waves, each [ ... ]
MadCat Comedy's regular standup night at Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.
Second of three seasonal gigs for the shortened Laughter Factory tour, featuring a strong lineup – Danny O’Brien (high-energy wit), Luca Cupani (quirky dry humour deriving in part from his dual Italian/British heritage) and home-grown favourite Imah (always reliably funny). [ ... ]
Late-evening jazz with a 360o sound system. Tonight it's a rather good duo, Joe Aouad on guitar (maybe oud too) and Polina QZ on vocals – they've been performing together (non-exclusively) for some time now and respond really well to a [ ... ]
A solo exhibition by the Lebanese-Irish painter, born in Beirut and adopted into Ireland to bear a dual heritage that shapes his artistic identity. This, his first solo exhibition in the UAE, presents a new body of work that reflects [ ... ]
Seasonal musical theatre fun for all the family (but mainly the kids). It's a continuation of the world created by Collab Company last year with a troupe of singers, dancers and actors; this time five rookie elves must complete their [ ... ]
Four choirs are taking over The Fridge Warehouse for a seasonal celebration that proves carols sound exponentially better when 80+ people are singing them together. Each choir performs their set, then they all take the stage together ... The choirs: Hartland [ ... ]
Written and directed by Rasika Agashe, this magical look at the fate of Scheherazade, the narrator of the original ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, is back for one night only (it was at the Junction in March this year). Rasika [ ... ]
Last of three seasonal gigs for this shortened Laughter Factory tour, featuring a strong lineup – Danny O’Brien (high-energy wit), Luca Cupani (quirky dry humour deriving in part from his dual Italian/British heritage) and home-grown favourite Imah (always reliably funny).
"A comedy show where you are the joke." MadCat Comedy's main man Miqdaad D pushes the boundaries ... The cover charge of AED 99 includes two drinks.
Late-evening jazz with a 360o sound system and the always impressive Rami Attalah – founder of The Music Hub in Egypt, main man of the Rami Attallah Group, main pianist and conductor of Cairo Steps & the Los Compadres Latin Jazz [ ... ]
This exhibition brings together works by two artist-anthropologists with practices on the boundaries between scholarship and art. Their projects invite viewers to reflect on migration, memory, identity, and the ways knowledge takes shape across bodies, materials, and stories. The exhibition [ ... ]
A second round of performances for Collab Company's seasonal musical theatre fun – five rookie elves must complete their training at the Christmas Academy and Department of Elvish Training (CADET) in pursuit of their mission to bring joy to families [ ... ]
This comedykix open mic at the Courtyard by Marriott's Oak Live Bar promises exactly what it says – standup comedy with drinks (and food). Entry is free entry but there's a minimum AED 75 spend.
The organisers of BRIDGE Summit 2025 says its goal is to “establish itself as a comprehensive exploration of the forces transforming global media ... Designed as a global platform for collaboration, discovery, and innovation, BRIDGE Summit 2025 will explore how [ ... ]
MadCat’s standup team at its regular stop in the Easy Tiger bar in Abu Dhabi's Al Ain Palace. The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks ...
A group exhibition reflecting on illumination in all its forms – atmosphere, memory, rhythm and emotion – that promise "a radiant constellation of contemporary voices to close the year". The 13 artists featured include Casper Brindle, Masayoshi Nojo, RETNA, Conrad [ ... ]
Tor Siedel explores how ‘vandalism’ by environmental activists in triptychs that consider whether these attacks can also be considered performative acts of art. He focuses on the protagonists' actionism, the shock or entertainment value for visitors, and the professional dissemination [ ... ]
Bassam Freiha Art Foundation continues its monthly lecture series led by Dr Michaela Watrelot, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions. This it's the artistic flourishing of 17th-century Netherlands, where prosperity and everyday life found new visual meaning – think Rembrandt’s [ ... ]
An Inloco Gallery conversation about the evolution of public art in the MENA region with Clémence Marie Bergal, Abu Dhabi Public Art Director at DCT Abu Dhabi. Clémence will discuss how institutional frameworks, artistic practice, and urban development shape public [ ... ]
MadCat Comedy's regular stop in Silicon Oasis promises "insane laughs every week". The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks.
The much-garlanded musical arrives for its UAE debut in the new adaptation by the Olivier Award-winning producer Paul Taylor-Mills. Set in Depression-era New York, the story follows little orphan Annie who is invited to spend Christmas with a billionaire ... [ ... ]
The eighth and biggest edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s art book fair – the region’s only book fair dedicated to publishing about art, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during [ ... ]
Neapolitan folk from a band known for its powerful stage presence and an exuberant party groove. Ars Nova Napoli offers a unique reinterpretation of traditional songs from southern Italy plus their own compositions. Expect skilled harmonies and instrumental interplay; should [ ... ]
Peter and Debbie are a timorous suburban couple who are “dying of manners”. They can’t communicate with their teenage children, can’t stand their neighbour, and can’t believe they have agreed to host a brash American, Elsa, who was amusing company [ ... ]
MadCat Comedy's regular standup night at Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.
Late-evening jazz with a 360o sound system and the rather special Sandra Ivette. She's a multi-instrumentalist (very cool on bass or bass guitar) and singer, with a great line in Cuban-influenced jazz (she's from Havana) ... The door price includes one [ ... ]
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 [ ... ]
With this exhibition Naqsh Raj “invents a personal tool for grounding and connection, balancing order with anarchy, discipline with instinct and darkness with sparks of illumination ... The repetitive expression in her work hints at a longing for predictability, while [ ... ]
This first festival of its kind by Fujifilm Middle East, created with Cinema Akil and Gulf Photo Plus, aims to "foster bold ideas, nurture fresh perspectives, and champion the next generation of storytellers". More than 2,000 submissions were whittled down [ ... ]
The eighth and biggest edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s art book fair – the region’s only book fair dedicated to publishing about art, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during [ ... ]
The Third Line gallery is currently running The Only Way Out Is Through: The Twentieth Line, a significant retrospective exhibition curated by Shumon Basar to mark its 20th anniversary by looking back on two decades of The Third Line’s story [ ... ]
What goes into conceptualising and curating a solo exhibition? Artist Afra Al Dhaheri and curator May Al Qaydi lead an enquiry-based tour of Al Dhaheri's current exhibition Restless Circle (ends tomorrow, 14 December), followed by a conversation between the two that [ ... ]
Held during Focal Point, Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual art book fair, this special session of SAF's always interesting book club looks at the realities of contemporary publishing from independent presses to shifts in digital technology via AI and self-publishing.
The fifth edition of the only film festival in Dubai "exclusively dedicated to screening short films focussed on motorcycles" (it expanded in 2025 to London and is planned to launch in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur next year). It kicks off [ ... ]
A second performance for Steven Moffat's black comedy of manners, boundaries, and exquisitie embarassment. The final show is on 14 December.
Always one of the more interesting indie bands, Franz Ferdinand went through a bit of a mid-career trough; but the January 2025 release of their sixth album, The Human Fear, was a return to form (with a new drummer and [ ... ]
A regular MadCat Comedy night – "Dubai's wildest comedy show on Saturday" (sic). The cover charge of AED 99 includes two F&B coupons.
First of two jazz-ish gigs on consecutive nights at Al Noor Island. This one features the Lebanese-American singer-songwriter (and Artistic Director of Berklee Abu Dhabi) Mayssa Karaa (above); fluent in eight languages and with hits in several of them, she [ ... ]
Second of near-jazz gigs on consecutive nights at Al Noor Island. This one features Ars Nova Napoli (below), the Italian nu-folk funsters (traditional Neapolitan rhythms with a modern twist) who really do know how to throw a party; and the [ ... ]
The last gig this year for Dubai Opera's late-evening jazz bar features jazz, R&B, neo-soul and gospel from the singer, producer, and keyboard player (he also teaches at Berklee Abu Dhabi). The door price includes one drink.
The Yemenis Orchestra, led by its noted conductor Mohamed Al-Ghoom, is dedicated to preserving and promoting Yemen's rich musical heritage. It grew out of Al-Ghoom's Heritage Symphonies project, aiming to integrate traditional Yemeni music with orchestral arrangement, and the results [ ... ]
The eighth and biggest edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s art book fair – the region’s only book fair dedicated to publishing about art, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during [ ... ]
1M2K returns with the comedy game show where around 15 standups get just one minute to make you laugh – and you choose the winner too. Admission is free, but there's a minimum spend of AED 25 per person. [ ... ]
The final performance for Steven Moffat's black comedy of manners, boundaries, and exquisitie embarassment. The final show is on 14 December.
The internationally acclaimed pianist, once a child prodigo and now an established favourite known for technical brilliance combined with passion and imagination, performs a programme of Schumann pieces – one Clara but mostly Robert, with the monumental Symphonic Études to [ ... ]
A group show for three young Japanese artists that celebrates the playful sensibility at the heart of contemporary Japanese expression – "a sensibility that transforms familiarity into wonder, nostalgia into dream" as the gallery has it. These artists have used [ ... ]
MadCat’s standup team at its regular stop in the Easy Tiger bar in Abu Dhabi's Al Ain Palace. The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks ...
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