Sharjah Light Festival
magpie has long been a fan of the Sharjah Light Festival, the 14th edition of which runs 3 to 15 February. By contrast with the newer Manar Abu Dhabi and Dhai Dubai light art festivals, SLF generally takes a more [ ... ]
magpie has long been a fan of the Sharjah Light Festival, the 14th edition of which runs 3 to 15 February. By contrast with the newer Manar Abu Dhabi and Dhai Dubai light art festivals, SLF generally takes a more [ ... ]

Animenia returns to Manarat Al Saadiyat with five days of cosplay, music, food, and J-pop culture – “step inside a world inspired by the hidden corners of Neo-Tokyo, where glowing signs, colourful characters, and offbeat discoveries bring anime culture to [ ... ]

Curated by Nada Shabout of NYUAD's al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art, this exhibition investigates and celebrates the work and influence of one of the most important art movement of the mid-Century Middle East. Dr Shabout brings [ ... ]
Inspired by the experience of living and working alongside people from across the globe in the UAE, this exhibition by the UAE-based Guatemalan artist on a theme that will resonate with many expats – where actually is 'home'? It features [ ... ]

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 [ ... ]

The classic Studio Ghibli / Hayao Miyazaki animated fantasy – young girl inadvertently enters the world of kami (spirits of Japanese Shinto folklore). Almost universally praised and frequently appears in Best Films lists. Part of the Movies Under the Stars [ ... ]
It's that time of year again, and the Courtyard is celebrating it with three consecutive nights of long-form impro based on anecdotes that follow real stories from the audience about relationships shaped by one kiss and everything that follows. "It’s [ ... ]

Specialising in Arabic classical music, the Omani singer Sama Al Taei brings to life the repertoires of Fairouz, Umm Kulthum, Warda Al Jazairia, and Mohamed Abdelwahab – "a captivating musical journey through the heart of Arabic musical heritage".
MadCat Comedy's regular stop in Silicon Oasis promises "insane laughs every week", with a Ramadan-friendly later-than-usual start. The door price of AED 99 includes one drink and popcorn.

Modern and contemporary works from Syria, Lebanon, North Africa, and the UAE selected from the impressive private collection of Fairouz and Jean-Paul Villain – a pair of collectors for whom the acquisition of works has been a way of engaging [ ... ]

Khozema Al‑Aaed's solo exhibition reimagines cartographies, reminding us that land absorbs our movements, our wounds, our hopes, "becoming a living archive of human presence" as the gallery puts it. "The compositions resemble traces of cities once inhabited, imagined, or departed. [ ... ]

New work by the Spanish artist, which the gallery says marks a pivotal moment in his practice. They were created in his new studio in Cádiz, surrounded by olive, almond, and orange trees, allowing nature to enter physically and psychologically; [ ... ]

This free-to-attend event for the UAE's creative community – including "leading creators, designers, press, influencers, and key industry partners" – is NVIDIA's sixth such gathering; previous venues were in KSA, Egypt, Turkey, and Abu Dhabi (back in February 2024). The [ ... ]

Wes Anderson at his best: outlandish humour, artistic sensibilities, genuine filmic expertise, slightly kitschy ... The madcap adventure is breathlessly entertaining and is graced by an excellent actors' ensemble, with Ralph Fiennes in particualr having a great time stretching his emotional [ ... ]

This interesting production is the UAE premiere of a groundbreaking collaboration by the Mumbai-based music and street theatre group Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch, whose work centres on caste, inequality and social justice; and the Nalanda Arts Studio from Bangalore, an organisation [ ... ]
Second of three consecutive nights of improvised anecdotes that follow real stories from the audience about relationships shaped by one kiss and everything that follows. "It’s funny, tender, and sharply observant about the choices we make in love" says the [ ... ]
The February Laughter Factory tour has another good collection of standups: Paul Tonkinson Terrific live performer with an effervescent style and some great caricatures in his repertoire. A former (double winner) Time Out Comedian of the Year Pierre Hollins Another [ ... ]
MadCat Comedy's regular standup night at Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.

The first solo exhibition in the Emirates for the Münster-based Tatar artist Nazilya Nagimova brings together new works created specifically for her solo project at NIKA Project Space, plus selections from earlier projects. Nagimova explores memory, migration, and the search [ ... ]

Reprise of a show commissioned by the NYUAD Arts Center and first performed there last summer, Metro Diaries invites audiences to step into a world that reflects the rhythm of daily metro rides through evocative performances that blend spoken word, [ ... ]
A day full of gallery adventures, stories, and hands-on activities for families. It begins with a collective exploration of the idea of 'ripples', riffing on the current 421 exhibition Rays, Ripples, Residue; the tour concludes with a reading of Colorful [ ... ]
This hands-on workshop centres on the emotional significance of giving, inviting participants to think about the significance of floral gestures and craft enduring flower offerings. Inspired by the ongoing exhibition Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook: The Bouquet and the Wreath, it begins with [ ... ]
This two-hour writing workshop engages directly with Bady Dalloul’s ongoing exhibition Self-Portrait with a Cat I don’t have, inviting participants to explore how objects, the concept of home and experiences of migration inform personal and cultural identity. It includes guided writing [ ... ]

Live action animated comedy featuring a mouse that gets adopted by a (human) family. A fun family film, with a great cast (Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie as the parents, Michael J Fox voicing Stuart). Part of the Movies Under the [ ... ]

Leaving the disorder and pollution of Beirut, Soraya and Walid have built an idyllic life in the mountains for the family. All seems to be going well until a supposedly ecological landfill is constructed right next to their property ... [ ... ]
A roundtable conversation reflecting on the work and legacy of pioneering Thai artist Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, subject of the ongoing exhibition The Bouquet and the Wreath (ends 6 March). The discussion, which ranges over curatorial, artistic, and critical perspectives on Rasdjarmrearnsook's practice [ ... ]
The second performance (of three) for this interesting collaboration between the Mumbai-based music and street theatre group Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch and the Nalanda Arts Studio from Bangalore. Kavan is described as an ‘Ambedkarite Opera' – Ambedkarism being the set of anti-caste [ ... ]
A UAE National Orchestra concert featuring three classic Russian works that speak of emotion, imagination and human resilience. The programme looks nicely balanced: Shostakovich Overture on Russian and Kirghiz Folk Themes Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5
Second of three consecutive nights of improvised anecdotes that follow real stories from the audience about relationships shaped by one kiss and everything that follows. "It’s funny, tender, and sharply observant about the choices we make in love" says the [ ... ]
A francophone Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Culture Emulsion's main man Stéphane Brismontier and featuring CE's theatre school players – around a dozen of them, which should make for a fun show on the Junction's stage. It's described as "d'après [ ... ]
The final stop for the February Laughter Factory tour: Paul Tonkinson Terrific live performer with an effervescent style and some great caricatures in his repertoire. A former (double winner) Time Out Comedian of the Year Pierre Hollins Another circuit favourite, [ ... ]
A regular MadCat Comedy night – "Dubai's wildest comedy show on Saturday" at "the first purpose built comedy room in the country" (whatever that means). The content might just be influenced by the fact that it's Valentine's Day ... The [ ... ]
Works by Yoshi (Aisha Al Ali), Ammar Al Banna, Ahmed Al Kuwaiti and Shaikha Al Shamsi. The theme is time as both a material and emotional presence, expressed through processes of transformation, memory, repetition, and decay – so time not [ ... ]
Metro Diaries invites audiences to step into a world that reflects the rhythm of daily metro rides through evocative performances that blend spoken word, dance, and live soundscapes; the experience unfolds in vignettes that capture fleeting connections, moments of solitude, [ ... ]
The final performance of this interesting collaboration between the Mumbai-based music and street theatre group Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch and the Nalanda Arts Studio from Bangalore. Kavan is described as an ‘Ambedkarite Opera' – Ambedkarism being the set of anti-caste ideas associated [ ... ]
This workshop on subjective storytelling invites participants to experiment with a range of approaches to speaking, writing, or otherwise responding to artworks, by way of the ongoing exhibition (and newly published monograph) Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook: The Bouquet and the Wreath (ends [ ... ]
First of two stand-up sessions by Dubomedy's finest – graduates of Dubomedy's Fall Stand-up Workshops plus special guests perform fresh new material. Free, but (a) pre-register because spaces are limited and go fast; and (b) there's a minimum spend of [ ... ]
Anyone who has read Kurt Vonnegut’s powerful SF-infused semi-autobiographical anti-war satire is free to join this Dubai Bibliophiles Book Club meetup. Centring on the infamous WWII firebombing of Dresden, this darkly humorous American cult classic still feels relevant and profoundly [ ... ]
Second performance for this francophone Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Stéphane Brismontier and featuring Culture Emulsion's theatre school players. It's described as "d'après l'oeuvre de William Shakespeare", so we're expecting an adaptation that hopefully omits some of the duller jokes [ ... ]
Second of two stand-up sessions this evening by Dubomedy's finest – graduates of Dubomedy's Fall Stand-up Workshops plus special guests perform fresh new material. Free, but (a) pre-register because spaces are limited and go fast; and (b) there's a minimum [ ... ]
MadCat’s standup team at their regular stop at the Easy Tiger bar in Abu Dhabi's Al Ain Palace. The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks ...
The Courtyard's popular 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 with [ ... ]
Madcat brings "Dubai's wildest comedy night" to the Fanzone Sports Bar on Palm Jumeirah– "insane laughs" are promised. The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks ...

Bassam Freiha Art Foundation continues its monthly lecture series led by Dr Michaela Watrelot, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions. This time the focus is on one of the most transformative movements in modern art, using works of Monet, Renoir, Degas, [ ... ]
MadCat Comedy's regular stop in Silicon Oasis promises "insane laughs every week", with a Ramadan-friendly later-than-usual start. The door price of AED 99 includes one drink and popcorn.
Dubomedy's Friday Night Comedy format on Al Hudayriyat. "Audiences can expect big laughs, rotating killer line-ups, and a weekly comedy experience done right ..."
MadCat Comedy's regular standup night at Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.

The marmite comedian is back in town with his latest touring show (a stop between dates in Europe and Australia). It's his trademark up-yours to civility – if he hasn't amended the setlist for Dubai you should expect a flurry [ ... ]

Joseph is Joseph Terterian, purveyor of 'popera' – classics delivered with his operatically powerful voice; Le Petit Orchestre is just what is says, a variable-sized but always compact band of strings, drums, double bass and backing vocals. They really are [ ... ]
An extended solo exhibition for the Syrian-French artist, curated by Art Jameel’s Lucas Morin. Self-portrait with a cat I don’t have is Bady Dalloul’s first institutional solo exhibition in the United Arab Emirates. Blending autobiographical anecdotes with stories of individuals [ ... ]
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