• 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
  • 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
  • The Fridge Concert Series Season 45: Zeina Aftimos | Munseif

    The Fridge Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The Fridge's series of showcase concerts features the super-talented Zeina Aftimos – a Syrian-Greek singer who draws inspiration from the Shaabi music of the Levant, adds a contemporary style, and sings in Arabic, French, and English, Supporting comes as Arabic [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • Sola Olulode: I’ve Got to Know You Now We May Never Meet Again

    Lawrie Shabibi Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    The Dubai debut exhibition for the London based Nigerian-British artist whose paintings depict a vibrant dialogue between myth, memory, and the sea. In this new series the artist draws on her own holiday experiences while referencing the Yoruba water deity [ ... ]

    Free
  • Eltiqa: How to Work Together?

    Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

    More 100 artworks by the Palestinian artist collective Eltiqa, Eltiqa (Arabic for “encounter”) is an artist collective from Gaza City founded in 2000. Eltiqa members have developed artistic practices together – including the setting up of a dedicated exhibition and [ ... ]

    Free
  • Pearls, Art & Science

    L'ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts Building 10, Dubai Design District, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A L'ÉCOLE Middle East talk that exploring the world of pearls, given by two of the School of Jewelry Arts' lecturers – gemologist Chandra Horn and art historian May El Hage.

    AED 50
  • Cascadeuses | Stuntwomen: dir Elena Avdija (2022)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    “Cinema has a fascination with sexist violence. We like to see women suffer, getting kidnapped or raped,” said Avdija in a Variety interview. These are the scenes the stuntwomen protagonists of her telling documentary – Virginie Arnaud, Petra Sprecher and [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Mary Gatchell

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

    Accolades like "accomplished singer/songwriter" and "talented musician" are bandied about all too easily; Mary Gatchell really does seem to deserve them. Here's a partial CV: A graduate of NYU with a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Theory and Composition [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • 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
  • Sharjah Biennial 16 opening programme

    vrs Sharjah locations

    Curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala and Zeynep Öz, Sharjah Biennial 16 features works by more than 190 participants, including over 200 new commissions. The SB16 Opening Programme weekend, which runs at locations in Sharjah City, [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register for specific events
  • Crafting Tomorrow: Riken Yamamoto’s Architectural Journey

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

    Riken Yamamoto, winner of the 2024 Pritzker Architecture Prize, will talk about the transformative power of architecture in shaping communities via key themes such as sustainability, intergenerational living, human-centred design, and the integration of public and private spaces. Drawing from [ ... ]

    Free
  • Pencil In

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

    We love this idea, and it's just the sort of thing that we'd hope for from an arts centre like 421. It's a writers’ group intended for writers to practice their craft without the pressures of producing a final outcome, [ ... ]

    Free
  • El Norte | The North: dir Gregory Nava (1983)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    "A Grapes of Wrath for our time” said critic Roger Ebert of this lovingly rendered, heartbreaking story of hope and survival.  After their family is murdered by the government during a civil war massacre in Guatemala, brother and sister Enrique [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Colour Gives Me Life

    Firetti Contemporary Unit 29, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    A group show of works by Ludmilla Radchenko, Rachel K (above), Ihab Ahmad, Laurent Perbos, Yana Abramova and Samuele Ventanni curated by Celine Azem. The aim is to explore how colour extends beyond visual experience, "shaping memory, emotion, and perception [ ... ]

    Free
  • Gidion’s Knot

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

    Over the course of a parent/teacher conference, a grieving mother and an emotionally overwhelmed primary school teacher have a fraught conversation about the tragic suicide of the mother’s son. Gidion may have been bullied – or he may have been [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra: Jonathan Tetelman, Kyohei Sorita

    Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi

    The New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1972; the charismatic Japanese conductor, Yutaka Sado, has been the music director since 2023 and he conducts two concerts to open the 2025 Abu Dhabi Festival. In this first concert, star tenor [ ... ]

    From AED105
  • Vanessa Moreno Live at Jazz Avenue

    Jass Lounge DIFC – Gate 2, Dubai

    The acclaimed singer and composer known for blending MPB (Brazilian Popular Music) with jazz and contemporary influences continues to be a leading figure in contemporary Brazilian music. For this two-night residency, the top British jazz singer Emma Smith provides the [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • Gidion’s Knot

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

    Two further performances (at 2pm and 8pm) for this powerful two-hander by Johanna Adams. Over the course of a parent/teacher conference, a grieving mother and an emotionally overwhelmed primary school teacher have a fraught conversation about the tragic suicide of [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • Dilyara Kaipova: Silk and Velvet: Warning safety signs

    Andakulova Gallery Unit 18, P4 Level Damac Park Towers, DIFC , Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Dilyara Kaipova's practice is located at the intersection of folk artisan traditions and contemporaneity; she works with Uzbek textiles, employing centuries-long traditions to make work that is relevant to the socio-cultural and ecological issues of the region. To 8 April.

    Free
  • New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra: Kyohei Sorita

    Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi

    In the second concert for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Festival with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yutaka Sado, the orchestra plays Yasushi Akutagawa’s Triptyque for Strings and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5. The soloist is the young rising star Kyohei [ ... ]

    From AED100
  • Seven and Friends

    The Workshop Villa 45 - St 23b, off Al Wasl Road, Dubai

    Comedy from the coolest Chinaman in town at what he calls "the coolest gallery café in Dubai" for "a night of stand-up, good vibes, and unfiltered laughs". DM seven_chinaman on Instagram for a reservation.

    Free
  • Vanessa Moreno Live at Jazz Avenue

    Jass Lounge DIFC – Gate 2, Dubai

    Second of two nights at this top jazz lounge venue for the acclaimed Brazilian singer and composer. The top British jazz singer Emma Smith provides the support.

    AED 175
  • Gidion’s Knot

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

    The final performances (at 2pm and 8pm) for this powerful two-hander by Johanna Adams. Over the course of a parent/teacher conference, a grieving mother and an emotionally overwhelmed primary school teacher have a fraught conversation about the tragic suicide of [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • LAST CHANCE Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances

    Louvre Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    An exhibition of masterpieces from the Post-Impressionist period that is organised into in nine sections, each celebrating both the individual styles and the shared themes that connect this transformative era in art – visitors can follow paths dedicated to Neo-Impressionism, [ ... ]

    AED 63
  • 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
  • Willow: dir Ron Howard (1988)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Warwick Davis stars as Willow Ufgood in this Tolkien-ish family-friendly mix of fun, fantasy and action; the diminutive Willow teams up with a wandering rogue swordsman (Val Kilmer) to protect a baby princess who has miraculously fallen into his care. [ ... ]

    Free
  • 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
  • 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
  • Performance Co/Lab

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

    An ongoing programme of performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques aimed at "performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices. Instructors are multidisciplinary theatre artist and game designer Carlos Páez [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • TOUCH: dir Baltasar Kormákur (2024)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Superbly filmed, the romantic film of the year spans decades, continents and cultures as a widower embarks on an emotional journey. Based on the bestseller by Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson and directed by Iceland’s multi-award-winning director Baltasar Kormákur, TOUCH is the [ ... ]

    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
  • LAST CHANCE Bygones

    NYUAD Project Space NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    What does it mean to come from a home that does not exist today? The artworks in this exhibition examine the idea of true foreigners – whose left-behind homes exist not only in a different place, but also in a [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Fridge Concert Series Season 45: Arqam | Vahimiti

    The Fridge Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The Fridge's series of showcase concerts closes with Emirati soul singer Arqam – six hit singles to date. Support comes in the form of Polynesian from Vahimiti, debuting two tracks from her upcoming album.

    AED 100
  • Potted Potter

    Theatre by QE2 Queen Elizabeth 2, Port Rashid, Dubai

    Very silly, very funny: 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 dragon ... [ ... ]

    From AED 120
  • 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
  • Potted Potter

    Theatre by QE2 Queen Elizabeth 2, Port Rashid, Dubai

    Two more performances (at 3pm and 7pm) of 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, ridiculous [ ... ]

    From AED 120
  • Sabrina: dir Billy Wilder (1954)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A newly-restored print of one of Hollywood's classics – romantic, witty, a great director, and full of stars: Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn lead in this Cinderella story of a gauche girl who returns from a trip to [ ... ]

    Free
  • Almost, Maine

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

    A rare non-improv evening at the Courtyard, and a perfect Valentine's treat: John Cariani’s play is made up of a series of interconnected vignettes that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical New England town called Almost. A charming [ ... ]

    Free
  • Potted Potter

    Theatre by QE2 Queen Elizabeth 2, Port Rashid, Dubai

    The final Dubai performances (at 3pm and 7pm) of 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
  • Block Barty

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

    "Better than the art afterparty" claims 421. "We’re ramping up the art season with pop-up vendors, independent brands, eclectic workshops, diverse entertainment, neighbourhood walks, and obviously, more art ... Block Barty is for the 'art' people, the non-art art people, [ ... ]

    Free
  • L’ÉCOLE Festival

    L’ÉCOLE Festival
    L'ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts Building 10, Dubai Design District, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    “An immersive celebration of jewellery arts” with “an exciting lineup of engaging experiences” that showcase the school’s expertise across its three pillars: art history, 'savoir-faire', and gemology. The jewellery school’s director, Sophie Claudel, describes it as “a celebration of everything [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Romeo and Juliet

    Theatre by QE2 Queen Elizabeth 2, Port Rashid, Dubai

    Now this looks a lot of fun: a version of the Shakespeare play (pretty faithful to the original, apparently) woven together with Queen music, a five-piece band and choir, dancing, and lots of swordfighting. Says the blurb: “Imagine Shakespeare’s classic [ ... ]

    From AED 120
  • Almost, Maine

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

    A second 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 surprises, [ ... ]

    Free
  • Romeo and Juliet

    Theatre by QE2 Queen Elizabeth 2, Port Rashid, Dubai

    Two further performances (at 2.30 and 7.30pm) 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, [ ... ]

    From AED 120
  • 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
  • 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
  • L’ÉCOLE Festival

    L’ÉCOLE Festival
    L'ÉCOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts Building 10, Dubai Design District, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    “An immersive celebration of jewellery arts” with “an exciting lineup of engaging experiences” that showcase the school’s expertise across its three pillars: art history, 'savoir-faire', and gemology. The jewellery school’s director, Sophie Claudel, describes it as “a celebration of everything [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Book Launch: Short Circuits by Vikram Divecha

    Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

    A conversation between Vikram Divecha and writer Robert Kilroy about the publication developed after Divecha’s 2024 solo exhibition at the Jameel, exploring his concept of “found processes”, where he observes how people navigate, adapt and disrupt systems. Recommended.

    Free