• LAST CHANCE Alyazia Al Nahyan: In the Breath of Decay

    Iris Projects Studio 20, Madar 39, MiZa, Port Zayed, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A solo show for the Emirati artist to open this new gallery in Abu Dhabi’s Mina al Zayed. Al Nahyan’s practice is based on foraging -- materials she collects on her walks through her family farm and elsewhere, are accentuated [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Marina Fedorova: Cosmodreams | Elementa

    Fann à Porter The Workshop, Villa 45, St. 23b, off Al Wasl Road (opposite Box Park), Jumeirah 2, Dubai

    A solo show for Marina Fedorova featuring painting, graphics, limited-edition colour prints, 3D printing, and augmented-reality pieces. Says the gallery: "Fedorova creates a diverse space that connects the distant cosmos with everyday life, providing critical reflections on the evolution of [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Neither Here ~ Nor Elsewhere

    The Third Line Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A group exhibition curated by Sanaz Askari that brings together a diverse collective of artists from across Africa and Asia – Faissal El-Malak, Hayv Kahraman, Mahsa Merci, Michael Ho, Omar Mismar, Sam Samiee, Sophia Al-Maria, Soufiane Ababri, Tahmineh Monzavi, and [ ... ]

    Free
  • 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 CHANCE Edgar Orlaineta: What We See of Things is the Things

    CARBON 12 17th Street, Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A solo show for the Mexican artist whose practice focuses on hybrid sculptural forms that draw inspiration from modernism, popular culture, and specific historic moments. In particular, Orlaineta explores post-war design and architecture, generally depicting biomorphic shapes with a strong [ ... ]

    Free
  • Quoz Arts Fest

    Alserkal Avenue Al Quoz 1, Dubai

    Quoz Arts Fest returns for its 12th edition, filling Alserkal Avenue with music, food and family-friendly fun from 10am to 11pm for the weekend. It looks like the biggest and best Quoz Fest yet; there's a lot of music (Bull [ ... ]

    Weekend pass AED63
  • Al Hosn Festival

    Al Hosn Abu Dhabi

    Two weeks of Emirati culture, past and present – "a living expression of Abu Dhabi’s cultural heritage" – in what is probably the traditional heart of Abu Dhabi. Building on the success of the last festival, the 2025 event sees [ ... ]

    AED 35
  • 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
  • Candlelight: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

    Mina A’Salam Hotel Jumeirah Road, Dubai

    One of the most successful productions in the Candlelight Concerts series – "classical music concerts aimed at democratising access to classical music by allowing people all over the world to enjoy live music candlelit performances".  The Vivaldi favourite was written [ ... ]

    From AED150
  • The Ice Hole – A Cardboard Comedy

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

    This English version of an award-winning French comedy has been winning rave reviews, and the production has popped up a few times at various Dubai venues in the last few months – most (deservedly) selling out. It’s fun, mad as [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • LAST CHANCE Zé Tepedino: Marina

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

    The first solo exhibition in the UAE by Brazilian carioca artist Zé Tepedino is curated by Amanda Abi Khalil and also features a work by Hassan Sharif. Says the gallery: "Marina is not a place but a tide, a rhythm [ ... ]

    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
  • VIP Classical – Cultural Music Circle: David Khrikuli and Sanaz Sotoudeh

    Dubai Opera Studio Downtown Dubai, Dubai

    This presentation of the VIP Classical – Cultural Music Circle promises "an exquisite programme" by two rising young stars of the piano. David Khrikuli (Georgia) takes the first half of the evening: Chopin Polonaise op.44 in F-sharp minor Chopin Preludes [ ... ]

    AED 500
  • The Ice Hole – A Cardboard Comedy

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

    A second performance for Complices Théâtre's production of this fun comedy. It's mad as trumpets, with echoes of Monty Python, Laurel and Hardy, and the Mighty Boosh. An imposing Shakespearian actor tells incredible stories of a man journeying through Europe [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • 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 Farhad Ahrarnia: No Scheherazade

    Lawrie Shabibi Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Farhad Ahrania’s fourth solo exhibition at this gallery celebrates all things 1980s via "a multi-textual autopsy which invariably examines the complex legacy of Princess Diana Keith Haring". In particular, Ahrania looks at the flip side of 80s glitz, the spectre [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Power of Connection

    Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    Subtitled ‘supporting art through patronage and collaboration’, this ‘dialogue’ on how patronage shapes the UAE’s art scene features Stéphanie Oueda-Cruz – Tiffany & Co’s Global VP for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging – in conversation with Michaela Watrelot, Director of [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Comedy Night @ Ting Irie Dubai

    Ting Irie, Souq Al Manzil Ground Floor, Souq Al Manzil, Downtown, Dubai

    Great Jamaican vibes and a good bill of yet-to-hit-the-big-time-so-you-can-say-you-saw-them-first standups (among them Nadim Basnan, Noha Jadallah, Andrea Brooks, Joshua-John Dias, Jed Dawson). The entrance price includes two free drinks, which you were probably going to buy anyway ... And after [ ... ]

    AED 99.75
  • The Fridge Concert Series Season 45: The Elidas | Robbi McFaulds

    The Fridge Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The Fridge's series of showcase concerts continues with a Dubai-does-Scotland vibe. Headlining are The Elidas, twins Venice and Belle, who do lo-fi Scottish indie-folk with great harmonies and strong original material – a new single is promised for this gig [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • Adrian Pepe: A Shroud is a Cloth 

    NIKA Project Space Unit 11 Al Khayat Avenue, 19th Street Road — Al Quoz 1, Dubai

    Adrian Pepe’s poetic meditation on fragmentation and renewal gets an extended run at NIKA Project Space. It uses a monumental 200m2 woollen textile piece that previously wrapped a building damaged in the 2020 Beirut Port explosion to highlight the relationship [ ... ]

    Free
  • Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

    Festival City Dubai

    The UAE’s biggest and best literary event is back at the newly renovated InterContinental Dubai Festival City, with the usual cornucopia of writers, creators and thought leaders – a total of around 150 events. That's slightly fewer than usual, and [ ... ]

    [Various prices]
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Abdullah Al Saadi: Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia

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

    An exhibition of ten works by the influential Khor Fakkan artist, one of the “Pioneer Five” who bolstered the contemporary art scene in the UAE in the 1980s and influenced a generation of artists in the region. Curated by Tarek [ ... ]

    Free
  • Alla Abdunabi: Are your memories of me enough for you?

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

    Alla Abdunabi’s first solo exhibition presents a new body of work that critiques and engages with simulacra, a concept used in philosophy and cultural studies to analyse how symbols shape our perceptions of what is accepted as “real.” The work [ ... ]

    Free
  • Beytna – Cie Omar Rajeh | Maqamat

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

    An interesting idea – five dancer/choreographers (Omar Rajeh, May Bou Matar, Anani Sanouvi, Koen Augustijnen, Jihun Choi) and four musicians (Ziad El Ahmadie, Samir Nasr Eddine, Youssef Hbeisch, Afif Merhej) meet onstage over a banquet. Bringing different artistic experiences and [ ... ]

    AED 105
  • Sikka Art and Design Festival

    Al Shindagha Dubai Creek, Dubai

    The latest edition of what is being presented as one of Dubai Culture's flagship initiatives is back in Al Shindagha Historic District. We're not sure exactly what you'll get this year – the website wasn't working when last we tried [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Marc Quinn: Photosynthetic Forms

    Waddington Custot Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The rebranding of Custot Gallery Dubai to Waddington Custot Dubai is coming up trumps with some big names (the partnership of long-time London art dealer Leslie Waddington, and French dealer Stephane Custot dates back to 2010, and Custot became sole [ ... ]

    Free
  • Sweeney Todd

    Stephen Sondheim's multi award winner arrives for a week-long stint at Dubai Opera. The tale of a barber whose life was destroyed by betrayal and sets on a path to bloody vengeance is punctuated by dark humour, shocking plot twists, [ ... ]

    From AED360
  • Amirhossein Bayani: The Season of Ruin’s Remembrance

    Zawyeh Gallery Warehouse 27, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    A solo exhibition of new paintings by the Iranian artist. “As an artist from the Middle East,” says Bayani, “the concept of liberation often seems distant and unattainable. Yet, when I look at nature, I am able to imagine a [ ... ]

    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 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Seher Shah: Of Dust and Woven Air

    Green Art Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Shah draws inspiration from Agha Shahid Ali’s poem, The Dacca Gauzes – “Those transparent Dacca gauzes / known as woven air, running / water, evening dew: / a dead art now, dead over / a hundred years”. Says the artist: [ ... ]

    Free
  • 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
  • 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