• National Youth Orchestra

    Dubai Opera Studio Downtown Dubai, Dubai

    The Encore Performing Arts Series continues with the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) via its Senior Strings Camerata and Concert Band, with prizewinning soloists and Concerto Competition finalists. The Camerata will be conducted by the UAE-based conductor and composer Jonathan Barrett [ ... ]

    AED 250
  • Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Dukes The Palm Palm Dubai, Dubai

    Last stop for April's Laughter Factory tour, which features Montreal's Just For Laughs festival favourite Eman El Husseini, about-to-be-big US standup Maher Matta, and top local talent Valentina Danubio, 2023 winner of Survival of the Funniest.    

    AED 160
  • Culture Summit Abu Dhabi

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    The seventh edition of the Summit, which runs 27-29 April, again brings together "thought leaders" from art, heritage, media, museums, music, public policy and technology to debate the role of culture. This year's theme is the catch-all 'Culture for Humanity [ ... ]

    Invitation only
  • 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
  • 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
  • Tango After Dark

    Dubai Opera

    A second performance by tango champions German Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi, dancing to the music of Astor Piazzolla and accompanied by an ensemble of ten dancers and a seven-strong live band.

    From AED 330
  • Errico Cutolo Quartet

    The Yard Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    In the run-up to International Jazz Day, The Fridge and Alserkal Avenue present a free al fresco jazz gig with the Errico Cutolo Quartet and a swing set that reimagines classic Italian love songs ...

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Adel Dauood: Immigrant

    Urbanist Art Gallery Box Park, Al Wasl Road, Dubai

    "The immigrant embodies the human capacity to adapt and rebuild wherever they settle. They create bridges between cultures, carrying a soul heavy with memories that form a part of their identity." New work by the prominent Syrian artist, blending abstraction [ ... ]

    Free
  • 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
  • LAST CHANCE Pedro Martin Rojo: Faces of Dubai

    The Warehouse Goshi Warehouse 57, Al Quoz 3, Dubai

    The artist's first solo exhibition in Dubai features 12 new portraits that aim to capture "the rich diversity of women who define Dubai’s essence ... each portrait a tribute to the quiet confidence, individuality, and allure that make this city [ ... ]

    Free
  • Elysian Awakening of Powerful Spring

    Rarares Galllery Zone C, Gate Avenue, DIFC, Dubai

    A group exhibition, curated by Sara Serpilli and Marina Baisel, featuring Fatma Latooh, Barbara Duran, Sara Alkhayyal and Zeina Abdullah. Says the gallery: "this exhibition is not merely a showcase – it is a tribute, a declaration, and an invitation [ ... ]

    Free
  • Riley Mulherkar

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

    The 22nd Abu Dhabi Festival closes with a special tribute to the late musical legend, Quincy Jones, performed by trumpeter Riley Mulherkar and his brass quartet The Westerlies. Described in one review as "über hip, modern yet timeless," Mulherkar’s performance [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • Berklee Abu Dhabi’s Jazz Night

    Berklee Abu Dhabi UAE Pavilion, Saadiyat ISland, Abu Dhabi

    "A celebration of jazz as a unifying force, bridging musical traditions from around the world". This year’s Jazz Night programme looks a particularly exciting one, and a fitting match for International Jazz day. The artists: Esperanza Spalding (USA) – Berklee [ ... ]

    SOLD OUT but there may be returns
  • Gustave Caillebotte: The Unknown Impressionist

    Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    Stéphanie Chardeau-Botteri, art historian, great-grandniece of the artist, and author of a study of Caillebotte of the same name as the talk (it was shortlisted for the 2024 Goncourt Prize for biographies) discusses the life and legacy of the "unknown [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Burj Rashid: A Landmark Reimagined Into Art

    Al Safa Art & Design Library Al Safa Park, Jumeriah 3, Dubai

    A talk accompanying the Burj Rashid exhibition that commemorate the 45th anniversary of the tower's inauguration (and which ends soon). This panel discussion, moderated by architect Amal Anoohi, features artist Ahmad AlAttar, designer and artist Sara Al Khayyal, and artist [ ... ]

    Free
  • A plein temps: dir Eric Gravel (2021)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Single mother Julie (César award-winning actress Laure Calamy) works a grueling job as a head chambermaid in a five-star Parisian hotel while struggling to raise her two children at the end of a commuter line. A job opportunity arises that [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Blue Note – Celebrating Jazz Day

    Dubai Opera

    An evening to celebrate International Jazz Day and honour 85 years of Blue Note Records with classics from John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and more. The all-star ensemble is led by award-winning bandleader Peter Long and includes Peter Long [ ... ]

    From AED 290
  • 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
  • International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert

    Etihad Arena Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

    Presented by DCT Abu Dhabi, a five-week citywide series of jazz performances, education programmes and community events in the UNESCO Creative City of Music peaks with the now-traditional All-Star Global Concert. Led by iconic keyboardist Herbie Hancock and hosted by [ ... ]

    SOLD OUT but there may be returns
  • Sharjah Animation Conference

    Expo Centre Sharjah Sharjah

    SAC returns for its third annual edition, again organised in collaboration with Italy’s Bergamo Animation Days (BAD), with an extensive (indeed, impressive) programme of trends, cutting-edge technologies, and game-changing opportunities, This year there's a substantial Japanese influence – Studio Ghibli [ ... ]

    AED 139
  • A Tribute to Quincy Jones

    Berklee Abu Dhabi UAE Pavilion, Saadiyat ISland, Abu Dhabi

    The Abu Dhabi Festival in collaboration with Berklee Abu Dhabi pay tribute to musical legend Quincy Jones (a close friend of the Festival) in a special session of Riwaq Al Fikr – ADMAF Talks. The evening features insights from long-time [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Sunday Morning

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

    Successful 40s-ish photographer Mat (James Cuningham) takes us on a heart-warming, epiphanic journey in this one-man show, written by Nick Warren and directed by Jenine Collocott. On learning that his girlfriend is pregnant, a stunned Mat goes for a jog [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Khaleeji Jazz

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

    A slightly belated World Jazz Day celebration in the form of a concert by Grammy Award-winning Egyptian oriental jazz pioneer Fathy Salama with a world premiere of his latest work. He will be joined by the noted bassist André Segone and [ ... ]

    From AED150
  • Discover Kinusaiga: a Japanese Fabric Art Workshop

    Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    Kinusaiga is a Japanese art formakin to collage or patchwork, where fabric – originally silk – is wrapped around a carved wood or foam base to create images (often landscapes or patterns) without any need for traditional sewing. This hands-on [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate Lecture

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

    Abu Dhabi has been chosen as the host city for the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize – "in recent years, the UAE’s growing presence in the global arts and culture landscape, and openness in supporting the works of international architects provides [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • SFP Montage: day one

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

    SFP Montage is a series of special projects and initiatives linked to Sharjah Arts Foundation’s annual Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) festival that forges new associations among the works and expands their reach beyond Sharjah; two award-winning films from the seventh [ ... ]

    Free
  • Theeb: dir Gedir Naji Abu Nowar (2014)

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

    Theeb ('Wolf') is a young Bedouin boy living in a remote part of the Ottoman Empire in 1916. When his older brother has to escort a British officer across the desert, Theeb tags along for the adventure – and experiences [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE 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
  • LAST CHANCE 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.” Alla Abdunabi [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Calder / Hiquily: Balancing Act

    Opera Gallery DIFC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A clever juxtaposition of works by two masters of the poetry of balance and movement that reveals unexpected harmonies between the artistic languages of Alexander Calder and Philippe Hiquily. Calder’s gouaches on paper, with their bold colours and rhythmic compositions, [ ... ]

    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
  • Collected Histories: Personal Archives and Documentation

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

    Collected Histories, a project co-founded by Hind Mezaina and Jasmine Soliman, aims to foster discussion on personal documentation and archiving "with an ultimate goal of inspiring and supporting individuals to become ‘citizen archivists’ by cataloguing, and exploring ways to self-publish [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Collected Histories: Personal Archives and Documentation

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

    Collected Histories, a project co-founded by Hind Mezaina and Jasmine Soliman, aims to foster discussion on personal documentation and archiving "with an ultimate goal of inspiring and supporting individuals to become ‘citizen archivists’ by cataloguing, and exploring ways to self-publish [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • SFP Montage: day two

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

    SFP Montage is a series of special projects and initiatives linked to Sharjah Arts Foundation’s annual Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) festival that forges new associations among the works and expands their reach beyond Sharjah. This evening's films: Upshot dir Maha [ ... ]

    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
  • Mohamed Al Astad: Rust & Waves

    Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi Reem Island, Abu Dhabi

    An exhibition showcasing the artistic journey of the Emirati artist known for his ability to capture maritime heritage and coastal landscapes through the interplay between nature and time; he characteristically incorporates elements of rust, waves, and the textures of the [ ... ]

    Free
  • 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
  • A Room of One’s Own

    NYUAD Project Space NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    Curated by Duygu Demir, NYUAD assistant professor of Art History and curator at the Art Gallery, this exhibition features new work by current MFA students Maha Alasaker, Yuehan Dai, Nour Elbery, Almaha Jaralla, Tooba Shaikh, and Shaima Shamsi that has [ ... ]

    Free
  • Curators Talk: Nada Raza

    NYUAD Art Gallery Reading Room أبو ظبي, أبو ظبي, United Arab Emirates

    The latest in the NYUAD Art Gallery's series of conversations with curators features Nada Raza, Director of the Alserkal Arts Foundation. She'll be giving an overview of her curatorial journey as a divided ‘South Asian'; her PhD was on transcultural [ ... ]

    Free
  • UAE Classical Talents: A Piano and Flute Recital Night

    Alliance Française Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The last concert of the UAE Classical Talents Season 2024/2025 features the return of Magadalena Wajdzik (piano) and Carlos Teixeira (flute) in a programme with works by Bach, Mozart, Fauré and Poulenc As usual, concert curator Stéphane Ferrault will illuminate [ ... ]

    AED 150
  • Mon Hymne à Piaf

    Zabeel Theatre Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Palm Jumeirah West Crescent, Dubai

    A tribute to the iconic Edith Piaf, led by the French-Lebanese singer Manel Mallat and directed by Kristian Abouanni. She is accompanied by an orchestra of 20 musicians, conducted by top film composer Danny Bou-Maroun, who has reimagined Piaf’s classics [ ... ]

    AED 195
  • Reading for Pleasure Conference

    Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences Al Razi St, Umm Hurair 2, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai

    The second edition of this Emirates Literature Foundation conference brings together a diverse selection of educators and experts from across the globe, including some of the most influential voices in the fields. The aim: to discuss and offer guides to [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Circus Baobab: Yé !

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

    Vertiginous human pyramids, bodies being thrown seven metres into the air, barely believable hand-on-hand acrobatics, combat, contortions and more – stunning circus skills, and all threaded through with a strong sense of place and a passionate exploration of pollution, power [ ... ]

    AED 105
  • Gravity & Other Myths: The Pulse

    Dubai Opera

    Modern circus at its best, with all the classic virtuosity and circus skills of some other troupes but without the overload of technology and glitz: this show brings together all three of the core ensembles of the Australian company with [ ... ]

    From AED 290
  • Mon Hymne à Piaf

    Zabeel Theatre Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Palm Jumeirah West Crescent, Dubai

    A second and final evening for this tribute to the iconic Edith Piaf, led by the French-Lebanese singer Manel Mallat and directed by Kristian Abouanni. She is accompanied by an orchestra of 20 musicians, conducted by top film composer Danny [ ... ]

    AED 195
  • Gravity & Other Myths: The Pulse

    Dubai Opera

    Modern circus at its best from the top Australian company. An award-winning creative team of director Darcy Grant, designer Geoff Cobham and composer Ekrem Eli Phoenix have extended and amplified the signature spirit of this rather unique company: visceral, poetic, [ ... ]

    From AED 290
  • Youth Takeover 2025

    Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

    The Jameel's annual Youth Takeover is the manifestation of the Assembly, an experimental learning programme designed to foster creative leaders aged 18 to 24 in the UAE, "inviting the creation and curation of projects reflective of their generation’s areas of [ ... ]

    Free
  • Circus Baobab: Yé !

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

    A second and final performance for this spectacular piece from Circus Baobab, a company of 13 talented young dancers and acrobats from Guinea and the diaspora. Circus Baobab works collaboratively to develop shows that blend traditional West African performance forms [ ... ]

    AED 105
  • Comedy@TGIF

    TGIFriday's at the Rove Hotel Downtown 312 Al Mustaqbal Street, Dubai

    Dubomedy gigs are usually pretty good, especially when the price is free (with a minimum spend of one drink or one food item) and a "fantastic" (their judgement) bill of stand-ups – "you never know who will drop by!" It's [ ... ]

    Free