• The Story of Art: A Story with an Open End – Contemporary Art

    Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    Bassam Freiha Art Foundation's monthly lecture series, led by Dr Michaela Watrelot, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions, continues with an exploration of the diversity of artistic practices that have shaped art since 1970, reflecting a period in which artists [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • City Circles Talk: The Museum as an Urban Anchor

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Part of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s ongoing City Circles programme exploring the connections between architecture, the environment, and urban life, this conversation looks at the ways museums operate within the urban fabric, exploring their role in shaping movement, gathering, and the [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Pencil In

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

    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 [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Samar Hejazi: In Circulation

    Aisha Alabbar Gallery Warehouse C19, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    For her first solo exhibition in the UAE, curated by Nadine Khoury, Samar Hejazi presents a body of work that explores how forms shift, unravel, and reassemble over time. Working across textile, printmaking, and spatial intervention, her practice suggests that [ ... ]

    Free
  • Foundation Game Night

    Emirates Literature Foundation Dar Al Adaab, Al Shindagha, Dubai

    ELF is partnering with Superheated Neurons, local maker/distributor/translator of board games, for another Game Night. Bring any board game you want to play; discover new favourites, meet new people, and "enjoy an evening of fun and connection".

    Free, but pre-register
  • Politically Incorrect Comedy

    Xandros Singature 1 Hotel, Barsha Heights, Dubai

    Mad Cat Comedy's regular standup night at Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.

    AED 80
  • Come and Sing Handel’s Messiah

    Christ Church, Jebel Ali Dubai

    Does exactly what it says in the title – Dubai Singers are rehearsing selected choruses and solos from the Messiah and are inviting anyone to come and join in (for the choruses, at least). Rehearsals take place at Christ Church, [ ... ]

    Non members AED 150
  • Memories of Princess Mumbi: dir Damien Hauser (2025)

    Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

    Damien Hauser's story has filmmaker Kuve travelling to Umata in 2093 to document the aftermath of a war that revived ancient kingdoms. He meets Mumbi there, and she challenges him to make his film without AI. As Kuve searches for [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Joke Hub

    Canopy by Hilton Dubai Al Seef Al Seef Street, Umm Hurair 1, Dubai

    A regular Mad Cat Comedy night – "Dubai's wildest comedy show on Saturday" at "the first purpose built comedy room in the country". The cover charge of AED 99 includes two F&B coupons.

    AED 99
  • LAST CHANCE Shalabia Ibrahim: Fields of Memory

    Artbooth Gallery Centro Capital Center, Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street, Abu Dhabi

    A solo exhibition curated by Randa Sadaka, promising “a rare and intimate journey into a visual language shaped by the intersections of Egyptian and Syrian modernities”. Born in Egypt and long based in Syria, Ibrahim’s practice is informed by the [ ... ]

    Free
  • Ahmad AlAttar: Human in the Loop

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

    Human in the Loop is a sound-based interactive installation that takes the form of a game of hide-and-seek between visitors and an unseen algorithm. Hanging ropes are suspended from the ceiling and visitors are invited to pull on them; each [ ... ]

    Free
  • Fête de la Musique

    Alliance Française Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The Alliance Française organisation runs an annual Fête de la Musique in most of its locations around the world, with the local management getting to choose the music – almost always Francophone performers, of course, but none the worse for [ ... ]

    Free
  • Dubai Bibliophiles: Susan Choi, Flashlight

    The Coffee Club Times Square Center, 4B Street, Dubai

    A monumental 2025 novel from the National Book Award winner, Flashlight spans decades and continents in a spellbinding investigation of family, loss, memory, and the ways in which we are shaped by what we cannot see. Powerful stuff: "domestically sprawling, [ ... ]

    Free
  • Scheherazade

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

    The UAE National Orchestra tackles the Rimsky-Korsakov classic, with its vivid storytelling and shimmering orchestration of an orchestral work inspired by the stories of One Thousand and One Nights. Expect exotic instrumental combinations and dazzling solos that showcase every section [ ... ]

    From AED 100
  • A Night at the Musicals

    Meyana Theatre Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah Street, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Musical Theatre Dubai (MTDXB) is promising "entertainment at its most electric, most joyful, and most unmissable" in form of a greatest-hits celebration of the world's most celebrated musicals, delivered by one of Dubai's most decorated performance companies. "Expect powerhouse vocals, [ ... ]

    From AED 110
  • Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro / Film Noir Improvised

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

    A two-act evening of spontaneous scenes and songs based on audience suggestions, by some of our most experienced players and guests. After warming up with some fun games and scenes, the improvisers bring the 1950’s Film Noir genre to life [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Power of Jewelry

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

    One in a series of talks exploring the history and symbolism of gemstones and jewellery across the world. Speakers are art historians May El Hage andDavid Usieto Cabrera, both lecturers at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts. Above: Armband with Herakles [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • The Comedy Lab @ Easy Tiger

    Al Ain Palace Hotel Corniche Road, Abu Dhabi

    Mad Cat’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 ...

    AED 99
  • New Material Night

    Tania's Teahouse 779A Jumeira Road, Dubai

    Standups with new material only. Inevitably this means it's going to be variable, but it’s always fun to see comedians try out their latest work ... Seats are limited, so DM @funeralhomecomedy to get one.

    Free
  • Wednesday Night Impro: Maestro

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

    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 [ ... ]

    Free
  • UAENO Season One Finale: Rhythm Without Borders

    Dubai Opera

    The UAE National Orchestra has selected a terrific-looking programme for its Season One Finale under the baton of Ahmed Farag – colour, rhythm, and energy, "a vibrant celebration of diversity through music" as the blurb puts it – that includes [ ... ]

    From AED 240
  • A Night at the Musicals

    Meyana Theatre Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah Street, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A second performance for this greatest-hits compilation from the world's most celebrated musicals, delivered by Musical Theatre Dubai. We're promised "entertainment at its most electric, most joyful, and most unmissable ... Expect powerhouse vocals, showstopping performances, and moments that will [ ... ]

    From AED 110
  • UAENO Season One Finale: Rhythm Without Borders

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

    This second and last performance of the UAE National Orchestra's Season One Finale programme promises "a vibrant celebration of diversity through music" under the baton of Ahmed Farag . It includes exciting contributions from the Western canon alongside compositions from [ ... ]

    From AED 150
  • The Comedy Lab

    Radisson Red Dubai Digital Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai

    Mad Cat Comedy's regular Thursday stop in Silicon Oasis promises "insane laughs every week".  The door price of AED 99 includes one drink and popcorn.

    AED 99
  • Funny People at Hive

    Basement, HIVE Jumeriah Village Circle, Dubai

    The Comedy Kix crew is back at the Basement with ("among others") Andrea Brooks Karan Sampat, Sean Dcousta and Yara Abou Dalha. Note that is a non-smoking room, and there's no FnB – but you can bring your own booze (!) [ ... ]

    AED 57
  • LAST CHANCE Moza Al Falasi: Unfolding

    Tashkeel Alserkal Avenue Warehouse 58, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    This first solo exhibition by the Emirati artist explores memory, loss, and the passing of time, inviting reflection on how personal and inherited experiences leave their mark on who we are. She uses photography as her primary means of documentation, [ ... ]

    Free
  • L’amore che ho: dir Paolo Licata (2025)

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

    A classic rags-to-riches story of a fierce, gifted woman who rose against overwhelming odds from gruelling labour in the fields of Sicily to the most prestigious stages and huge audiences. In 1990, the near-legendary Sicilian folk singer Rosa Balistreri was [ ... ]

    AED 25
  • Ali Al Sayed: Ali is Unperfect

    New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

    The king of Dubai's live standup scene has a brand-new show – "a comedy journey through the perfectly imperfect realities of modern life, relationships, culture, success, failure, and everything in between ... his most personal and ambitious show yet". Always [ ... ]

    From AED 175
  • Baarah

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

    A "gripping" Hindi adaptation of Reginald Rose's classic courtroom drama film 12 Angry Men, reimagined for contemporary India. Twelve jurors have to decide the fate of a young man accused of a brutal crime: inside the jury room, personal biases, [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Politically Incorrect Comedy

    Xandros Singature 1 Hotel, Barsha Heights, Dubai

    Mad Cat Comedy's regular standup night at Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.

    AED 80
  • Anna: dir Monica Guerritore (2025)

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

    An emotional biopic about the famed Italian actress Anna Magnani. In 1956, Magnani was in the running for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role; waiting for the news to arrive, she spends the night wandering the [ ... ]

    AED 25
  • Baarah

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

    The second performance for Gautam Goenka's "gripping" Hindi adaptation of Reginald Rose's classic courtroom drama film 12 Angry Men, reimagined for contemporary India. Twelve jurors have to decide the fate of a young man accused of a brutal crime: inside [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Joke Hub

    Canopy by Hilton Dubai Al Seef Al Seef Street, Umm Hurair 1, Dubai

    A regular Mad Cat Comedy night – "Dubai's wildest comedy show on Saturday" at "the first purpose built comedy room in the country". The cover charge of AED 99 includes two F&B coupons.

    AED 99
  • LAST CHANCE Jumana Emil Abboud: The Storyteller and the Obedient Tide

    Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

    Jumana Emil Abboud’s first solo exhibition in the Emirates draws on the lineage of Palestinian folktales and their continued resonance in the present – how stories inhabit landscapes, shape personal histories and collective memory, and create an enchanted relationship to [ ... ]

    Free
  • Maktaba: A Speculative Thought Circle – Sound

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

    Maktaba is 421's monthly gathering dedicated to collective reading, viewing, and discussion across disciplines. For its final iteration this season, researcher and sonic practitioner Safeyya Alblooshi will guide the conversation around sound, soundscapes, and interventions within sound cultures; texts shared [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Baarah

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

    Final performance of Gautam Goenka's "gripping" adaptation of Reginald Rose's classic courtroom drama film 12 Angry Men, reimagined for contemporary India. In Hindi, with English subtitles.

    AED 120
  • Book Cellar Dubai: Bartleby, the Scrivener

    Le Brasserie sur le Boulevard Kempinski The Boulevard, Mohammed Bin Rashid Blvd, Dubai

    You can't really go wrong with a classic like Herman Melville's quizzical short story. What exactly is going on here? Of course you could always take refuge in The New York Times summary of "a quintessential New York book" that [ ... ]

    Free
  • Comedy at the Speakeasy

    Moon Bar Mina Al Salam, Madinat Jumeriah, Dubai

    The Mad Cat team does the rather cool Moon Bar at the Sana Restaurant in Mina Al Salam. The door price includes one drink.

    AED 99
  • Berklee Abu Dhabi’s Jazz Night

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

    The second edition of this "celebration of musical dialogue, artistic collaboration, and contemporary reinterpretation". Headliner is the Syrian singer-songwriter Faia Younan, known for her cinematic sound and poetic approach to Arabic music and her presenting a special set of her [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • LAST CHANCE Elusive Territories

    Zawyeh Gallery Warehouse 27, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Elusive Territories is group show for 15 prominent Palestinian artists whose work examines the relationship between exile, memory, and homeland – three dynamics that constantly engage with one another, especially at this critical time. Says the gallery: "Throughout the exhibition, [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Comedy Lab @ Easy Tiger

    Al Ain Palace Hotel Corniche Road, Abu Dhabi

    Mad Cat’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 ...

    AED 99
  • Musing x Anti-Rot: Staying Creative When It Becomes a Business

    M39 Al Rutam Street, Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi

    Three creative practitioners to talk about what it takes to stay creative when work becomes a business with clients, deadlines, and repetition. The programme: 5-6pm Networking 6-6.30pm Mouza Al Hemrani (illustrator and multimedia artist) What I Do on Purpose to [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Jumeirah Golf Estates – Earth Terrace Dubai

    The July Laughter Factory tour looks like a good one, the usual mix of international visitors and a local star but with the bar set high for all of them: Josh Baulf – British stand-up comedian hotly tipped for success: [ ... ]

    AED 140
  • Politically Incorrect Comedy

    Xandros Singature 1 Hotel, Barsha Heights, Dubai

    Mad Cat Comedy's regular standup night at Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.

    AED 80
  • LAST CHANCE Safwan Dahoul – The Eye: An Aperture Into the Soul

    Ayyam Gallery B11, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Safwan Dahoul’s most recent body of work continues his Dream series – an ongoing body of work investigating the dream state that he began back in the late 1980s, exploring "the physical and psychological effects of alienation, solitude, and longing [ ... ]

    Free
  • One Day Choir DXB presents ‘Africa’

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

    Join a room full of people from different backgrounds and different age groups to learn, rehearse and perform Toto's anthemic Africa in a single day – no auditions, no commitments: just a great song, and the chance to meet and [ ... ]

    AED 150