• LAST CHANCE Łiljana Burćul: Lilium Art

    Renaissance Business Bay Hotel Al Abraj Street, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai

    Paintings on silk by the Serbian artist known internationally as Lily. Her process combines pigment, water, alcohol, and salt to produce layers of colour and depth; on to these surfaces, Lily adds Swarovski® crystals, fine glass, quartz, and gold, "giving [ ... ]

    Free
  • Hybrid Vistas

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

    A group show with Adel Abidin, Daniele Genadry, Ali Kaeini, Katya Muromtseva, and Melissa Rios that explores "how landscape is transformed in an age of post-human thought, climate disruption, and hybrid perception ... This is a space where nature is [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Comedy Lab @ Easy Tiger

    Al Ain Palace Hotel Corniche Road, Abu Dhabi

    MadCat’s standup team comes to the Easy Tiger bar in Abu Dhabi's Al Ain Palace. The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks ...

    AED 99
  • Salma Al Marri: Résonances

    Alliance Française Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The paintings of the Emirati artist "unfold as fragments of a personal and collective mythology," says the gallery. "Navigating the space between memory and presence, her visual language evokes the resonance of the self as both a persistent echo and [ ... ]

    Free
  • Hekayah | The Story

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

    The Arts Center's 11th annual celebration of the many meanings of 'home' – your country, your city, your family, the place where you happen to be now ... As always it's a celebration UAE's National Day, Eid al Etihad, with [ ... ]

    AED 105
  • The Comedy Lab

    Radisson Red Dubai Digital Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai

    Mad Cat's regular stop in Silicon Oasis promises “Dubai’s wildest comedy night". The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks (it says here, though other Mad Cat gigs at this venue are limited to one).

    AED 99
  • Michiko Tsuda and ::vtol::

    Dom Art Projects Al Khayat Avenue, Dubai

    Dom Art Projects opens its new exhibition space and residency studios in Al Khayat Avenue with an inaugural exhibition that takes inspiration from the concept of time (and also plays on the meaning of ‘dom’ in Arabic: it can translate [ ... ]

    Free
  • Chicken for Linda! dir Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach (2023

    Germaine Tillion Garden, SUAD Campus Abu Dhabi

    Animated musical comedy about Paulette's attempts to make things right with her unfairly accused daughter Linda (it was the cat that did it). So she'll cook chicken with peppers for Linda, despite not knowing how to cook and being hampered [ ... ]

    Free
  • Politically Incorrect Comedy

    Xandros Singature 1 Hotel, Barsha Heights, Dubai

    MadCat Comedy returns to Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.

    AED 80
  • Claire & Antho: Souvenirs

    Sharjah Arts Foundation, Arts Square Al Shuweiheen, Sharjah

    Conceived and performed by the French duo Claire & Anthony, Souvenirs transforms Sharjah’s open spaces into a stage where silhouettes, music and dance intertwine. Blending physical theatre, shadow play, dance, and live video projection, the piece explores the invisible baggage [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Joke Hub

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

    A regular MadCat Comedy night – "Dubai's wildest comedy show on Saturday" (sic). The cover charge of AED 99 includes two F&B coupons.

    AED 99
  • Claire & Antho: Souvenirs

    Sharjah Arts Foundation, Arts Square Al Shuweiheen, Sharjah

    A second performance for this Perform Sharjah event. Blending physical theatre, shadow play, dance, and live video projection, the piece explores the invisible baggage we carry – memories, regrets, dreams – with cinematic beauty and quiet humour. Both playful and [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • LAST CHANCE Tim Kent: Horsepower

    JD Malat Gallery ACT 2 Tower, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Blvd 13A ,Downtown Dubai, Dubai

    A solo exhibition by Brooklyn-based artist Tim Kent that examines the historical and cultural significance of the horse. Working across large-scale painted interiors, landscapes, and invented worlds, Kent transforms historical reference into contemporary compositions that hover between reality and imagination; [ ... ]

    Free
  • Ali Al Sayed: Alphabet Soup

    New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

    Back from an international tour, the award-winning main man of Dubomedy has a new stand-up special "packed with lightning-fast wit, sharp observations on identity, language, and the everyday absurdities of life and its many labels". Should be good.

    From AED 175
  • Radouan Mriziga: Magec / The Desert

    Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, Sharjah

    Blending dance, sound and imagery, Mriziga crafts a meditative reflection on landscape and memory, where the desert emerges as both a physical terrain and a symbolic stage. A Sharjah Art Foundation co-production with the Kunsten festival des arts in Brussels, [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • LAST CHANCE Miramar Al Nayyar: Hujra

    Tabari Artspace Alserkal Avenue Warehouse 81, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Tabari Artspace's first exhibition at its new Alserkal Avenue location is a solo show for Miramar Al Nayyar, curated by Abeer Seikaly. In Hujra, Al Nayyar "traces how flow crystallises onto canvas, how light becomes matter, and how painting absorbs [ ... ]

    Free
  • Christmas Opera Gala

    Dubai Opera Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Dubai

    A seasonal concert in the finest tradition of Italian Opera with three top-class voices — tenor Vittorio Grigolo, baritone Luca Salsi, soprano Alisa Medvedeva — accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan under Alibek Kabdurakhmanov. The programme features classic [ ... ]

    From AED 170
  • UAE Youth Orchestra and Choir: End of Season Celebration

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

    For their year-end concert, the Youth Orchestra and Choir deliver a selection of pieces from The Nutcracker, Bizet’s Carmen, and Carl Nielsen’s Aladdin Suite. Organized by Abu Dhabi Culture in collaboration with the International Music Institute, this concert promises a celebration [ ... ]

    AED 50
  • Laughter Factory’s Christmas Party

    Dukes The Palm Palm Dubai, Dubai

    The festival season has truncated the usual Laughter Factory tour, but instead we have three parties featuring a very strong lineup of comics – Danny O’Brien (high-energy wit), Luca Cupani (quirky dry humour deriving in part from his dual Italian/British [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • Silajit Ghosh: Abstract Reality

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

    A solo show for the noted Indian artist, whose paintings aim to explore the essence of reality rather than its literal representation. His signature use of strong colours evoke emotions rather than depictions – "his works feel like waves, each [ ... ]

    Free
  • Politically Incorrect Comedy

    Xandros Singature 1 Hotel, Barsha Heights, Dubai

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

    AED 80
  • Laughter Factory’s Christmas Party

    Radisson DAMAC Hills Hessa Street Dubailand, Dubai

    Second of three seasonal gigs for the shortened Laughter Factory tour, featuring a strong lineup – Danny O’Brien (high-energy wit), Luca Cupani (quirky dry humour deriving in part from his dual Italian/British heritage) and home-grown favourite Imah (always reliably funny). [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • Dubai Opera Jazz Studio: Polina QZ & Joe Aouad

    Dubai Opera Studio Downtown Dubai, Dubai

    Late-evening jazz with a 360o sound system. Tonight it's a rather good duo, Joe Aouad on guitar (maybe oud too) and Polina QZ on vocals – they've been performing together (non-exclusively) for some time now and respond really well to a [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • LAST CHANCE Richard Hearns: Threshold

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

    A solo exhibition by the Lebanese-Irish painter, born in Beirut and adopted into Ireland to bear a dual heritage that shapes his artistic identity. This, his first solo exhibition in the UAE, presents a new body of work that reflects [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Elf in the Gulf

    South View School Remraam, Al Thammam, Dubai

    Seasonal musical theatre fun for all the family (but mainly the kids). It's a continuation of the world created by Collab Company last year with a troupe of singers, dancers and actors; this time five rookie elves must complete their [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • The Fridge Presents: The Big Christmas Sing in Dubai

    The Fridge Warehouse Warehouse 5, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Four choirs are taking over The Fridge Warehouse for a seasonal celebration that proves carols sound exponentially better when 80+ people are singing them together. Each choir performs their set, then they all take the stage together ... The choirs: Hartland [ ... ]

    AED 80
  • Thousand Nights and One

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

    Written and directed by Rasika Agashe, this magical look at the fate of Scheherazade, the narrator of the original ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, is back for one night only (it was at the Junction in March this year). Rasika [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Laughter Factory’s Christmas Party

    The Club Al Mina, Abu Dhabi

    Last of three seasonal gigs for this shortened Laughter Factory tour, featuring a strong lineup – Danny O’Brien (high-energy wit), Luca Cupani (quirky dry humour deriving in part from his dual Italian/British heritage) and home-grown favourite Imah (always reliably funny).

    AED 160
  • The Zero Apologies Show

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

    "A comedy show where you are the joke." MadCat Comedy's main man Miqdaad D pushes the boundaries ... The cover charge of AED 99 includes two drinks.

    AED 99
  • Dubai Opera Jazz Studio: Rami Attallah

    Dubai Opera Studio Downtown Dubai, Dubai

    Late-evening jazz with a 360o sound system and the always impressive Rami Attalah – founder of The Music Hub in Egypt, main man of the Rami Attallah Group, main pianist and conductor of Cairo Steps & the Los Compadres Latin Jazz [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • LAST CHANCE Lydia Nakashima Degarrod and Susan Ossman: Projects of Art Ethnography

    NYUAD Project Space NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    This exhibition brings together works by two artist-anthropologists with practices on the boundaries between scholarship and art. Their projects invite viewers to reflect on migration, memory, identity, and the ways knowledge takes shape across bodies, materials, and stories. The exhibition [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Elf in the Gulf

    South View School Remraam, Al Thammam, Dubai

    A second round of performances for Collab Company's seasonal musical theatre fun – five rookie elves must complete their training at the Christmas Academy and Department of Elvish Training (CADET) in pursuit of their mission to bring joy to families [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • Drinks and Comedy

    Courtyard by Marriott Al Barsha Road, Al Barsha 1, Dubai

    This comedykix open mic at the Courtyard by Marriott's Oak Live Bar promises exactly what it says – standup comedy with drinks (and food). Entry is free entry but there's a minimum AED 75 spend.

    Free
  • BRIDGE Summit 2025

    ADNEC Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    The organisers of BRIDGE Summit 2025 says its goal is to “establish itself as a comprehensive exploration of the forces transforming global media ... Designed as a global platform for collaboration, discovery, and innovation, BRIDGE Summit 2025 will explore how [ ... ]

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

    Al Ain Palace Hotel Corniche Road, Abu Dhabi

    MadCat’s standup team at its regular stop in the Easy Tiger bar in Abu Dhabi's Al Ain Palace. The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks ...

    AED 99
  • Elements of Light

    JD Malat Gallery ACT 2 Tower, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Blvd 13A ,Downtown Dubai, Dubai

    A group exhibition reflecting on illumination in all its forms – atmosphere, memory, rhythm and emotion – that promise "a radiant constellation of contemporary voices to close the year". The 13 artists featured include Casper Brindle, Masayoshi Nojo, RETNA, Conrad [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Tor Seidel: Riposte

    XVA Gallery Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, Bur Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Tor Siedel explores how ‘vandalism’ by environmental activists in triptychs that consider whether these attacks can also be considered performative acts of art. He focuses on the protagonists' actionism, the shock or entertainment value for visitors, and the professional dissemination [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Story of Art Lecture: It’s All in the Details – the Dutch Golden Age

    Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    Bassam Freiha Art Foundation continues its monthly lecture series led by Dr Michaela Watrelot, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions. This it's the artistic flourishing of 17th-century Netherlands, where prosperity and everyday life found new visual meaning – think Rembrandt’s [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Clémence Marie Bergal in Conversation

    Foundry Downtown Boulevard Crescent, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Dubai

    An Inloco Gallery conversation about the evolution of public art in the MENA region with Clémence Marie Bergal, Abu Dhabi Public Art Director at DCT Abu Dhabi. Clémence will discuss how institutional frameworks, artistic practice, and urban development shape public [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • The Comedy Lab

    Radisson Red Dubai Digital Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai

    MadCat Comedy's regular stop in Silicon Oasis promises "insane laughs every week". The door price of AED 99 includes two drinks.

    AED 99
  • Annie

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

    The much-garlanded musical arrives for its UAE debut in the new adaptation by the Olivier Award-winning producer Paul Taylor-Mills. Set in Depression-era New York, the story follows little orphan Annie who is invited to spend Christmas with a billionaire ... [ ... ]

    From AED 200
  • Focal Point 2025

    FOCAL POINT 2023
    Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, Sharjah

    The eighth and biggest edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s art book fair – the region’s only book fair dedicated to publishing about art, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Ars Nova Napoli

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

    Neapolitan folk from a band known for its powerful stage presence and an exuberant party groove. Ars Nova Napoli offers a unique reinterpretation of traditional songs from southern Italy plus their own compositions. Expect skilled harmonies and instrumental interplay; should [ ... ]

    AED75
  • The Unfriend

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

    Peter and Debbie are a timorous suburban couple who are “dying of manners”. They can’t communicate with their teenage children, can’t stand their neighbour, and can’t believe they have agreed to host a brash American, Elsa, who was amusing company [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Politically Incorrect Comedy

    Xandros Singature 1 Hotel, Barsha Heights, Dubai

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

    AED 80
  • Dubai Opera Jazz Studio: Sandra Ivette

    Dubai Opera Studio Downtown Dubai, Dubai

    Late-evening jazz with a 360o sound system and the rather special Sandra Ivette. She's a multi-instrumentalist (very cool on bass or bass guitar) and singer, with a great line in Cuban-influenced jazz (she's from Havana) ... The door price includes one [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • LAST CHANCE Prix Pictet: Storm

    Ishara Art Foundation Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Prix Pictet, founded in 2008 by the Pictet Group, is the world’s leading award for photography that draws attention to issues of global sustainability; this exhibition showcases work by 12 photographers who have been shortlisted for the eleventh cycle of [ ... ]

    Free
  • Naqsh Raj: Half Light

    XVA Gallery Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, Bur Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    With this exhibition Naqsh Raj “invents a personal tool for grounding and connection, balancing order with anarchy, discipline with instinct and darkness with sparks of illumination ... The repetitive expression in her work hints at a longing for predictability, while [ ... ]

    Free
  • Fujifilm Short Film Festival

    Cinema Akil Warehouse 68, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    This first festival of its kind by Fujifilm Middle East, created with Cinema Akil and Gulf Photo Plus, aims to "foster bold ideas, nurture fresh perspectives, and champion the next generation of storytellers". More than 2,000 submissions were whittled down [ ... ]

    Free
  • Focal Point 2025

    FOCAL POINT 2023
    Sharjah Art Foundation, Bait Obaid Al Shamsi Arts Square, Sharjah

    The eighth and biggest edition of Sharjah Art Foundation’s art book fair – the region’s only book fair dedicated to publishing about art, we think – features local and international publishers with book launches, talks, workshops and musical performances during [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register