• Sarah Alagroobi: Slanted Dreamscape

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

    Alagroobi’s evocative, highly textured landscapes provide a glimpse into “a world where reality and imagination intersect”. Her practice celebrates the physical and metaphysical, using layers of acrylic to sculpt imagined landscapes that blur the boundaries between the tangible and the [ ... ]

    Free
  • Gaye Su Akyol | TootArd

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

    Classic Arts Center programming for this End of Summer Dance Party in the Black Box theatre – a genre-defying concert that puts two very different kinds of artist in each half. From Gaye Su Akyol you get an innovative mix [ ... ]

    AED 105
  • Lucerne Festival Quintet with Alexander Malofeev

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A second performance of this Abu Dhabi Classics chamber concert featuring the acclaimed young Russian virtuoso pianist Alexander Malofeev with musicians from the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. The programme includes Schubert’s Trout Quintet, Fauré’s Piano Quartet No.1, and Brahms’ Piano Quartet [ ... ]

    From AED 100
  • The UAE Classical Talents: A Night with Vivaldi

    Alliance Française Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The fifth season of the UAE Classical Talents, a programme of chamber music concerts aimed at promoting local artists, opens with a programme of Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his 'La Folia' (Vivaldi take on the well-known folk tune was written [ ... ]

    AED 130
  • Giselle

    Giselle
    Dubai Opera

    Second performance for the Polish National Ballet and Orchestra’s take on the ultimate tragic/romantic ballet – beautiful young peasant girl fall in loves with a disguised nobleman but goes mad and dies of heartbreak when his true identity is revealed [ ... ]

    From AED 432
  • LAST CHANCE Carpets of Eden, Gardens of Fantasy

    Leila Heller Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    This exhibition of carpets designed by artists and curated by Behrang Samadzadegan is described by the gallery as "a territory where artists navigate unbridled fantasies ... Like architects of dreams, they go beyond the surface, delving into the unseen, weaving [ ... ]

    Free
  • Chicago

    Chicago
    Etihad Arena Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

    The second weekend of performances for “the most exciting musical of its generation” (The Times). First seen in 1975 and still an all-round stunner, it is based on a 1926 play by one-time reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins and is built [ ... ]

    From AED 185
  • Art Here 2024

    Louvre Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Art Here 2024, now in its fourth edition, has rapidly become a significant entry in the Middle East’s art exhibition calendar – a regional competition for 3D work that benefits from sponsorship by luxe watchmaker Richard Mille [ ... ]

    AED 60
  • Giselle

    Giselle
    Dubai Opera

    A third performance for the Polish National Ballet and Orchestra’s take on the ultimate tragic/romantic ballet – beautiful young peasant girl fall in loves with a disguised nobleman but goes mad and dies of heartbreak when his true identity is [ ... ]

    From AED 432
  • Andy Warhol, The Glam Factory

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

    A collection of more than 100 of Warhol’s works, curated by Nada Ghandour, which aims to trace Warhol's rise from his modest beginnings in commercial illustration to his status as the Pope of Pop Art via screenprints, photos, and magazines [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • Cineolio’s Cinenights

    Mohammed Bin Rashid Library Al Jaddaf, Dubai

    An evening of five short films, all subtitled in both Arabic and English: 12 Drawings a Day: dir Denis Chapon (Denmark, 2011: 5 mins) Experimental animation created on the reverse of used A4 sheets. Each day for three years drew [ ... ]

    Free
  • Go Back for Murder

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

    Agatha Christie wrote more than a dozen plays as well as the novels that made her name, and this is one -- written in 1960, an adaptation of her story Five Little Pigs with Hercule Poirot removed from the story. [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • TootArd | Gaye Su Akyol

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

    A second evening of the End of Summer Dance Party in the Black Box theatre – a genre-defying concert that puts two very different kinds of artist in each half. From Gaye Su Akyol you get an innovative mix of [ ... ]

    AED 105
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Mövenpick Hotel JBR Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    This month's Laughter Factory tour kicks off at the Mövenpick as usual. The acts: Kate Barron a return to the UAE for the award-winning Canadian comic, sharp, witty and unfiltered Farhan Solo a Gulf debut for the "eccentric millennial Muslim" [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • Giselle

    Dubai Opera

    Final performances (at 2pm and 7pm) for the Polish National Ballet and Orchestra’s take on the ultimate tragic/romantic ballet – beautiful young peasant girl fall in loves with a disguised nobleman but goes mad and dies of heartbreak when his [ ... ]

    From AED 432
  • Chicago

    Chicago
    Etihad Arena Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

    The second weekend of performances for “the most exciting musical of its generation” (The Times). First seen in 1975 and still an all-round stunner, it is based on a 1926 play by one-time reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins and is built [ ... ]

    From AED 185
  • Majd Kurdieh: Butterflies

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

    A solo show for the Aleppo-born Lebanese-based artist with a very distinctive practice – he paints with cartoon-like characters to talk about the current state of the world, usually a boy (Fasoon) and a girl (Fasooneh) who are always smiling [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Al Habtoor Polo Resort Al Safa 5, Emirates Road 611, Dubai

    This month's Laughter Factory tour drops in at Al Habtoor with the usual standup gig followed by a no-sitting afterparty with the chance to mingle with the acts (though not for long, they're booked at the Mövenpick at 8.30pm). On [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • Go Back for Murder

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

    Second performance of this Agatha Christie play. There's an unusual twist on the traditional murder mystery , the action moving from past to present and illuminating the danger of relying on personal testimony warped by time, prejudice and perception. Carla [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Mövenpick Hotel JBR Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    This month's Laughter Factory tour gets a second show at the Mövenpick as usual. The acts: Kate Barron a return to the UAE for the award-winning Canadian comic, sharp, witty and unfiltered Farhan Solo a Gulf debut for the "eccentric [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • Chicago

    Chicago
    Etihad Arena Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

    The second weekend of performances for “the most exciting musical of its generation” (The Times). First seen in 1975 and still an all-round stunner, it is based on a 1926 play by one-time reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins and is built [ ... ]

    From AED 185
  • Way of the Forest

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

    This travelling edition of the Colomboscope arts festival features work by 19 artists from South Asia and Africa. Taking over Galleries 1 and 2 inside 421 Arts Campus, it focuses on interdependence, custodianship, and restorative practices across rainforests, wilderness, mountain [ ... ]

    Free
  • Mary Poppins: dir Robert Stevenson (1964)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    A newly restored print of the multiple Academy Award winner, starring Julie Andrews as the magical nanny and Dick Van Dyke as a most unlikely chimney sweep. Fantastical adventures follow as the spirited nanny turns every chore into a game [ ... ]

    Free
  • Go Back for Murder

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

    The final performance for this Agatha Christie play. There's an unusual twist on the traditional murder mystery , the action moving from past to present and illuminating the danger of relying on personal testimony warped by time, prejudice and perception. [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

    Dubai Opera

    It's 200 years since Betthoven's Ninth premiered, and this performance by the Polish National Opera Orchestra with the Dubai Festival Choir under the baton of Patrick Fournillier should provide a suitable tribute to what is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Western [ ... ]

    From AED 260
  • Comedy Mix-Tape

    Melrose Paramount Midtown, Al Mustaqbal Street, Dubai

    Dubomedy's improv evening is back with "a hilarious mash-up of stand-up and improv ... You never know who will pop in". It's free but fills up fast, so RSVP to get a seat.

    Free, but pre-register
  • Comedy Mix-Tape

    Paramount Hotel Midtown Al Mustaqbal Street, Business Bay, Dubai

    Dubomedy's improv evening is back with graduates of Dubomedy's workshops plus special guests in "a hilarious mash-up of stand-up and improv". This is a double-header, with shows at 6pm and 8.30pm; they're free (with a minimum spend of one drink [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Armageddon Time: dir James Gray (2022)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    James Gray’s deeply personal coming-of-age tale, set in 1980s New York, boasts fine performances from Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong as the parents and Anthony Hopkins dispensing twinkly grandfatherly wisdom – and, as a sixth-grader making his way through school [ ... ]

    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
  • Ökozid | Ecocide: dir Andres Veiel (2020)

    Alliance Française Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    It is the year 2034: drought and flooding are destroying the livelihoods of millions of people. The International Court of Justice has had to evacuate from The Hague to Berlin, where the climate catastrophe becomes the subject of legal proceedings. [ ... ]

    Free
  • Comedy Night @ Ting Irie

    Ting Irie, Mamsga al Saadiyat Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Cultural District, Abu Dhabi

    "UAE’s top established and new comedians light up the stage with laughter" at Ting Irie Abu Dhabi every other Tuesday (best to check their Instagram account @tingirieauh just to be sure). This time there's a Fineral Home theme ("die laughing"); [ ... ]

    AED 95
  • Narratives of Belonging

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

    The second edition of this open-call Dubai Culture exhibition for Emirati creatives “explores what it means to belong – whether to a place, an object, a practice, or something beyond the physical, like a memory ... By exploring the fluid [ ... ]

    Free
  • Putting the Record Straight: The Lost Women of Art History

    Society Dubai Jumeirah Street, Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The second in this seven-part lecture series by art historian Rose Balston on female artists from the 16th through to the 18th century – “women who have not only been side-lined, but literally (and shockingly) blocked out of history”, mainly [ ... ]

    AED 250
  • Wednesday Night Impro: Maestro

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

    The Courtyard's regular 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 but donations welcome
  • Candice Lin: Night Stone

    Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

    The LA-based artist’s first solo exhibition in West Asia. In Night Stone, a large one-room installation, Candice Lin uses ceramic sculptures, textile works and a site-specific mural to connect the contemporary trade of manganese between Australia and China with the [ ... ]

    Free
  • Magnus Gjoen: The Future of The Past

    Mestaria Gallery Unit 35, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Gjoen invites the viewer to explore the delicate balance between history and modernity, as envisioned through a distinctive style that fuses street art influences with pop culture and fine art – symbols and themes from the Renaissance and Baroque are [ ... ]

  • From Abu Dhabi to Paris: A Symphony of Voices and Keys

    Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi Reem Island, Abu Dhabi

    The noted Emirati mezzosoprano Fatima Alhashmi is accompanied by the French pianist Marie Sontag for a programme of French arias.

    Free
  • The Fridge Open Mic

    The Fridge Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The Fridge's Open Mic night was open to singers, musicians, bands, instrumentalists and performers, bands as well as solo performers. Always a chance to discover some hot new talent ...

    Free (we think)
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    The Club Al Mina, Abu Dhabi

    This month's Laughter Factory tour moves on to its now-regular Abu Dhabi stop. On the stage: Kate Barron a return to the UAE for the award-winning Canadian comic, sharp, witty and unfiltered Farhan Solo a Gulf debut for the "eccentric [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • PowerPointless Networking Night

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

    One of the most consistently funny of the Courtyard's classic improv gigs is back after a couple of months' hiatus: the speakers have to give a presentation on a slide deck they’ve never seen before, with the topic determined at [ ... ]

    Free, but donations welcome
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Radisson DAMAC Hills Hessa Street Dubailand, Dubai

    The penultimate date for this month's Laughter Factory tour. The acts: Kate Barron a return to the UAE for the award-winning Canadian comic, sharp, witty and unfiltered Farhan Solo a Gulf debut for the "eccentric millennial Muslim" (he was good [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • Antonio Dias: The Search for an Open Enigma

    Sharjah Art Foundation – Bait Al Serkal Arts Square, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Work by Antonio Dias (1944–2018), an artist who relentlessly transgressed material and conceptual boundaries, tackling complex sociopolitical issues across diverse mediums. Drawing upon Hélio Oiticica’s 1969 analysis of Dias’ practice, the title embraces the versatile, ever-changing and subversive nature of [ ... ]

    Free
  • Vantage Point Sharjah (VPS 12)

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

    Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual photography exhibition returns for its 12 edition. Under the theme 'If I Were Another' (derived from a Mahmoud Darwish poem), this year’s exhibition addresses intimate individual experiences and the weight of collective memory, proposing empathy as [ ... ]

    Free
  • William Kentridge: A Shadow of a Shadow

    Sharjah Art Foundation – Bait Al Serkal Arts Square, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Kentridge’s first major solo exhibition in the region features a survey of 17 performances by the artist, spanning a period from the late 1980s to the present and showcasing a wide range of his work. They include his interpretations of [ ... ]

    Free
  • Improv Party 2

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

    The Junction's experiment with improv gets another outing; last time out the "unscripted and unexpected live improvised theatrical show" was pretty good, by all accounts. Individual tickets are AED 100, but you can buy two for AED 160 ...

    AED 100
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Dukes The Palm Palm Dubai, Dubai

    Last gig for this month's Laughter Factory tour. The acts: Kate Barron a return to the UAE for the award-winning Canadian comic, sharp, witty and unfiltered Farhan Solo a Gulf debut for the "eccentric millennial Muslim" (he was good on [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • LAST CHANCE At the Edge of Land

    Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

    This group exhibition, curated by Lucas Morin, highlights unexpectedly interconnected geographies, resources and commodities, moving between land and sea to tell stories of conflict, erosion and extraction; it's based on works from the Art Jameel Collection plus loans and new [ ... ]

    Free
  • Nabil Anani: The Land and I

    Zawyeh Gallery Warehouse 27, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Nabil Anani has been focussed on painting landscapes for over two decades. His work demonstrates how the land is central to his identity and existence, and how it is also integral to its people; in The Land and I, Anani [ ... ]

  • A Hard Day’s Night: dir Richard Lester (1964)

    Manarat al Saadiyat Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    The Beatles before they became a studio-only band and got fed up with fame, fortune and each other: Richard Lester's anything-goes direction and a decent lots-of-laughs script plus some good acting from British stalwarts of the time (like Wilfrid Brambell [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register