• Shezad Dawood: Skin of Dreams

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

    Shezad Dawood’s 25-year career spans painting, textiles, sculpture, ceramics, film, performance and digital media. Fascinated by ecologies and architecture, his work connects art, science, music, environmentalism and technology to explore both alternative histories and futures, through a process of continuous [ ... ]

    Free
  • Bring Your Boss

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

    A free taster session for the Playhouse's Corporate Academy – a practical introduction to the value of improvisation in business, designed to support communication, collaboration, and leadership (plus the opportunity to connect with other people navigating similar challenges). And if [ ... ]

    Free
  • 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: the speakers have to give a presentation on a slide deck they’ve never seen before, with the topic determined at random by the Wheel of Destiny. Each presentation [ ... ]

    Free
  • Le Prénom

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

    Culture Emulsion’s production (in French, of course) of the popular comedy by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière that premiered in 2010 and went on to become a successful film adaptation. It’s a story about names and family relationships; [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • Classical masterpieces by Firdaus Orchestra

    House of Arts Expo City Dubai, Dubai

    Does what it says in the title – Expo City's excellent all-female orchestra tackles some classical favourites. From the promo: "from sweeping symphonies to iconic overtures, this concert pays tribute to legendary composers whose works have shaped the history of [ ... ]

    AED 75
  • The Jazz Night with Olesia Glants & Big Band

    Theatre of Digital Arts Souk Madinat Jumeriah, Dubai

    “Bold, dazzling, and unapologetically fun ... jazz standards and iconic pop hits reimagined into sultry, high-voltage showpieces”. Olesia Glants has a great voice and real stage presence, and this regular date is usually a good gig.

    From AED 160
  • Le Prénom

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

    A second performance for Culture Emulsion’s production (in French, of course) of the popular comedy by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière. It’s a story about names and family relationships; 40-something Vincent is about to become a father for [ ... ]

    AED 160
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Radisson DAMAC Hills Hessa Street Dubailand, Dubai

    The bill for the Laughter Factory's April tour: Robby Collins winner of multiple Comics Choice Awards. Expect razor-sharp storytelling and laid-back swagger from the South African standup Valentina Danubio Dubai favourite, mines her real world experience of motherhood and post-baby [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • Move, pause, return: gathering

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

    The culmination of Gallery Isabelle's 20th anniversary 20-day exhibition welcomes artists, contributors, and friends (the full exhibition, during which one work has been unveiled each day, remains on view until 28 May). Those involved: Artists: Hassan Sharif, Bahman Jalali, Mohammed [ ... ]

    Free, but RSVP
  • Metal Fest III

    The Fridge Warehouse Warehouse 5, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Four locally based metal bands – a decade of UAE metal history, from the well-established Verdict and April to relative newcomers Triton and 2024 NYUAD Battle of the Bands winner Stowaways. Says the Fridge: "Metal has always had a way [ ... ]

    AED 100
  • Tim Orr: This Scene Was About

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

    Noted US improviser Tim Orr (founder of SF's Improv Playhouse, duo shows with Inbal Lori, leading roles in Bay Area plays and improvised feature films, performer and teacher at numerous festivals and/or as an invited guest artist) brings the improv [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Studio One Hotel Dubai Studio City, Dubai

    The bill for the Laughter Factory's April tour: Robby Collins winner of multiple Comics Choice Awards. Expect razor-sharp storytelling and laid-back swagger from the South African standup Valentina Danubio Dubai favourite, mines her real world experience of motherhood and post-baby [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • To Be A Writer in This Time

    Kutubna Cultural Center Madina Avenues 17, Nadd Al Hamar, Dubai

    Subtitled "UAE authors reflect on their art and practice during war", this Kutubna panel discussion about writing – or not writing – at his time features authors Amandeep Ahuja, Hafsa Lodi, Shahd Thani, Tamreez Inam, Tessy Koshy, and Yosr ElSherbiny. [ ... ]

    AED 25
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    The Club Al Mina, Abu Dhabi

    The bill for the Laughter Factory's April tour: Robby Collins winner of multiple Comics Choice Awards. Expect razor-sharp storytelling and laid-back swagger from the South African standup Valentina Danubio Dubai favourite, mines her real world experience of motherhood and post-baby [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro / Jane Austen 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 (Tim Orr this time). After warming up with some fun games and scenes, the improvisers will entertain you with [ ... ]

    Free
  • Maggie Otieno: Sojourner – The Difference Is the Same

    Efiɛ Gallery 2 Al Khayat Art Avenue, First Al Khail Street, Dubai

    Otieno’s first solo presentation with Efie centres on her signature transformation of reclaimed and distressed materials. Working across wood, metal, and mixed media, her semi-abstract forms explore layered narratives of history, memory, human interaction, and environmental survival. To 16 May. [ ... ]

    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
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    The Agenda Abdullah Omran Taryam St, Media City, Dubai

    The bill for the Laughter Factory's April tour: Robby Collins winner of multiple Comics Choice Awards. Expect razor-sharp storytelling and laid-back swagger from the South African standup Valentina Danubio Dubai favourite, mines her real world experience of motherhood and post-baby [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • UAENO: From Screen to Stage

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

    The UAE National Orchestra plays orchestral arrangements of the music that accompanies several Emirati film productions – including Ishhafan, Khalil Fi Mahab Al Reeh, Freej, Khiyanat Watan, and Al Kameen.

    From AED 100
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Radisson DAMAC Hills Hessa Street Dubailand, Dubai

    The bill for the Laughter Factory's April tour: Robby Collins winner of multiple Comics Choice Awards. Expect razor-sharp storytelling and laid-back swagger from the South African standup Valentina Danubio Dubai favourite, mines her real world experience of motherhood and post-baby [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • Short+Sweet Dubai

    New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

    One of two 10-minute play festivals running concurrently in Dubai on six successive weekends with a basically similar format. This one is probably the more familiar name; it's been running in Dubai for some years, latterly as a franchise but [ ... ]

    AED 100 – AED 120
  • Anthony Akinbola: Get Well Soon

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

    Durags are stretchable fabrics worn over the head to shape and protect the hair; in Akinbola’s practice, they are both culturally loaded objects and a material he can reconfigure. For this solo show, Akinbola assembles durags into compositions that are [ ... ]

    Free
  • Unfixed ground

    Lawrie Shabibi Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    A group exhibition that approaches 'ground' as "something continuously produced: fractured, inscribed, and held in tension between erasure and persistence ..." The first of two spaces has works by Mandy El Sayegh, Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim, Omar El Gurg, and Rand [ ... ]

    Free
  • 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
  • All the Lands from Sunrise to Sunset

    Green Art Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    "All the lands from sunrise to sunset", a phrase attributed to the Mesopotamian king Sargon of Akkad, graphically invoked his claim to total dominion. Taking this assertion as both point of departure and provocation, this exhibition includes works by Alla [ ... ]

    Free
  • Alserkal Art Month: weekend 1

    Alserkal Avenue Al Quoz 1, Dubai

    Alserkal Avenue's Art Month (18 April to 19 May) includes a raft of individual events, mostly at the weekends, alongside the usual gallery opening hours – most of those we have listed separately in the Agenda. Here’s the schedule for [ ... ]

    Free
  • Final Draft

    ERTH Khor Al Maqta Al Khaleej Al Arabi Road, Abu Dhabi

    This interesting-looking event by the Ripple Collective, a group of multidisciplinary designers and design-led retailers based in Abu Dhabi, has been running for four years now with little fanfare. It offers a day of “the things we love most: good [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • X Fest DXB

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

    One of two 10-minute play festivals running concurrently in Dubai on six successive weekends with a basically similar format. This one is the Junction's: each weekend features 10 to 11 original 10-minute plays, meaning audiences will get the chance to [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Opera Under the Dome by Firdaus Orchestra

    Al Wasl Plaza Expo City, Dubai

    Opera Under the Dome returns to Al Wasl Plaza, with the Firdaus Orchestra introducing a fresh repertoire that we're promised "captures the depth, passion and drama of opera".

    AED 75
  • UAENO: From Screen to Stage

    Ras Al Khaimah Cultural Center Al Nakheel, Ras Al Khaimah

    The UAE National Orchestra plays orchestral arrangements of the music that accompanies several Emirati film productions – including Ishhafan, Khalil Fi Mahab Al Reeh, Freej, Khiyanat Watan, and Al Kameen.

    From AED 100
  • The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club

    Dukes The Palm Palm Dubai, Dubai

    The final stop the Laughter Factory's April tour. On the bill: Robby Collins winner of multiple Comics Choice Awards. Expect razor-sharp storytelling and laid-back swagger from the South African standup Valentina Danubio Dubai favourite, mines her real world experience of [ ... ]

    AED 175
  • Short+Sweet Dubai

    New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

    One of two 10-minute play festivals running concurrently in Dubai on six successive weekends with a basically similar format. This one is probably the more familiar name; it's been running in Dubai for some years, latterly as a franchise but [ ... ]

    AED 100 – AED 120
  • Alserkal Art Month: weekend 1

    Alserkal Avenue Al Quoz 1, Dubai

    Here’s the schedule for the first Sunday of Alserkal Avenue's Art Month (18 April to 19 May): 3-4pm Project Space KIDS' WORKSHOP Animal Comic Creations Participants (aged 7+) design their own comic-style story, inspired by an animal of their choice [ ... ]

    Free
  • Dreams of Rumi

    Theatre of Digital Arts Souk Madinat Jumeriah, Dubai

    "An authentic fusion of drama, choreography and music" – specifically, an evening of music, poetry and Dervish dancing in tribute to the poetic wisdom of Rumi, delivered by a small ensemble within ToDA’s 360° impressive immersive visuals.    

    From AED 200
  • X Fest DXB

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

    Second day for opening weekend of the Junction's festival of short plays: each weekend features 10 to 11 original 10-minute plays, meaning audiences will get the chance to see a diverse lineup of stories, styles and performances in a single [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro / Jane Austen 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 (Tim Orr this time). After warming up with some fun games and scenes, the improvisers will entertain you with [ ... ]

    Free
  • Behind the Scenes of Museums: From Conservation to Communication

    Bassam Freiha Art Foundation Cultural District Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    A lecture by Elsie El Deek Bou Jaoude, art historian and Director of the USEK Archaeological Museum, that promises “a rare glimpse into the unseen work of museums, exploring how conservation, research, and collaboration shape collections beyond what is visible to [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • 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
  • Short+Sweet Dubai: weekend two

    New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

    Second weekend of the festival of 10-minute plays – each of the S+S Dubai weekends (9-10 May is a break) features afternoon and evening sessions for 10 plays, meaning you could see something around 80 microplays if you attended all [ ... ]

    AED 100 – AED 120
  • LAST CHANCE The Poetry of Birds

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

    Following previous editions of this exhibition in Paris and Tokyo, L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts aims to offer a dialogue between 19th and 20th-century Western jewellery and Islamic arts, with poetry as the common thread. Jewels, precious objects, and gouaché [ ... ]

    Free
  • Young Picasso: dir Phil Grabsky (2019)

    Louvre Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    Documentarist Phil Grabsky has carved a niche for himself by concentrating for the most part on films about artists – composers first, then more recently painters; Young Picasso is both typical of this work and one the best examples of [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • X Fest DXB: weekend 2

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

    The second weekend for the Junction's short play festival: each weekend features 10 to 11 original 10-minute plays, meaning audiences will get the chance to see a diverse lineup of stories, styles and performances in a single evening. Essentially you [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Short+Sweet Dubai: weekend two

    New Covent Garden Theatre Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

    Second day of the second weekend of the festival of 10-minute plays – each of the S+S Dubai weekends (9-10 May is a break) features afternoon and evening sessions for 10 plays, meaning you could see something around 80 microplays [ ... ]

    AED 100 – AED 120
  • LAST CHANCE Rays, Ripples, Residue

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

    This major exhibition marks the ten-year anniversary of 421 Arts Campus and offers a chance to reflect on emergent artistic practices in the UAE, their possibilities, and challenges for the future. Featuring video, performance, installation, and multimedia works, it invites [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Image Keepers

    Sharjah Art Foundation Photography Gallery Al Manakh, Sharjah

    For its inaugural exhibition, SAF's Photography Gallery presents a panorama of artistic experimentation and engagement drawn from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection of photography. Says the Foundation: "the works navigate the sociopolitical terrain of the last six decades against a [ ... ]

    Free
  • LAST CHANCE Memoryscape: Contemporary Visions Across the Arab Diaspora

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

    A group show for six contemporary artists of Arab descent: Gilbert Halaby, Hanibal Srouji, Hussein Baalbaki, Richard Hearns, Sarah Alagroobi, and Soraya Abu Naba’a. Says the gallery: "At the heart of Memoryscape lies a shared inquiry into how our surroundings [ ... ]

    Free
  • Sunday Night Comedy Prom

    Social Distrikt The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai

    Dubomedy's highly successful Sunday gig at Hushh in Social Distrikt gets a bit of a makeover to celebrate its 18 years of comic activity in Dubai. We're promised "a night of laughs, fits, and unforgettable vibes" with Stand-Up Comedy Game [ ... ]

    Free, but min spend of one item
  • X Fest DXB: weekend 2

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

    The second weekend for the Junction's short play festival: each weekend features 10 to 11 original 10-minute plays, meaning audiences will get the chance to see a diverse lineup of stories, styles and performances in a single evening. Essentially you [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • Monday Night Comedy: This Is Impro / Jane Austen 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 will entertain you with an evening of high [ ... ]

    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