• Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Forum

    Warehouse 1 Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    The second edition of the Al Quoz Creative Entrepreneurship Forum, organised by Dubai Culture and Al Quoz Creative Zone as the region’s only conference dedicated to creative entrepreneurship, is again a free two-day event. While we don’t yet have the [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • A Century of Iconic Arab Music

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

    The Candlelight concerts experience – music with illumination provided by thousands of candles – is applied to a programme of classic Arabic music perfromed by the Fusion Al Arab Group, presenting works such as Tehaddoh El bashar by Rashed Al-Majed, [ ... ]

    From AED 200
  • Slava’s Snowshow

    Dubai Opera

    Two final performances for one of the best seasonal shows around – a whimsical blur of laughter, awe, and magic that has already been seen by more than 12 million theatre-goers around the world, reportedly receives a standing ovation following [ ... ]

    From AED 225
  • Rusted Stars

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

    The final performances for this science fiction musical, said to be the first original musical play to be produced in the UAE: long ago people left an uninhabitable earth to make a life in the stars. That sort of worked, [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • 1 MINUTE TO KRUSHIT

    Melrose Paramount Midtown, Al Mustaqbal Street, Dubai

    Another Dubomedy comedy night with alumni of its stand-up courses, last of the year – they each get just one minute to make you laugh, there will be prizes, and it's free with no minimum spend (you need to pre-register, [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Winter Special – Theatresports: Santas vs Elves

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

    A newish Courtyard tradition: competitive improv. In Theatresports, teams of improvisors compete against each other for points awarded by a panel of judges. The teams issue challenges to each other on the seasonal theme, and the judges are looking for [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Tinariwen

    Dubai Opera

    The exciting Tuareg band (the name Tinariwen translates to ‘People of the Deserts’ or ‘The Desert Boys’) merge traditional Tuareg melodies and rhythms with guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll in a style known as assouf among the Tuareg people and dubbed [ ... ]

    From AED 225
  • Winter Special – Theatresports: Santas vs Elves

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

    A newish Courtyard tradition: competitive improv. In Theatresports, teams of improvisors compete against each other for points awarded by a panel of judges. The teams issue challenges to each other on the seasonal theme, and the judges are looking for [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Handel’s Messiah

    Dubai Opera

    The Astana Opera Orchestra, the Dubai Festival Chorus, and conductor Rob Johnston perform the classic mainstay of the festive season – one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral pieces in Western music. Famously Handel composed Messiah in just [ ... ]

    From AED 225
  • Alfiz Sabirov: Ayu Bala

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

    A solo exhibition of 3D work by the Turkic artist, sculptures distinguished by a variety of shapes and volumes, unexpected combinations of materials and textures. Says the gallery: “Sabirov has created his own mythology, elaborated in detail and embodied in [ ... ]

    Free
  • Keigo Nakamura: Confronted with Light, Baroque in Shadow is Revealed

    Volery Gallery Maze Tower - 5201, Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai

    Nakamura's first exhibition in the Middle East offers a chance to experience his exploration of light and life – presented as a dialogue with the inner self, guiding the viewer to their own 'light of life.' Mirrors in his art [ ... ]

  • Laughter Factory: ‘Endless Fun, End of Season, Parties’

    Park Rotana Khalifa Park, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    The second weekend of pre-Christmas standup jollity with Maher Barwany, Imah, Elsey de Almeida and Mark Maier. The remaining tour schedule: 15 December Radisson Hotel DAMAC Hills Dubai 16 December Dukes The Palm Dubai      

    AED 160
  • The Nutcracker

    Dubai Opera

    Tchaikovsky’s all-time seasonal favourite is delivered by the Astana Opera Ballet with the State Opera Orchestra of Astana. Choreography is by Yuri Grigorovich, the set designs by Simon Virsaladze are described as "stunning", and the blurb promises that audiences will [ ... ]

    From AED 300
  • Laughter Factory: ‘Endless Fun, End of Season, Parties’

    Radisson DAMAC Hills Hessa Street Dubailand, Dubai

    The final gigs for pre-Christmas standup jollity with Maher Barwany, Imah, Elsey de Almeida and Mark Maier. (The last one is tomorrow at Dukes The Palm.)      

    AED 160
  • The Nutcracker

    Dubai Opera

    A second pair of performances for Tchaikovsky’s all-time seasonal favourite, as delivered by the Astana Opera Ballet with the State Opera Orchestra of Astana. Choreography is by Yuri Grigorovich, the set designs by Simon Virsaladze are described as "stunning", and [ ... ]

    From AED 300
  • Boeing-Boeing

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

    Marc Camoletti's farce had a short run in November at the Junction, but now it's back by popular demand, as they say, and for two nights only. The play has a delicious 60s vibe: swinging bachelor Bernard is simultaneously engaged [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • The Nutcracker

    Dubai Opera

    The final two performances for Tchaikovsky’s all-time seasonal favourite, as delivered by the Astana Opera Ballet with the State Opera Orchestra of Astana. Choreography is by Yuri Grigorovich, the set designs by Simon Virsaladze are described as "stunning", and the [ ... ]

    From AED 300
  • Boeing-Boeing

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

    The second of two nights for Marc Camoletti's farce The play has a delicious 60s vibe: swinging bachelor Bernard is simultaneously engaged to Gloria, Gabriella, and Gretchen, all flight attendants who don’t know of each other's existence. But then things [ ... ]

    AED 120
  • The Little Match Girl | An Experimental Cine-Concert

    The Yard Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    The 1928 Jean Renoir/Jean Tédesco version of a Hans Christian Anderson story of an impoverished match-seller who inadvertently dreams of a kind of fantastic alternative reality. It's presented as a cine-concert performed by Joseph Junior Sfeir, Patrik Abi Abdallah and [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • A Night with Matteo Bocelli

    Dubai Opera Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Dubai

    Matteo Bocelli may be the son of a famous father, but he's a fine singer in his own right; his newly released self-titled debut album features an attractive mix of English and Italian songs, with contributions from the likes of [ ... ]

    From AED 275
  • Imperial Orchestra: Cinema Medley

    Coca-Cola Arena City Walk, Dubai

    The St Petersburg orchestra performs soundtracks from classic films under the baton of Lev Dunaev in a show that combines "unique visual and audio effects" to immerse the audience in the cinema experience. The programme includes pieces from top movie [ ... ]

    From AED 199
  • Omar Khairat

    Dubai Opera Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Dubai

    The celebrated Egyptian pianist and composer has a talent for fusing contemporary Arabic melodies with Western influence that among other works has delivered more than 50 film and TV soundtracks and better than 20 awards. We're promised one of his [ ... ]

    From AED 350
  • Charity Improvathon

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

    Twelve hours of non-stop improv to raise money for the Gulf for Good Citizen’s Foundation campaign to provide quality education for 180 children in a rural village in Pakistan. There are performances of the Courtyard's regular improv sessions and free [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register (and expect to donate)
  • Saadiyat Nights: Mariah Carey

    Saadiyat Nights Jacques Chirac Street, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    This new open-air musical event series (in a purpose-built venue that will "boast a stunning backdrop of Saadiyat Island vistas" – though otherwise we're not sure exactly where it is) kicks off with a concert from the best-selling American singer. [ ... ]

    From AED 250
  • Tammam Azzam: Diary

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

    A solo exhibition that showcases works which play with perspective – "horizon lines expand outward and urban vistas are cut into parts, interrupted like the lines of a window frame". Architecture becomes a subjective reality, painted paper collages symbolise the [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Jazz of the Cosmos

    NYUAD Campus, Conference Centre NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Now this looks like a fine way to start the new year: Stephon Alexander, Professor of Physics at Brown University, talks about the intriguing connections between the realms of physics, cosmology, and quantum physics with the music that defines an [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Revoir Paris: dir Alice Wincoer (2022)

    Alliance Française Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Wincoer's gently searing drama is loosely based on the Bataclan concert hall attack in Paris in 2015 (her brother was a survivor). Virginie Efira is excellent as Mia, a woman struggling with the trauma of having survived a brutal assault [ ... ]

    AED 35
  • Green Art Gallery x Selma Feriani Gallery

    Green Art Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    A group exhibition in collaboration with Selma Feriani Gallery, featuring work by the Tunis gallery's artists: Nazgol Ansarinia, Rossella Biscotti, M’barek Bouhchichi, Hera Büyüktaşcıyan, Elena Damiani, Yazid Oulab and Massinissa Selmani. This could be a very interesting show. Established in [ ... ]

    Free
  • Kristel Bechara: The Voyageur

    Gallery 7/40 The Club , West Beach, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai

    Five digital artworks created from sections of the original The Voyageur, shown originally as a single large-scale canvas back in 2022. “I always like to blend and combine the disciplines of traditional and digital art," says the artist, who has [ ... ]

    Free
  • Pouran Jinchi: Fly Like Dandelions

    The Third Line Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Pouran Jinchi was inspired to embark on this new body of work after reading an article about a Guatemalan farmer forced to flee due to the impact of climate change on agriculture; her inspiration for this series stems from landscapes [ ... ]

    Free
  • Kamran Samimi: Before Nature (I Am Both Created and Destroyed)

    The Third Line Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Kamran Samimi's first exhibition with The Third Line draws inspiration from the land's rich tapestry of natural materials. Delving into the concealed narratives of the UAE's mountainous terrain, Samimi's practice is deeply rooted in a profound sense of place. As [ ... ]

    Free
  • Ishmael Randall Weeks: Desert Displacements

    Lawrie Shabibi Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    The second solo exhibition at Lawrie Shabibi for the always interesting Peruvian artist who characteristically transforms fundamental geometric models into objects echoing the poetry of utility. Each of the works "weaves through the domains of architecture and design, anchoring themselves [ ... ]

    Free
  • Being Borrowed: On Egyptian Migration to the Gulf

    NYUAD Project Space NYUAD Campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

    An exhibition featuring 21 Egyptian artists and curated by Farah Hallaba, Farida Youssef, and Ali Zaaray. It's the result of an collaboration that was first presented in Cairo in 2022 and brings the authors of this project together with research [ ... ]

    Free
  • The Fridge Open Mic Night

    The Fridge Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Ten-minute performance slots at The Fridge's well-equipped Alserkal Avenue warehouse venue. It's first-come first-served, but we'd expect some judicious balancing (if you're up for it, here's the online registration form); the gig starts at 7pm, so by our reckoning that's [ ... ]

    Free
  • Khatia Buniatishvili

    Dubai Opera

    An evening with one of the contemporary stars of the piano. Garlanded with accolades yet still only in her mid 30s, Khatia Buniatishvili brings passion and vulnerability to her performances; she acknowledges that the folk music of native Georgia has [ ... ]

    From AED 250
  • Tubular Bells

    Dubai Opera Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Dubai

    Your chance to remind yourself what the fuss was all about: it's the 50th anniversary of Mike Oldfield's masterpiece mashup of classical, jazz, folk, prog rock, and electronica – the highest-selling instrumental album of all time. This special tribute concert [ ... ]

    From AED 225
  • Ahmad Kasha: A Moment of Peace

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

    A solo show for the young Syrian painter. "Those who follow Kasha’s experience will notice his transition from expressive realism shortly after his graduation from the College of Fine Arts to expressionism, which tends toward abstraction in a fluid experimentation [ ... ]

    Free
  • Berlin: Perhaps All the Dragon

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

    An interesting take on the ‘six degrees of separation’ theory – the idea that all people are no more than six social connections away from each other. In an intimate setting, spectators are seated at a large oval table, each [ ... ]

    Free
  • Thirty Days in September

    Dubai Heights Academy Al Barsha South, Dubai

    Mahesh Dattani’s play, a critical and commercial success for the noted Indian playwright, was first performed in 2001 but retains a contemporary relevance. Two of Dubai better theatre groups, Third Half Theatre and EnAct, are collaborating on this potentially difficult [ ... ]

    From AED 60
  • (No) Body is Translating

    Jameel Arts Centre Al Jaddaf, Dubai

    The Jameel is running a third season of Night School, a seminar programme where UAE residents can discuss urbanism and history in Dubai. Under this season's theme, There You Are, participants will assess how much we can know about a [ ... ]

    Free, but pre-register
  • Tao Ye: 4

    Sharjah Performing Arts Academy University City, Sharjah

    Tao Ye’s choreographic works explore the potential of the human body beyond the limitations of representation or dramaturgical narrative.  In this performance piece, the choreography is abstract – four fluid bodies flow in powerfully controlled movements around a magnetic central [ ... ]

    Free
  • Hatshepsut: The Woman Who Would Be King

    kanvas Dubai Unit 1, Al Khayat Art Avenue, 19th Street Al Quoz 1, Dubai

    Actually, she was king (sort of). This "groundbreaking immersive show" covers the life of Hatshepsut (c. 1507–1458 BCE), the fifth Pharaoh of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty – ruling first as regent to her stepson Thutmose III, then as queen regnant. She dressed [ ... ]

    AED 50
  • Fridge Concert Series 42: Bayou | Roxane

    The Fridge Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    The new Fridge Concert season opens with Bayou, "an Egyptian singer songwriter who can’t be confined to genres or borders" though we're told his music blends R&B beats and hip-hop. Support comes from Roxane – "raw yet intentional, vulnerable yet [ ... ]

    AED 70
  • Hamilton: An American Musical

    Etihad Arena Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

    The multi award winning musical is making its Middle Eastern debut for an extended run at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena (to 11 February). Lin-Manuel Miranda’s book, music and lyrics have created something of a revolutionary moment in theatre – it’s [ ... ]

    From AED 180
  • PLUMA

    Festival City Mall Dubai

    A circus experience (no animals!) under the big top, courtesy of Cirque du Liban. "Watch in amazement as our acrobats defy gravity, through the air with breathtaking precision"; the narrative, such as it is, concerns a girl (the titular Pluma) [ ... ]

    From AED 95
  • Abdulrahim Salim: The Epic of Muheera

    Aisha Alabbar Gallery Warehouse C19, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

    Abdulrahim Salim is currently showing work at the gallery based on two decades of interest in the folk tale (ends 15 February); this performance piece brings the story of Muheera to life. Blending regional folklore, storytelling, and art using charcoal [ ... ]

    Free