The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is getting into its stride now; it's still basically a commercial environment where publishers and distributors make deals, but in the last few years it has developed into a celebration of reading and writing [ ... ]
Events
Calendar of Events
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Monday |
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Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
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2 events,
Free, but pre-register Matinee and evening performances (2pm and 7.30pm) for this musical adaptation of La-La Land by Yasseen Ashri, who also directs The Greenroom youth theatre group.
AED 100 |
2 events,
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![]() In northwest Tunisia, young women work the summer harvest. Largely improvised and set on a single day, this film by Erige Sehiri (who is perhaps better known as a documentary maker) packs argument, gossip, romance and social criticism into a [ ... ]
AED 30
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Exactly what it says: an evening of scenes, stories and narrative improvisation influenced by audience suggestions and featuring the Courtyard Playhouse's most experienced improv performers. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your name on the guestlist [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome |
1 event,
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![]() 7pm Without Her|Bi Roya dir Arian Vazirdaftari (2023) Just two weeks before Roya is set to emigrate from Iran to Denmark, she encounters a quiet young girl who appears to be lost and doesn’t remember anything. Roya takes her in, [ ... ]
AED 30 |
4 events,![]() A group show that celebrates printmaking practices in the UAE, especially "the inherent experimental potential and various techniques available to artists working today". From the gallery's press release: Dubai-based illustrator and printmaker Azim Al Ghussein experiments with image making methods [ ... ]
Free
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![]() 7pm Foragers dir Jumana Manna (2022) Shot in the Golan Heights, the Galilee and Jerusalem, the film employs fiction, documentary and archival footage to capture the joy and knowledge embodied in the traditions of foraging for wild edible plants alongside the [ ... ]
AED 30
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![]() You probably won't have more fun in the theatre this year: based on ("ripped off from") the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this highly irreverent musical parody of Arthurian legend has lyrics and book by Python's Eric [ ... ]
AED 130
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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 the lowest score is eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome |
6 events,![]() A group show by six African artists presenting “a captivating and thought-provoking collection of artworks that highlight the diverse landscapes and thematic intersections of African art across generations … The exhibition offers a glimpse into the complex histories, traditions, and [ ... ]
Free ![]() This exhibition marks the first duo show for Emirati brothers Talal Al Najjar and Ziad Al Najjar. They each maintain a distinct individual artistic practice, but developed in close proximity to one another; and both draw upon their relationship to [ ... ]
Free
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![]() “Books alone can’t save the world,” says the blurb for this new book club. “But passionate readers can.” At the opening event of what we’re told will be a regular LitFest-style session with “renowned authors from around the world”, the [ ... ]
AED 50
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![]() 7pm 19B dir Ahmad Abdalla (2022) The richly-layered narrative centres on the elderly caretaker of an abandoned Cairo villa known as 19B. The owners have been absent for so long that no one even knows how to contact them, and the [ ... ]
AED 30
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![]() A second performance of this highly irreverent musical parody of Arthurian legend, based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail with lyrics and book by Python's Eric Idle and a score by Idle and John Du Prez. [ ... ]
AED 130
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MTDXB (Musical Theatre Dubai) is – as far as we know – the first and only adult theatre group in Dubai to specialise in musicals. Formed in 2021, they have done four performances to date, and they tend to be [ ... ]
AED 150 |
5 events,![]() Tchaikovsky’s all-time crowdpleaser is danced by the Moscow Ballet “La Classique”. Expect ballet mastery, lavish costumes, and magnificent stage sets; "La Classique" specialises in sumptuous, unashamedly traditional touring productions of which this must be one of the most classic ... [ ... ]
From AED250 ![]() Superb soul and gospel, and purveyor of one of the best Nina Simone tributes (one of her ten albums). Her voice is sensational; "I could listen to this lady all day" said a Jazz Weekly reviewer. She sings with the [ ... ]
From AED 125
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![]() 7pm A Letter From Al Barzakh dir Waleed Al Madani (2019) Al Barzakh is a period of time where the dead live between the moment they die and their judgement day. In this short experimental documentary, Al Madani takes the [ ... ]
AED 30
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![]() The third of four days of performances for this highly irreverent musical parody of Arthurian legend based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's funny and clever, and it's brought to us by the Abu Dhabi Choral Group, the [ ... ]
AED 130
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A second performance for this musical sequel to the original Addams Family story by MTDXB. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family– a [ ... ]
AED 150 |
4 events,![]() The final two performances (thyere are shows at 2pm and 7.30pm) for this irreverent musical parody of Arthurian legend, based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's funny and clever, and it's brought to us by [ ... ]
AED 130 A second and final performance for Tchaikovsky’s all-time crowdpleaser as danced by the Moscow Ballet “La Classique”. Expect ballet mastery, lavish costumes, and magnificent stage sets; "La Classique" specialises in sumptuous, unashamedly traditional touring productions.
From AED250 The final performances (shows at 2.30 and 7.30pm) for this musical sequel to the original Addams Family story by MTDXB. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man [ ... ]
AED 150
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![]() Gulf Shorts – Past and Present A program of short films from the Gulf region by filmmakers looking at the past through personal and cultural histories. 3pm Clouds dir Muzna Alumusafer (2020) 15 mins A journey inside a tribal society [ ... ]
AED 30 |
1 event,
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![]() 3pm Love Is Not An Orange dir Otilia Babara (2022) In the early 1990s, women left Moldova in large numbers to provide for their families. Unable to return home, they found a peculiar way to stay in touch: sending large [ ... ]
AED 30 |
2 events,
—
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. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your name on [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome
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![]() The celebrated cellist is accompanied on piano by his long-time friend and collaborator Kathryn Stott. We don’t know what the programme will be, but their pandemic album Songs of Comfort and Hope had 21 tracks ranging across modern arrangements of [ ... ]
From AED 100 |
0 events,
|
1 event,
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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 the lowest score is eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome |
2 events,![]() Founded in 2009, the Jameel Prize is a collaboration between the V&A and Art Jameel; it is the world’s leading award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition. This sixth edition, the first to have a focus on [ ... ]
Free ![]() Co-commissioned with the Lyon Biennale, this filmic installation by Sara Sadik uses video games, science fiction, everyday life and French rap music to write coming-of-age stories. Accompanying it is a continuously-running programme of French-language cinema titled Le nez de ma [ ... ]
Free |
1 event,Top trumpet player and very fine singer of jazz and blues (Baker's voice draws comparison with Al Jarreau's) performs with the regular resident jazz band, the Alexey Cheremizov Quartet. Should be a good night. Doors open at 7pm, Baker is [ ... ]
From AED 125 |
3 events,Turning Pointe Youth Ballet – a dance school that consistently delivers very good showcases – presents its adaptation of the well-loved fairy tale of a young girl bewitched at birth but rescued by the fairies and brought up in the [ ... ]
From AED 145
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Two nights of fun music (10 and 11 June) from the best of Abu Dhabi's musical talent: a cappella groups Blue Fever and Voices of Harmony (both well established, both excellent) with two local big bands, the British School al [ ... ]
AED 140
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![]() An exhilarating musical and dance extravaganza by the Slovak Dance Theatre with the Gypsy Devils orchestra, created by noted Slovak director and choreographer Ján Ďurovčík. Packed with wild virtuoso dancing and thrilling gypsy songs, the show is based on a [ ... ]
From AED 100 |
4 events,
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The International Nature Namur Festival (FINN) claims to be "the must-attend event for nature and beautiful image enthusiasts", attracting over 35,000 spectators and visitors to the Belgian city each year for its three international image competitions – photos, amateur films, [ ... ]
Free
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As part of the programme for Press Print!, the gallery's current show, Aisha Alabar is hosting a session with Suzy Sikorski of Mid East Art, "a digital storytelling platform of art and culture of the Middle East region that focuses [ ... ]
Free
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A Gala Performance with the National Youth Orchestra to celebrate its five-year anniversary. The largest and most prestigious youth orchestra in the region, the NYO currently has more than 120 young musicians aged 5-18; this concert features the NYO Concerto [ ... ]
From AED 150
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A second night of fun music from the best of Abu Dhabi's musical talent: a cappella groups Blue Fever and Voices of Harmony (both well established, both excellent) with two local big bands, the British School al Khubairat Jazz Band [ ... ]
AED 140 |
1 event,
—
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. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your name on [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome |
1 event,
—
As part of the programme for Press Print!, the gallery's current show, Brian Gonzales – printmaker, art collector, lecturer at the University of Sharjah and one of the participating artists – explores cultural influences and the power of print to [ ... ]
Free |
1 event,
—
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 the lowest score is eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome |
2 events,![]() A solo exhibition for the respected Uzbek artist with new works alongside some that have already been seen. Akhmedov's style is a surreal symbolism that is almost fairytale-like and frequently depicts the artist (and others) as characters in a story, [ ... ]
Free |
2 events,Talented soul and R&B singer, originally from Indianapolis but with a style honed in France. He performs with the regular resident jazz band, the Alexey Cheremizov Quartet. Should be another good night for this end-of-season gig. Doors open at 7pm, [ ... ]
From AED 125
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The Middle East’s best (and longest-running) poetry and performance open mic night winds up its 11th season with original material from spoken word artists, poets, and musicians. Rooftop Rhythms is hosted by founder Dorian Paul Rogers, with opening and closing [ ... ]
Free, but pre-register online |
2 events,![]() One of the most successful production in the Candlelight Concerts series – "classical music concerts aimed at democratising access to classical music by allowing people all over the world to enjoy live music candlelit performances". The Vivaldi favourite was written [ ... ]
From AED150
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Fever brings its candlelight classical music recitals to Abu Dhabi for the first time – "a series of classical music concerts aimed at democratising access to classical music by allowing people all over the world to enjoy live candlelit music [ ... ]
From AED 150 |
3 events,
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Fête de la Musique is an annual global celebration of music, organised in France by the Ministry of Culture and in more than 1,000 cities around the world by Alliance Françaises. It's a day where free, live music would be [ ... ]
Free
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![]() The 421 Culture Bus is taking a stargazing trip to the observatory on the outskirts of the city to observe the cosmos using traditional and smart telescopes. We're promised a unique experience using traditional and smart telescopes; included in the [ ... ]
AED 180
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![]() Celebrating his 15th anniversary in comedy (and, as it happoens, his birthday), Ali Al Sayed's new English-language standup gig is pitched as his most daring and honest solo show yet – "Ali comedically highlights the Arab and Muslim perspective through [ ... ]
AED 175 |
2 events,
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You can’t deny the ambition of the Musical Theatre and Production Arts students of Sharjah Performing Arts Academy – they’re doing the Tony award winner Urinetown, a satirical musical that attacks corporate greed, rampant exploitation and unsustainable lifestyles. There’s a [ ... ]
Free but pre-register
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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. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your name on [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome |
2 events,![]() In the seventh instalment of Meem's ongoing series of exhibitions focused on printmaking in the Arab world, the gallery is showing 15 etchings by Lebanese-Armenian artist Assadour. His artworks reflect his own heritage and tumultuous upbringing, seamlessly blended into a [ ... ]
Free |
4 events,An exhibition for the outcome of the first cohort of the MAS Spectrum Photography Residency. We're promised "a broad range of ideas, subjects, and techniques that span a spectrum of human experiences". To 4 September.
Free ![]() A continuation of the interesting Useless Palace exhibition, a specific group show by ten artists staged in the desert by popup gallery InLoco (who are due to move into a permanent Al Quoz location this autumn) in the desert last [ ... ]
Free
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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 the lowest score is eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome |
0 events,
|
1 event,
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H72 Productions has found another interesting play for its current season. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, a comedy by the American writer Christopher Durang, has been praised as a humorous adaptation of Chekhovian themes that doesn't require any [ ... ]
AED 100 |
2 events,![]() A group exhibition with a seasonal theme: "summer is when all positive feelings surface allowing for a better appreciation of everything we do,” says the curatorial statement. “A Summer Allegory aims to encompass this summer’s glamour through a selection of [ ... ]
Free
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A second performance (of three) for this bittersweet comedy by H72 Productions. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, a play by the American writer Christopher Durang, has been praised as a humorous adaptation of Chekhovian themes that doesn't require [ ... ]
AED 100 |
1 event,
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The third and final performance of this bittersweet comedy by the American writer Christopher Durang. Praised as a humorous adaptation of Chekhovian themes that doesn't require any familiarity with Chekhov, its story revolves around the relationships of three middle-aged single [ ... ]
AED 100 |
1 event,
—
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. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your name on [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome |
0 events,
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2 events,
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Karama Arts Club winds up what sounds like a successful first year with "a Summer Soirée that's hotter than the middle of August" – a chance to network with the cream of Dubai’s creatives over a few a drink with [ ... ]
From AED 65
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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 the lowest score is eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]
Free but donations welcome |
0 events,
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0 events,
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0 events,
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