Known for works of glossy, abstract resin poured on to acrylic, Bowen creates luminous, aqueous fields that transform colour into a language of emotion and presence. With this show, says the gallery, "viewers are invited into an intimate space of [... more]
Events
Calendar of Events
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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10 events,
Free
The second week 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 theatregoers in80 countries around the world, including a near sellout [... more]
From AED 200
The final day of performances (at 2.30 and 7.30pm) for Marius von Mayenburg’s very dark comedy about beauty, identity and getting ahead in life “makes its points with the lightest of touches” (The Guardian).
AED 130
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Dubai Culture's two-day information and edutainment event for the cultural and creative sector, showcasing the investment and development prospects offered in particular by Al Quoz Creative Zones and aimed as always at “entrepreneurs, startups, investors, and professionals interested in the [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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This moving animated feature was deservedly selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The story centres on a woodcutter and his family; they find a small girl in the forest who has been thrown [... more]
AED 35
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As part of its current SILA: All That Is Left To You exhibition, Maraya Art Centre is hosting two film screenings that extend the exhibition's exploration of Palestinian memory, resistance, and cultural legacy. Carol Mansour's documentary features 12 Palestinian women [... more]
Free
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This 49-minute documentary, shot on location in Al Dhaid, provides an intimate portrait of the world of Bedouin culture – camel racing, falconry, the unseen life rooted in the desert. The protagonist Abdulaziz Al Tunaiji trains camels for the nation’s [... more]
Free
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Dubomedy gigs are usually pretty good, especially when the price is free (with a minimum spend of AED 25 – let us know if you can find anything to buy here at that price) and a "fantastic" (their judgement) bill [... more]
Min spend AED 25
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Traditional music from Malta comes to the Cultural Foundation's outdoor amphitheatre, presented in partnership with the Embassy of Malta. The evening will showcase the art of għana, a distinctive style of Maltese folk music that probably has its roots in [... more]
AED 75
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A symphony of dance, music and documentary, exploring how roots and heritage shape our lives. For one hour, four dancers, a singer and a violinist elevate the crafting of clay dolls into a living archive of memory and expression. Through [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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2 events,
—
The second day of Dubai Culture's information and edutainment event for the cultural and creative sector, showcasing the investment and development prospects offered in particular by Al Quoz Creative Zones and aimed as always at “entrepreneurs, startups, investors, and professionals [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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A two-act evening of improvised spells, scenes, and songs, entirely based on audience suggestions and featuring the Courtyard Playhouse's two Ahmeds for bilingual improv and then a full-length improvised musical extravaganza For the second half they're joined by guest performer [... more]
Free
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4 events,
—
Fresh from a recent tour to China, the Youth Orchestra is back in Abu Dhabi with a geuinely international programme – starting with the beautiful UAE melody ‘Dar Zayed’ (soloist Rashed Al Marzooqi), the concert with feature traditional pieces from [... more]
AED 50
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Founded by filmmaker and curator Nawaf Al Janahi in 2020, Cineolio‘s mission is focused on promoting short films and expanding their audience reach internationally. Its Cinenights screening series presents a diverse selection of short films on the big screen, celebrating [... more]
AED 30
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Colonna's debut features brings an interesting angle to the mafia movie: Le royaume shows the Corsican underworld through the eyes of the 15-year-old daughter of a clan head. Caught up in a war between rival factions and on the run, [... more]
AED 35
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1 event,
—
The Courtyard's most popular evening of elimination improv, this time in partnership with the Al Jalila Foundation and in support of their campaign Be a Lifeline for Women with Cancer by Majlis Al Amal for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Ten [... more]
Free
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3 events,A solo show by the American artist Daniel Arsham, known for his works of 'fictional archaeology' expressed through sculpture, architecture, drawing, and film – what he calls “future relics of the present.” Arsham will transform the gallery into a sonic [... more]
Free
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Competitive improv: teams representing the legendary wizarding houses from Harry Potter franchise face off in a fast-paced tournament of wit, wizardry, and wild imagination. Expect magical mayhem, enchanted audience suggestions, and fierce loyalty as Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin go [... more]
Free
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A former noise-rock indie musician and largely self-taught, Grinko's piano compositions are genuinely quite special – blending neoclassical tunes, cinematic atmosphere, and (usually) an air of delicate melancholy. With millions of fans around the world and numerous viral hits, Grinko [... more]
From AED 190
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7 events,New ink drawings on paper and acrylic paintings on canvas from the French-based Syrian artist that offer viewers a journey through colour, symbolism, and contemplation. These are works that "reflect on the mystical power of nature, its geometry and order, [... more]
Free
A group exhibition for four distinguished Palestinian women artists – Rania Amoudi, Dina Matar, Fatima Abu Rumi, and Marwa Alnajjar – that offers a powerful counterpoint to static portrayals of femininity and nationhood. Grounded in place yet transcending borders, the [... more]
Free
The first solo exhibition in the UAE for the Tehran-based artist-designer presents a collection of the artist’s jewellery and wearable sculptures. Body Geometry is a research-based project, where the design process is presented as well as the finished pieces. As [... more]
Free
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A lyrical duet that weaves together music and poetry, Searching for Love transports audiences to the streets of Cairo to examine themes of love, alienation and longing. Director and writer Nanda Mohammad joins composer and violinist Mohamed Sami to offer [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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Kiarostami wrote and directed this deceptively simple but highly affecting film about a journalist posing as a city engineer who arrives in a Kurdish village to document the locals' mourning rituals in anticipation of the death of an old woman. [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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A unique cross-cultural experience by the acclaimed French-Lebanese trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf. Known for his innovative quarter-tone trumpet, Maalouf seamlessly bridges Arab traditions with jazz, classical, and contemporary influences; this concert promises a programme of well-loved works like "True [... more]
From AED 250
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A second bout of competitive improv between teams representing the legendary wizarding houses from Harry Potter. The audience cheers, scores, and helps decide who will triumph ... As always at Courtyard improv events it's free, but you need to put [... more]
Free
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9 events,A group show of paintings, sculptures, and photographs by a number of well-known contemporary artists that explore contrasts of material, form, and colour. The artists: Kenia Almaraz Murillo Nick Brandt Ian Davenport Hubert Le Gall Umberto Mariani Landon Metz Marc [... more]
Free
The group show brings together artists from the MENA region and its diaspora whose practices engage fertility as a generative force tied to questions of origin, transformation, and the cycles that govern land and self. Across drawing, painting, ceramics, textiles, [... more]
Free
A group exhibition of photography and mixed media works by El3attar Film Collective – Cynthia Zahar, Georges Yammine, and Mohammad Al Hawajri. Through preserving and reconfiguring found materials, stories, and images, each artist tackles themes of memory, war, and change. [... more]
Free
This major exhibition marks the ten-year anniversary of 421 Arts Campus via 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 conversations [... more]
Free
A two-day symposium of readings, discussions, and shared meals as part of that unfolds across Sharjah as part of Sharjah Architecture Triennial's DAAS programme. DAAS is Decolonizing Architecture Advanced Studies, a programme with no fixed curriculum but instead an environment [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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A time travelling adventure, where poetry saves the world as Blake journeys through time to win back his true love Grace ... The show demonstrates how to master rhyme, rhythm, and imagery while rooting for Blake’s quest to win back [... more]
AED 100
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This high-energy comedy explores poetry through live performances, linking classic literature with contemporary works and showcasing techniques like metaphor, symbolism, and why words matter — with plenty of laughs along the way. One of a series of shows today and [... more]
AED 100
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A dynamic performance showcasing Wilfred Owen's most powerful poems, including “Dulce et Decorum Est” and “Anthem for Doomed Youth.” The show explores poetic techniques like imagery, irony, and rhythmic schemes while reflecting on the brutal realities of World War I. [... more]
AED 100
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A third and final evening of competitive Halloween improv between teams representing the legendary wizarding houses from Harry Potter. The audience cheers, scores, and helps decide who will triumph ... As always at Courtyard improv events it's free, but you [... more]
Free
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7 events,For his third solo exhibition here, the French-Algerian artist has taken inspiration from Kometenbuch (The Comet Book), a 16th-century Flemish treatise depicting comets and fantastical apparitions; Benchamma suggests how astronomy and astrology, science and folklore, continue to overlap in shaping [... more]
Free
Exhibiting for the first time in Dubai, Lebanese artist Mahmoud El Safadi is showing a collection of miniature paintings on playing cards, a series of works that reflect on the Mediterranean as a site of memory, inheritance, and continuity – [... more]
Free
A solo exhibition by Paris-based artist Sophie-Yen Bretez for a new body of work that captures moments when one space becomes another, when times overlap, and when memory persists as life shifts forward. This “dramaturgy of passage” is expressed through [... more]
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Artist and writer Hussein Nassereddine, the Alserkal Arts Foundation's Fall 2025 resident, presents an afternoon of film and reading around poetics of time, repetition, and the limits of language. He will present his recent video work You, Only, Inhabit My [... more]
Free
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A second performance for this time travelling adventure, where poetry saves the world as Blake journeys through time to win back his true love ... The show demonstrates how to master rhyme, rhythm, and imagery while rooting for Blake’s quest [... more]
AED 100
—
A second performance for this high-energy exploration of poetry through live performances, linking classic literature with contemporary works and showcasing techniques like metaphor, symbolism, and why words matter — with plenty of laughs along the way. One of a series [... more]
AED 100
|
0 events,
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4 events,A selection of works by Afra Al Dhaheri that explore the structural effects of tension, repetition and time provides Sharjah Art Foundation's first show of Autumn. "Working with materials such as cotton rope, fabric, cement and hair, the artist emphasises [... more]
Free
The region’s leading (only significant?) design festival returns for its 11th edition with the usual hectic mix of commissions, exhibitions, installations, talks and live events. Natasha Carella, DDW’s Director, said this year the programme was taking a more reflective approach [... more]
Free
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The last in NYUAD Arts Center's fall film season, a series which explores history, identity, and belonging through Arab and international cinema, while offering audiences the chance to engage directly with filmmakers is inspired by the childhood of Saudi writer-director-producer [... more]
AED 30
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“To hear RaRa live is to feel you've snuck into one of Soul's best-kept secrets” says the blurb. “With her wickedly engaging stage presence and innate vocal gift, RaRa has the ability to break your heart with a song.” She’s [... more]
AED 70
|
12 events,This first solo exhibition in the region for Bassiouni offers a first look at an ongoing international project that reframes landscape photography through the lens of lived Muslim presence in the contemporary West. Each of these photographs – taken from [... more]
Free
Influenced by the likes of Lucian Freud and Egon Schiele, Khosravi's drawings and paintings suggest that he's looking for artistic ideas – "for him, how to encounter pieces is important than pieces itself". But does have a characteristic style of [... more]
Free
The practice of Moscow-based Katya Emelyanova explores the phenomenology of aesthetic experience, aiming to evoke emotion, foster direct engagement, and maintain accessibility. Drawing from fauvism and abstraction, her vibrant forms begin as abstract concepts that gradually evolve into refined, expressive [... more]
Free
Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s reflection that “It is here that we must love. All is here,” this exhibition of painting and sculpture invites viewers to rediscover paradise not as a distant place, but as something that exists within our [... more] A retrospective celebrating over four decades of work by the Sharjah-born artist. It traces Mona Al Khaja’s journey from her studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo to her continued exploration of abstraction, symbolism, and colou, featuring works [... more]
Free
The first exhibition of the new iteration of The importance of staying quiet, a survey of Pakistani art, features photographic archives from Lala Rukh’s years at the University of Chicago (1974-76). It includes early works that carry a cinematic sense [... more]
Free
In the canvases of Wassef Boutros-Ghali, colours informed by a knowledge of unrelenting Mediterranean sunlight flood the flat plane of the canvas; architectural forms emerge, collide and re-engineer themselves without a narrative. Boutros-Ghali’s art speaks to the pure and unrestricted [... more]
Free
Under the theme 'Between You and a Book' the 44th Edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair offers 12 days of panel discussions, talks, and interactive workshops with a lineup of authors, creators, and publishers. There’s also a full cultural [... more]
Free
The acclaimed Thai artist’s first international large-scale survey exhibition brings together works from the last 45 years alongside new commissions. Including performance, video and installations plus some large-scale sculptures not seen since the 1990s, the exhibition fills the indoor galleries, [... more]
Free
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; [... more]
Free
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10 events,Bernhard Buhmann curates this group show based on the idea that plunging downwards is both terrifying and liberating – the gallery quotes Andrea Roelig: "We stand between death and life, and decline is dangerously enticing because it also carries an [... more]
Free
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 [... more]
Free
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 [... more]
Free
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 [... more]
Free
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Kenan Adnawi is a Syrian virtuoso oud player, composer, and improviser known for blending traditional Middle Eastern music with classical, jazz, and contemporary styles. His solo oud performances are a mesmerizing journey through Arabic maqamat, unfolding from introspective modal improvisation [... more]
AED 105
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A production that has become one of the most acclaimed dance galas in the world; Roberto Bolle, recognised as one of the great ballet stars of his time, is not only the leading performer of the evening but also its [... more]
From AED 190
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Mad Cat's regular stop in Silicon Oasis promises “Dubai’s wildest comedy night". The door price of AED 99 includes one drink and popcorn ...
AED 99
|
10 events,After a long break from painting, Izoli has returned with a new body of work centred around "the circus of life" – Izoli uses the circus as a metaphor for the unpredictability and complexity of life as a Syrian citizen. [... more]
Free
A seven-day live art "experience" (7-13 November, 5-9pm) lets visitors watch and take part in the creative process as a different artist each day runs a live demonstration and participative workshop. The artists: 7 Nov Azza Al Qubaisi Express Yourself [... more]
Free
Louvre Abu Dhabi is celebrating its eighth anniversary with exclusive after-hours access to 1am for all the galleries, the excellent Mamluks exhibition, Art Here 2025, the Children’s Museum and the museum’s VR experiences. (There's also a free outdoor screening of [... more]
General admission AED 65
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Now this sounds a lot of fun: at Neverland Publishing, deadlines are chaos, the creatives are barely holding it together, and Managing Editor James Hook has some terrible news: Upper Management has sent in Sylvia, a brand-new AI robot, to [... more]
AED 120
—
MadCat Comedy returns to Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.
AED 80
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Featuring vocals, tabla and harmonium, Ruhaniyat's music is influenced by Hindustani classical traditions and Sufi poetry alongside contemporary influences. The ensemble is led by vocalist Hetartho Chatterjee, whose practice bridges raga, Sufi, ghazal and popular forms; this performance on the [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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The November Laughter Factory tour. The acts: Tom Elwes Sold out his Edinburgh Fringe show: expect high-energy storytelling and razor-sharp wit Kate Barron One of the funniest things to come out of Canada (possibly) ever. "Fierce, unfiltered, and hilariously relatable" [... more]
AED 160
|
14 events,For its inaugural exhibition, SAF's Photography Gallery presents a panorama of artistic experimentation and engagement drawn from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection. Says the Foundation: "the works navigate the sociopolitical terrain of the last six decades against a backdrop of [... more]
Free
Berklee Abu Dhabi's "groundbreaking" music summit is intended to explore "the intersection of artistic expression and intelligent innovation" while "addressing the personal and professional journey artists take to discover their unique sound and creative identity". In practice this means a [... more]
AED 120
The theme for VCUarts Qtara's 11th biennial Symposium on Islamic Art, Islam and Visual Culture in Contemporary Asia, aims for a fresh look at how Muslim communities across South, Southeast, and East Asia are engaging with Islamic art. The co-chairs, [... more]
Free
An exhibition of 165 photographs and archival documents from the collection of Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, that provides a starting point for research into how photography translates and interprets history. On permanent display at Sharjah [... more]
Free
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A panel discussion in support of the current Poetry of Birds exhibition, with ... Entisar Muean Al Obeidli Curator, Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization Dr Anne-Lise Tropato art historian, Adjunct Assistant Professor at NYU Abu Dhabi Faisal Alrais conceptual artist [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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The second performance for writer/director Gaby Milky's satirical comedy: Neverland is actually Neverland Publishing, Hook is the Managing Editor, and Peter Pan is organising the workforce to counter the threat of a new AI robot brought in to “enhance workflow [... more]
AED 120
—
In his new production the Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos embarks on his inaugural collaboration with the dancers of the Dance On Ensemble, a group that features performers aged more than 40. Incorporating their knowledge and experience into the creation, together [... more]
From AED 150
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A rare choral collaboration between Chorus Omnis and Angels Singing Choir, two exceptional local ensembles united under choirmasters Marc Misael Gamil and Yuliana Kireyeva. "The performance takes the roots of choral music and stretches its capacity in rhythm and vibe, [... more]
AED 80
—
The November Laughter Factory tour. The acts: Tom Elwes Sold out his Edinburgh Fringe show: expect high-energy storytelling and razor-sharp wit Kate Barron One of the funniest things to come out of Canada (possibly) ever. "Fierce, unfiltered, and hilariously relatable" [... more]
AED 160
|
13 events,In the face of genocide, Palestinian artist Ruba Salameh finds her way forward through abstract painting – weaving her own narrative while connecting across generations to the work of art historian and artist Kamal Boullata. This exhibition reflects primarily on [... more]
Free
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A two-hour dance workshop for those aged over 40. It's led by Laura Böttinger, a senior dancer with the Dance On Ensemble – a company made up of dancers aged over 40 who are in the UAE for a performance [... more]
AED 40
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First of two stand-up sessions today by Dubomedy's finest – graduates of Dubomedy's Fall Stand-up Workshops plus special guests perform fresh new material. Free, but (a) pre-register because spaces are limited and go fast; and (b) there's a minimum spend [... more]
Free
—
The November Laughter Factory tour. The acts: Tom Elwes Sold out his Edinburgh Fringe show: expect high-energy storytelling and razor-sharp wit Kate Barron One of the funniest things to come out of Canada (possibly) ever. "Fierce, unfiltered, and hilariously relatable" [... more]
AED 160
—
The final performance for writer/director Gaby Milky's satirical comedy: Neverland is actually Neverland Publishing, Hook is the Managing Editor, and Peter Pan is organising the workforce to counter the threat of a new AI robot brought in to “enhance workflow [... more]
AED 120
—
Second of two stand-up sessions this evening by Dubomedy's finest – graduates of Dubomedy's Fall Stand-up Workshops plus special guests perform fresh new material. Free, but (a) pre-register because spaces are limited and go fast; and (b) there's a minimum [... more]
Free
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Dubai's art-rock ‘experimental Oriental’ combo plays on the barge in Khalid Lake (the barge is actually a purpose-built floating stage, the surrounding park provides the view for the audience) as part of Sharjah Art Foundation's Perform Sharjah performance programme. NOON’s [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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5 events,A solo exhibition of works (some never seen before) by the Lebanese artist "whose works emerge from the intersection of identity, contradiction and modernisation" as the gallery has it. Born in the 1970s in war-torn Beirut, Sahmani embodies Lebanon’s complex [... more]
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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
|
5 events,Dhai Dubai, Dubai Culture's light art exhibition, has a very specific remit: just seven works but seven artists, all Emirati. The theme for this second edition of the show is ‘Light Influences Life’. The artists represent an interesting selection, and [... more]
Free
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Gypsy jazz always makes for a good night out. This band, led by Alexandre Colleuil, really does rhythm and swing than Reinhardt and Grappelli, but they're still great fun and good musicians) ... The door price includes one drink; AF [... more]
AED 60
|
9 events,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 [... more]
Free
Cirque du Liban returns to Abu Dhabi (it did a show on Yas last year) with "the first travelling water circus in the Middle East ... live entertainment, breathtaking artistic performances in a tailor-made aqua theatre, waterfalls cascading, artists diving [... more]
From AED 100
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Paris-based CHAMPOP Galerie opened an outpost in Downtown Dubai this summer. It specialises in pop art and street art, and its first full-scale exhibition in Dubai features Banksy. On show are several originals plus screenprints and limited editions; the former, [... more]
Free
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Harsh Kocher brings all his jokes to the Radisson Red for this MadCat'gig. The door price of AED 99 includes a drink and popcorn
AED 99
—
The November Laughter Factory tour. The acts: Tom Elwes Sold out his Edinburgh Fringe show: expect high-energy storytelling and razor-sharp wit Kate Barron One of the funniest things to come out of Canada (possibly) ever. "Fierce, unfiltered, and hilariously relatable" [... more]
AED 160
|
13 events,This Aisha Alabbar Gallery exhibition in collaboration with Sotheby’s Middle East features five artists whose works explore the quiet persistence of memory and cultural inheritance – Najat Makki, Khalid Al Banna, Sara Al Haddad, Sara Aref Ahli, and Samar Hejazi. [... more]
Free
The Day May Break (2021–) is an ongoing global series portraying people and animals whose lives have been profoundly affected by environmental degradation and destruction. This fourth chapter of the series was photographed in Jordan, one of the most water-scarce [... more]
Free
Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual celebration of indie/experimental cinema returns for its eighth edition from 14 to 23 November 2025 with an expanded lineup of films, talks and artist development programmes. Screenings and events will take place at Mirage City Cinema, [... more]
Per screening: AED 15
A celebration of the life and work of the great Palestinian poet (b.1941 d.2008) that unfolds across six themed sections – The Son explores his childhood in Al-Birwa; The Poet highlights his early literary beginnings; The Exiled follows his displacement [... more]
Free
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"Explosive family theatre for curious minds", says then publicity. What a great idea – a spectacular family-friendly show inspired by the Science Museum in London, very successful in the UK and now making its UAE debut with a performance that [... more]
AED 150
—
A really interesting evening of contrasting but complementary music by performers who are all making their UAE debuts. Ballaké Sissoko & Derek Gripper Malian virtuoso Ballaké Sissoko has taken over the mantle of greatest living kora master, with an ability [... more]
AED 105
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Alain Delon swashbuckler. At the time of the French Revolution, a masked bandit called the Black Tulip robs the rich and helps the poor. It’s all good fun, and Delon proved his acting chops by playing both the Tulipe Noire [... more]
Free
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MadCat Comedy returns to Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.
AED 80
—
The November Laughter Factory tour. The acts: Tom Elwes Sold out his Edinburgh Fringe show: expect high-energy storytelling and razor-sharp wit Kate Barron One of the funniest things to come out of Canada (possibly) ever. "Fierce, unfiltered, and hilariously relatable" [... more]
AED 160
|
10 events,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 [... more]
Free
Manar Abu Dhabi returns for its second edition with the theme The Light Compass, presenting 19 newly commissioned light-based artworks by Emirati and international artists – including some very big names: Abdulla Almulla (UAE) Ammar Al Attar (UAE) Christian Brinkmann [... more]
Free
"Childhood is a half-remembered taste: sweet, sticky, and sometimes spoiled." In Girl Parts, her first solo exhibition, Aliyah Alawadhi expresses this residue in paint – bodies shimmering in pinks and creams, mouths agape, devouring and dreaming. Says the gallery: "These [... more]
Free
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The final gig for the November Laughter Factory tour. The acts: Tom Elwes Sold out his Edinburgh Fringe show: expect high-energy storytelling and razor-sharp wit Kate Barron One of the funniest things to come out of Canada (possibly) ever. "Fierce, [... more]
AED 160
|
|
19 events,Gil Heitor Cortesão's fifth solo show at CARBON 12 (it is also the gallery's 100th exhibition) presents a suite of large and small works extending his investigation into the fragile perceptive systems and architectures of modernity. Working with oils on [... more]
Free
Ali Kaaf’s first solo exhibition at Ayyam Gallery features his seminal body of work, the Rift series, alongside selected works from his Helmet and Ras Ras series. The Fire’s Edge evokes the fragile threshold where ancestral practices meet modern erasure [... more]
Free
In his latest work, Palestinian artist Mohammed Joha redefines collage as "an architecture of rupture and reassembly, both a method and a metaphor". His works bring together scraps of fabric, paper, cardboard, plastic and other salvaged materials, textures pulled from [... more]
Free
The artist’s first solo show at Ayyam Gallery features Kaaf’s seminal body of work from his Rift, Helmet and Ras Ras series. The Fire’s Edge evokes the fragile threshold where ancestral practices meet modern erasure, the line between scorched earth [... more]
Free
A solo exhibition by Kamrooz Aram. The artist’s practice integrates sculpture, painting, and architecture, creating a context for viewing cultural artefacts in a way that brings them back into the present. At the centre of five collages, for instance, is [... more]
Free
A group exhibition curated by Hamzeh Alfarahneh of South African curatorial firm Art(Advisory) and featuring works by Hamra Abbas (Pakistan), Diana Al-Hadid (Syria-USA), Timo Nasseri (Iran-Germany), and four South Africans – Igshaan Adams, Moshekwa Langa, James Webb, and Bronwyn Katz. [... more]
Free
Drawing from the charged visual language of street walls in Palestine in this, her first solo exhibition in the UAE, Salma Dib transforms those surfaces of resistance into layered compositions that speak of loss, resilience, and collective memory. Her works [... more]
Free
The artists in this group show have distinct visual languages that do find commonalities: they "transform the familiar through acts of care, attention, and intuitive play ... a shared attentiveness to what is provisional, such as a line that wavers, [... more]
Free
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 [... more]
Free
A short pop-up exhibition for Devadeep Gupta, presented by Prameya Art Foundation with the support of Alserkal Avenue and India Art Fair. The artist’s practice investigates the overlapping histories of colonial extraction, ecological destruction, and indigenous resilience in Margherita, Assam [... more]
Free
The first part of this series, Lala Rukh I, presented a selection of photographs from the artist’s archives during her years at the University of Chicago (1974-76). Its speculative framework helped us to stage the evolution of Lala’s photographic sensibility, [... more]
Free
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A lyrical duet that weaves together music and poetry, Searching for Love transports audiences to the streets of Cairo to examine themes of love, alienation and longing. Director and writer Nanda Mohammad joins composer and violinist Mohamed Sami to offer [... more]
Free, but pre-register
—
Well, you can't accuse Duboimedy of trying to fool us ... this is indeed a Sunday afternoon of comic improv, largely based on audience suggestions. It's free, but there is a minimum spend of one drink or one food item [... more]
Free
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The top Egyptian American comedian and satirist returns to Dubai for a one-off show at Coca-Cola Arena with his characteristic blend of satire and storytelling “as he weaves his journey of cultural identity, resilience, and the absurdities of politics and [... more]
From AED180
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5 events,This is Dillon's first solo exhibition in Dubai; and it is claimed to be a milestone in the artist’s career, featuring a body of work conceived and created specifically for this show. In Claude Lévi-Strauss’s influential text of the same [... more]
Free
Koushaji’s exhibitions continues his exploration of memory, resilience, and the human condition with a new body of work that “reflects on a world shaped by displacement, conflict, and uncertainty, yet illuminated by fleeting moments of beauty and strength”. His distinctive [... more]
Free
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6 events,Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s reflection that “It is here that we must love. All is here,” this exhibition of painting and sculpture invites viewers to rediscover paradise not as a distant place, but as something that exists within our [... more] As a complement to the Nja Mahdaoui retrospective in the main gallery at BFAF, this exhibition presents loans from the Ministry of Culture’s Al Burda exhibitions from 2008 to 2023. Al Burda was an annual exhibition where contemporary artists engaged [... more]
Free
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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
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5 events,The 16th edition of Abu Dhabi Art will take place from 19 to 23 November, as usual at Manarat al Saadiyat. The fair element has more than 140 galleries from 37 countries, by far the largest number to date – [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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Emirati opera singer Fatima Alhashmi – known for her unique interpretations of French opera infused with Arabic lyrics – is joined for this concert by French pianist Marie Sontag (who has described crossing paths with Alhashmi as "a moment of [... more]
AED 50
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This is St Petersburg Opera's signature production of one of opera’s greatest works, reimagined with striking originality by the celebrated Russian director Yuri Alexandrov. Rigoletto remains one of Verdi’s most enduring masterpieces: a story of love, betrayal, and revenge told through [... more]
From AED350
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13 events,The inaugural show of Taymour Grahne's new project space in Dubai features the Maine-based painter, the recipient of numerous fellowships amd now (after 30 years as faculty at the Maine College of Art and Design) a full time artist. Her [... more]
Free
The second weekend for Cirque du Liban's acrobatics-plus-aquatics show, "the first travelling water circus in the Middle East ... live entertainment, breathtaking artistic performances in a tailor-made aqua theatre, waterfalls cascading, artists diving and performing mind-blowing Aquatic experience". There are [... more]
From AED 100
A boutique alternative to the conventional art fair, NOMAD is a peripatetic showcase for collectible design and contemporary art that pops up in “extraordinary architectural settings”. Its next iteration is NOMAD Abu Dhabi, to be held in the decommissioned Terminal [... more]
Free by invitation
In this exhibition, Jamil presents a new body of work that explores how we see ourselves — and how we are seen — in an ever-changing world. Working with hand-formed polished steel wall sculptures, woven metal mesh, and mirrored sculptural [... more]
Free
In the new body of work in this solo show, Bernhard continues her exploration of surface as revelation "where paint radiates, refracts, and breathes ... Each canvas becomes a threshold between the sacred and the screen, where baroque intensity meets [... more]
Free
A group show for three young Japanese artists that celebrates the playful sensibility at the heart of contemporary Japanese expression – "a sensibility that transforms familiarity into wonder, nostalgia into dream" as the gallery has it. These artists have used [... more]
Free
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What do Louis Vuitton, Marina Abramović and BMW have in common? According to cultural strategist Vadim Grigoryan in his newly published book, Art Thinking: Art, Meaning and Brand Leadership, they are all players in the evolving relationship between the art [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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This concert celebrating “the best of the choral and orchestral works of the British Isles” features some 60 voices and a 30-piece orchestra conducted by musical director Howard Wong. “The best” is a grand claim, but certainly the programme features [... more]
tbc
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An open mic gig for local musicians; each act gets to perform one song. The Fridge's performance space is well equipped – you can use their drum kit, electric keyboard, amps for guitar and bass, and mics. And you can [... more]
Free
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A second performance for this lavish staging by St Petersburg Opera of Verdi’s most enduring masterpiece – a story of love, betrayal, and revenge told through some of the most celebrated music in the operatic repertoire. As with most shows [... more]
From AED350
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13 events,Says the gallery: “In an era of visual noise and the relentless pace of modern life, Amina Illuminati offers a moment of stillness — a space where matter becomes light, and form becomes revelation”. It’s a group show for work [... more]
Free
The second edition of the Tanweer Festival, again located in the Mleiha Desert near the archaeological centre, is themed ‘What you Seek Is Seeking You’ and promises “an immersive journey of culture and heritage, with music, art, and nature woven [... more]
From AED 400
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A short-run exhibition presented by Art Number 23, the global collective of artists and creatives that has curated numerous exhibitions featuring the work of thousands of artists. Judging by the list of artists involved, this is a massive show ... [... more]
Free
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This Senegalese satirical comedy, written and directed by Ousmane Sembène as an adaptation of his own novel, finds a corrupt government official cursed with crippling erectile dysfunction upon the day of his marriage. He comes to realise it's connecting with [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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Eureka Day Elementary School is an institution that prides itself on ensuring every voice is heard, and every child is welcome — that is, until an outbreak of mumps forces people in the community to reconsider the school’s liberal vaccine [... more]
AED 120
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If you can't have the original, the greatest hits provided by their best tribute band will do nicely. Created and founded in 1988 in Melbourne, Björn Again has clocked up 5,000 performances in 72 countries over 31 years; it's a [... more]
From AED 290
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MadCat Comedy returns to Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.
AED 80
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This performance, part of the Perform Sharjah performance programme, centres around the Chilean tradition of ‘minga’ – the communal act of moving an entire house, seen as a gesture of collective labour and shared resilience. Through three interwoven stories, Minga [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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12 events,The Jameel’s annual festival for eco-consciousness and sustainability is back for its sixth edition in the Arts Centre and across the Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park. Expect activities for all ages themed around botanical, sustainable and eco-conscious living with hands-on workshops [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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The House of Wisdom in Sharjah is running a new season of its Book Club under the theme 'Home', with three very relevant titles – House of Stone by war correspondent Anthony Shadid, Near to the Wild Heart by Brazilian [... more]
AED 75
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Second performance for this razor-sharp comedy that marks The Junction's tenth anniversary. An outbreak of mumps forces people in the community to reconsider the liberal vaccine policy operated by Eureka Day Elementary School; as cases rise, the school’s Executive Committee [... more]
AED 120
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St Petersburg Opera's signature production of one of opera’s greatest work comes to Abu Dhabi after its Dubai performances in a version by the celebrated Russian director Yuri Alexandrov. Rigoletto remains one of Verdi’s most enduring masterpieces: a story of [... more]
tbc
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Created by choreographer Alaa Krimed and performed by his acclaimed dance company as part of the Year of Ocean, NUN explores the relationship between human beings and the sea – "a cosmic mirror reflecting the complexity of life" as the [... more]
AED 50
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10 events,A pop-up exhibition for Devadeep Gupta, presented by Prameya Art Foundation with the support of Alserkal Avenue and India Art Fair. The artist’s practice investigates the overlapping histories of colonial extraction, ecological destruction, and indigenous resilience in Margherita, Assam – [... more]
Free
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The final performance for this razor-sharp comedy that marks The Junction's tenth anniversary. An outbreak of mumps forces people in the community to reconsider the liberal vaccine policy operated by Eureka Day Elementary School; as cases rise, the school’s Executive [... more]
AED 120
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The final UAE performance for St Petersburg Opera's signature production of one of Verdi’s most enduring masterpieces: a story of love, betrayal, and revenge told through some of the most celebrated music in the operatic repertoire. This lavish, costumed spectacle [... more]
tbc
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The American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, bandleader, TV personality and sometime actor is genuinely talented. He has put in the hard yards – including a seven-year stint as bandleader and musical director on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a [... more]
From AED 280
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4 events,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 [... more]
Free
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 [... more]
Free
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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
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2 events,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 [... more]
Free
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3 events,
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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 [... more]
AED 105
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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
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5 events,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 [... more]
Free
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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 [... more]
Free
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MadCat Comedy returns to Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.
AED 80
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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 [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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3 events,
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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 [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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4 events,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; [... more]
Free
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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
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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, [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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2 events,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 [... more]
Free
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2 events,
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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 [... more]
From AED 170
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3 events,
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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 [... more]
AED 50
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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 [... more]
AED 160
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5 events,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 [... more]
Free
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MadCat Comedy's regular standup night at Xandros in Signature 1 Hotel, TECOM. The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.
AED 80
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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). [... more]
AED 160
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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 [... more]
AED 100
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8 events,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 [... more]
Free
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 [... more]
AED 100
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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 [... more]
AED 80
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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 [... more]
AED 120
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"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
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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
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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 [... more]
AED 100
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