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Dubai Comedy Festival 2026: Full Lineup, Dates & Ticket Guide

The much anticipated Dubai Comedy Festival will take place later this year for its seventh edition and include 10 days of continuous comedy. The world-class entertainment festival will take place at the city’s most prestigious venues from Friday, October 9 to Sunday, October 18, 2026, and will include some of the best international stand-up comedians in the world. The festival organizers have put together a very comprehensive opening program, including well-known humor in English, Hindi, Arabic and Russian. Almost 200 nationalities call Dubai home, and all of them are happy to call themselves residents.

The annual event has grown in popularity since the legendary Dave Chappelle headlined the first festival in 2015, making his maiden Middle East appearance at Skydive Dubai. The event, which utilizes massive venues such as the Dubai Opera, Coca-Cola Arena and Mall of the Emirates theaters, now regularly draws both worldwide comedy veterans and fast-rising performers. People who want to ensure themselves a spot may now officially begin reserving seats. This is a really complete rundown of the big opening headliners and the shows you absolutely should see and book right now.

Weekend Opening Acts

The Dubai Comedy Festival opening weekend sets the tone for the festival with lively performances and outstanding theatrical shows that appeal to a wide spectrum of cultural tastes.

Al Thauq Al Aam October 9 & 10 Mohandis

A one-of-a-kind Kuwaiti performance in Arabic, not to be missed at the prestigious Dubai Opera. Written and directed superbly by Abdulaziz Safar, the play stars Mohammad Safar, Iman Faisal, Khaled Al-Muzaffar and Khaled Al-Ojairi. The humorous tale is about a young couple rapidly navigating the stormy highs and lows of having their first kid. Tickets for this theatrical comedy are available directly at dubaicomedyfest.ae and start at Dhs250.

Jamie Lever (Oct 10)

Popular Indian comedian Johnny Lever’s daughter Jamie Lever brings her long anticipated Hindi language act to the UAE with a live performance at the Emirates Theater, Jumeirah. She has built a great worldwide reputation with over 160 sold out shows in 30 countries since her stunning 2014 debut. Fans will be in for snappy, crowd-pleasing comedy, lively stage acts and incredibly sharp impersonations. Tickets for her highly anticipated show start at Dhs125 on platinumlist.net.

Munawar Faruqui October 11

Popular Indian stand-up Munawar Faruqui arrives in the United Arab Emirates with a fresh new hour of highly cutting and uncensored material, hitting the stage at the Dubai Opera. In this unique Hindi-language show, he takes his signature punchlines and immaculate comic timing that has made him a household name, and applies them to everyday circumstances. Tickets for this performance start at only Dhs125 and can be bought via Platinumlist.net.

Middle of the Week Humor

The comedy boom continues on all week with huge international heavyweights bringing their world-famous tours to the heart of Dubai for some unforgettable nightly entertainment.

Katherine Ryan (October 12)

Katherine Ryan, famed for the sharpness of her wit, her clever observational storytelling and her notoriously dark punch lines comes to Dubai Opera with tremendous expectation. It is the first time since 2024 that an English-speaking comedian has been the festival’s primary attraction. She’ll offer funny stories from her personal experiences about relationships today, female ambition and family life. Tickets for her acclaimed talk start from Dhs195 at dubaiopera.com

Mo Gilligan (October 12)

Popular Dubai Comedy Festival regular Mo Gilligan is making a full return to the UAE with his huge new tour, The Mo You Know World Tour. One of the UK’s most popular contemporary artists is going to be appearing at the Dubai Opera, and you can expect sharp cultural observations and riotous physical comedy. His tickets are now available from Dhs 250 on platinumlist.net.

15 October, Alexander Merkul

Alexander Merkul promises a nite like no other with a highly unscripted and totally unexpected Russian-language presentation at the New Covent Garden Theater at the Mall of the Emirates. He blends conventional stand up routines with incredible live audience improvisation, which guaranties that everyone in the room will have a unique experience. Tickets for the private show are available at platinumlist.net for Dhs 150.

“This is our Grand Finale Weekend”

The last weekend of the festival has an amazing and award-winning array of international talent ensuring the 10-day event goes out on the highest possible note in the city’s greatest venues.

Shane Todd, 16 October

Northern Irish comedian Shane Todd is bringing his highly acclaimed Hold Me Back performance to the New Covent Garden Theater for his official debut at the Dubai Comedy Festival. Todd is widely known for his extremely popular podcast, Tea with Me, and has a dedicated following all over the globe on both sides of the Atlantic because to his honest, personal storytelling style. Tickets are available from Dhs 195 at Platinumlist.net.

16 October Zarna Garg

The highly famous Indian-American comedian Zarna Garg comes to Dubai Opera with her fresh new show, Million Dollar Excuses. Fans are guarantyd a laugh-out-loud evening of astute sociological observations, razor-sharp wit and highly topical stories about family life and the utter chaos of modern living. Platinumlist.net has tickets from Dhs195.

John Achkar, October 17

Brilliant Lebanese comedian John Achkar returns triumphantly to the festival stage with his latest Arabic language stand up performance, Feena Nehke. Achkar performs a fresh new hilarious performance of material at the Dubai Opera while perfectly maintaining his well recognized comic timing, razor sharp delivery and highly intimate performing style. Tickets start at Dhs 185 at platinumlist.net.

Vir Das (October 18)

The festival’s major feature is Emmy award-winning Indian comedian Vir Das, who will take over the massive Coca-Cola Arena in City Walk for a special one-night performance. His English-language shows provide a biting cultural criticism and a stunning global perspective that connects powerfully with a broad variety of multilingual audiences throughout the globe. Tickets for this massive stadium show are priced from Dhs195 and are on sale at platinumlist.net.

October 18 Amit Tandon

Amit Tandon returns with latest Hindi show, Aise Kaise, to complete Dubai Opera line-up. Tandon has performed over 2,000 shows in 30 different countries and is still one of India’s most famous and well-respected live comedy acts, routinely selling out venues on the cut-throat Dubai circuit. Tickets for his last nite from Dhs 150. platinumlist.net.