What does civilisation mean? Why do societies evolve differently – even though the underlying brushstrokes may be similar? How will artificial intelligence change our future? Visitors to Ras Al Khaimah Art 2026 Festival are invited to ponder these questions, particularly as critical thinking has become more important than ever.
This year’s event brings together 106 artists from 42 countries from January 16 to February 8 at Al Jazeera Al Hamra Heritage Village. The festival theme for the 14th year is Civilisations. This is a journey through human history, across a diversity of cultural forms born of our shared aspirations. Expect a grand narrative arc stretching from the ancient Silk Road that once connected Ras Al Khaimah to distant shores, to the modern metropolises defining today's global landscape, all explored through contemporary art, music, film and food.
All of it takes place at a venue that flips the script on sterile white cube galleries and velvet rope separators. Set within Al Jazeera Al Hamra, a former pearling village, the festival offers free entry to its main attractions.
New biennale for the UAE
The marquee addition – for art lovers, at least – is the inaugural Ras Al Khaimah Contemporary Art Biennale. Curator Sharon Toval, whose work spans the US, Switzerland, the UK and the UAE, has organised the works into four thematic pavilions that go from spirituality through to craft and heritage, from celebrating the role of women artists to future horizons.
“Civilisations are not presented as relics of the past, but as living, breathing organic frameworks of identity, memory and imagination,” he writes in a curatorial note.
In practice, this means artists interweave ancestral voices with contemporary experiments. For example, Hannan Abu-Hussein honours women’s invisible labour while evoking the mythic ambition of the Tower of Babel with a monumental tower of dowry blankets. Kawita Vatanajyankur interrogates labour, consumerism and entrenched gender roles in her fluid performances. And Francesca Fini's AI-generated video series Posh on Mars imagines speculative futures shaped by new technologies as boundaries between fiction and belief continue to blur.
The main Civilisations exhibition, curated by Swiss photographer and art director Alfio Tommasini, brings together local and international artists exploring the dialogue between past and present, tradition and innovation. Tommasini, who directs Switzerland’s Verzasca Foto Festival, brings an international sensibility to the distinctly Arabian setting.
From art to appetite
Gastronomy has long been an integral part of the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival experience, and this year it takes centre stage through The Hidden Table: Tales from the Village. The curated dining programme brings together internationally acclaimed chefs for a series of limited-seat pop-ups, each offering a distinct culinary narrative shaped by place, memory and craft.
First up is Chama from Portugal, running from January 17 to 24. From the cobbled streets of Porto’s historic centre to the stone walls of Al Jazeera Al Hamra, chef Tiago Pazzini’s open-fire cooking sets the tone for a constantly evolving dining experience. Working without a fixed menu, each dinner is guided by the day’s freshest seasonal produce, with creative, surprising twists that invite guests to expect the unexpected.
From January 30 to February 1, Bungalo34 of Tashas Group brings the effortless glamour of the Golden Era of the Rivieras to the Heritage Village. Inspired by its seaside location at the Pearl Jumeirah, Dubai, the food is uncomplicated yet elegant, marrying the nostalgia of classic Mediterranean dining with a fresh, modern approach.
The culinary finale is Restaurant Pine, taking place on February 6 and 7. The Michelin-starred destination from Northumberland, led by chefs Cal Byerley and Ian Waller, celebrates seasonality through foraged ingredients and preservation techniques rooted in its surrounding landscape. They will be bringing this grounded, creative and world-class approach to Ras Al Khaimah for the festival’s closing chapter. Reservations are available through the festival's ticketing platform, with advance booking essential for those hoping not to miss out.
Beyond the exhibitions
What makes the event work is how its comprehensive approach to how art is woven into a broader, inclusive cultural experience.
The programme unfolds across a series of themed weekends, each designed to animate Al Jazeera Al Hamra Heritage Village with music, dance, comedy and spoken word. Opening Weekend (January 17-18) sets the tone with headline performances and large-scale celebrations that cultural connoisseurs appreciate. Family and Pet Friendly Weekend (January 23-25) offers creative play zones and animal-friendly art. Around the World (January 30 to February 1) celebrates cultural diversity and exchange in all its forms, while Cultural Weekend (February 6-8) brings the focus home, celebrating Emirati and regional heritage, tradition and storytelling.
For those who want to understand the place itself, the festival offers multiple guided tour options. Heritage tours walk you through Al Jazeera Al Hamra’s history as a pearling village, explaining the architecture and daily life that once animated its coral-stone houses. Art tours introduce key works and installations, helping visitors understand the artistic narratives at play. And food and heritage tours through Ras Al Khaimah’s Old Town highlight local merchants and culinary traditions, connecting today's food culture to the emirate's trading past.
Participation is also central to the experience. Workshops and masterclasses invite visitors to step into the role of maker, with hands-on sessions spanning the traditional and modern, from Arabic calligraphy and embroidery to photography, light painting and fabric art.
Film lovers, meanwhile, will find plenty to watch. There are both indoor screenings at VOX Cinemas in Al Hamra Mall and outdoor showings in the village itself, where the eternally relevant architecture poignantly frames the tales of our time.
Throughout it all, children can collect stamps in a special festival passport, completing creative challenges and unlocking surprises as they explore the event’s different zones. It’s art education disguised as a treasure hunt. The festival has invested in the nation’s youth for several years through its Art Exploration Program and has reached more than 2,800 students. In an education system that often prioritises STEM subjects, the event creates space for discovery, teamwork and self-expression.
With its inaugural biennale and a wide-ranging slate of events, the RAK Art Festival shows how the UAE’s cultural conversation – and our civilisation – is evolving. That’s worth making the drive north for.
This page was produced by The National in partnership with RAK Art Festival
