The UAE has become a comedy capital of sorts, with shows by international, regional and local talents having been announced this year.
In addition to big arena shows starring Bill Burr – already sold out – Trevor Noah and Jo Koy, there are plenty of medium-sized and intimate gigs to book, with acclaimed acts from the US, the UK, Egypt, India and the Philippines on the bill.
Here are 11 shows coming our way.
1. Bil 3arabi: August 10 at Hyde Hotel, Dubai
Running since 2020 at different venues in Dubai, the Arabic stand-up comedy series returns with a fresh line-up, including Egypt’s Mohamed Badr and Ali Asmar, and Iranian-American comic Eslam.
Show starts 7.30pm; Dh100; more information is at @bil3arabistudios
2. Joanne McNally: September 2 at The Agenda, Dubai
The Irish comic returns to Dubai having sold out a trio of back-to-back gigs in the emirate in January.
McNally is known for her popular podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me, which she co-hosts with presenter Vogue Williams.
It consistently has more than one million downloads each week. A UK television regular, she has appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel and The Big Fat Quiz of Everything.
Show starts 8.30pm, from Dh295; dubai.platinumlist.net
3. Rosie Holt: September 9 at Theatre by QE2, Dubai
Following her appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, British comic and actress Rosie Holt comes to Dubai with her new show A Woman's Hour.
Inspired by her viral TikTok and YouTube videos, Holt's stand-up show has her examining the nature of pop culture and celebrity.
Show starts 9pm, from Dh150; dubai.platinumlist.net
4. Funny Filipinos Dubai: September 10 at Radisson Red, Dubai
The show features a trio of performances by Filipino comics Imah Dumagay, Alex Calleja and Andrew Orolfo.
The separate sets include relatable observations about life in the UAE and family stories.
Show starts 7.30pm, from Dh100; dubai.platinumlist.net
5. Kapil Sharma: September 24 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
Comedian and actor Kapil Sharma returns to Coca-Cola Arena for another raucous show.
The television star, known for Comedy Circus and Comedy Nights with Kapil, rose to fame after winning the comedy reality show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2007.
Now a household name in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, his relatable observations have made him hugely popular with family audiences.
Show starts 6.30pm; tickets from Dh98; coca-cola-arena.com
6. Vir Das: September 28 at Dubai Opera
The Indian comedian and actor is bringing his Mind Fool Tour to the UAE.
This latest world tour comes on the back of his fourth Netflix stand-up special Landing last year. Das was also in the 2022 film The Bubble, directed by Judd Apatow.
Show starts 8pm, from Dh150; dubaiopera.com
7. Trevor Noah: October 3 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
The comedian, writer and former host of The Daily Show is bringing his Off the Record tour to Dubai.
The Emmy Award winner will use his sharp humour to probe global issues and pop culture absurdities in what guarantees to be a memorable evening.
Show starts 8pm; tickets from Dh295; coca-cola-arena.com
8. Andrew Schulz: October 22 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
The New York comedian has sold out arenas as part of his US tour.
Known for his gritty, no-holds-barred material, his latest show Infamous has already sold 150,000 tickets.
Schulz also hosts the popular podcasts Flagrant and The Brilliant Idiots, and stars in the comedy mini-series Schulz Saves America on Netflix.
Tickets go on sale on August 4; etihadarena.ae
9. Jo Koy: October 28 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Bringing his world tour to Abu Dhabi, Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy will head to the UAE capital in October.
With four Netflix specials and an autobiography under his belt, the comedian and UAE favourite gets his laughs from drawing on material from his family life and growing up in a multicultural household.
Doors open 7.30pm; from Dh180; etihadarena.ae
10. Jim Gaffigan: November 25 at Dubai Opera
The US comic is known for his acerbic observations on everyday life and in 2019, was named in Forbes’s list of highest-earning stand-up comedians.
The six-time Grammy-nominated comedian also recently released an Amazon Prime Video comedy special, Jim Gaffigan: The Pale Tourist, which received rave reviews.
In 2020, Gaffigan became the first comedian to reach one billion streams on US platform Pandora.
Show starts 8pm, from Dh250; dubaiopera.com
11. Michael McIntyre: January 13 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
The British funnyman will return to Dubai as part of his world tour.
Recognised as one of the UK's biggest-selling comedians, he will also be performing at arenas across the US, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore as part of the tour.
His 2020 Netflix special Showman was one of the most-watched comedy shows on the streaming service that year.
Show starts 8pm; from Dh250; coca-cola-arena.com
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
The years Ramadan fell in May
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
