American comedian Tom Segura will open the 2025 Dubai Comedy Festival. Photo: Dubai Comedy Festival
American comedian Tom Segura will open the 2025 Dubai Comedy Festival. Photo: Dubai Comedy Festival
American comedian Tom Segura will open the 2025 Dubai Comedy Festival. Photo: Dubai Comedy Festival
American comedian Tom Segura will open the 2025 Dubai Comedy Festival. Photo: Dubai Comedy Festival

Dubai Comedy Festival returns with Tom Segura, Joanne McNally, Zakir Khan and more


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

The Dubai Comedy Festival is back, with Tom Segura, Joanne McNally, Morgan Jay and Zakir Khan among the acts confirmed for this year’s event.

The annual event will run for a fifth year from October 2 to 12. It will feature international and regional stand-up stars at various venues, including Dubai Opera and Coca-Cola Arena.

Segura, one of the biggest names in global stand-up, will open the festival on October 2 with his Come Together tour at Coca-Cola Arena. The American comedian, known for his Netflix specials Ball Hog and Disgraceful, previously performed at last year's festival.

British-Iranian comedian Omid Djalili will take the stage at Dubai Opera on October 5. Known for his film appearances and sharp observational humour, he returns with his new show Namaste. He will be joined on the same night by Akaash Singh, the US podcaster and comedian behind the popular Flagrant show.

Irish comedian Joanne McNally, who previously appeared at the festival in 2023 with Vogue Williams, returns for two solo shows on October 7. She brings new material to Dubai Opera, touching on topics ranging from dating to social media.

Making his Dubai debut is LA-based comedian and musician Morgan Jay, who performs on October 6 at Dubai Opera. Known for his blend of music and comedy, Jay will take to the stage with a set that promises plenty of audience interaction.

Indian comedian Zakir Khan closes the festival on October 12 at Coca-Cola Arena. After a sold-out 150-minute set last year, Khan returns with a new show in Hindi.

Also in the line-up is Lebanese comedian John Achkar, who performs on October 11. He made his mark with the Arabic-language comedy series Stand-Up Baladi and returns to Dubai Opera with new material.

The festival will feature shows in several languages, including English, Arabic and Hindi, as well as interactive experiences across the city.

Dubai Comedy Festival 2025 line-up

Tom Segura – October 2 at the Coca-Cola Arena; show starts at 8pm

Omid Djalili – October 5 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 6pm

Akaash Singh – October 5 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 9pm

Morgan Jay – October 6 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 9.30pm

Joanne McNally – October 7 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 6.30pm

John Achkar – October 11 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 9pm

Zakir Khan – October 12 at Coca-Cola Arena; show starts at 8pm

Tickets are available now

2.0

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

THURSDAY'S FIXTURES

4pm Maratha Arabians v Northern Warriors

6.15pm Deccan Gladiators v Pune Devils

8.30pm Delhi Bulls v Bangla Tigers

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadeera%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERabih%20El%20Chaar%20and%20Reem%20Khattar%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECleanTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHope%20Ventures%2C%20Rasameel%20Investments%20and%20support%20from%20accelerator%20programmes%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ENGLAND SQUAD

Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad

Asia Cup Qualifier

Final
UAE v Hong Kong

TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am

ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
 

The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.

Barcelona 3
Messi (27’, 32’, 87’)

Leganes 1
El Zhar (68’)

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0%20twin-turbo%20inline%20six-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E600Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh400%2C000%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Transmission: ten-speed

Power: 420bhp

Torque: 624Nm

Price: Dh325,125

On sale: Now

Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC

2009 Finalist

2010 Champion

Jan 2011 Champion

Dec 2011 Semi-finalist

Dec 2012 Did not play

Dec 2013 Semi-finalist

2015 Semi-finalist

Jan 2016 Champion

Dec 2016 Champion

2017 Did not play

 

'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Updated: May 01, 2025, 5:25 AM