A comedy event at the Coca-Cola Arena featuring Filipino-American stand-up Jo Koy was cancelled on Saturday following the death of Sheikh Khalifa. The show was one of the events of the 11-day Dubai Comedy Festival, which began on Thursday with a show by Canadian comedian Russell Peters.
"Tonight's show at Coca-Cola Arena 'Jo Koy' is cancelled. All tickets will be refunded to the same card used for the transaction," Coca-Cola Arena posted on Instagram.
Another Dubai Comedy Festival show featuring Indian comic Vir Das that was scheduled for Friday, was also earlier postponed. The postponement is in line with an announcement by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, stating that there will be an official mourning period of 40 days with flags to fly at half-staff, as well as three days of closure of ministries and official entities at the federal and local levels, and the private sector.
Dubai Comedy Festival however added that other events on the calendar, including Comedy Bizarre and The Laughter Factory, will continue as scheduled from May 17.
"Stay tuned for the new schedule along with the ticketing procedure for the postponed events," read a statement from festival organisers. "From all of us at The Dubai Comedy Festival, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan at this difficult time."
Koy was set to return to Coca-Cola Arena with his Funny is Funny tour after performing at the venue in 2020. He is known for his impersonations and stand-up, as well as references to Filipino culture thanks to his mum.
Peters, who sold out his previous show at the Coca-Cola Arena earlier this month, brought his Act Your Age World Tour to the new Dubai Media City venue, The Agenda, on Thursday, the opening night of the comedy festival.
Updates on new dates and ticket information will be available soon at dubaicomedyfest.ae
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Russell Peters performed his Act Your Age show on the opening night of the Dubai Comedy Festival 2022. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National -
The Canadian comic returned to the UAE his new show. -
Russell Peters is a regular performer in the Arab world with shows in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and most recently Egypt. -
In Act Your Age, Peters shares some of the wisdom that comes with being more than 50 years of age. -
Russell Peters kept the crowd in the front row on their toes thanks to his signature banter with guests. -
A Russell Peters show is full of back-and-forth banter with the audience. -
The audience are always up for being skewered by the comic. -
Russell Peters is the first stand-up comedian to record a Netflix special. -
Peters is also an avid hip-hop fan and occasional DJ. -
The Dubai Comedy Festival will run for 11 days in various venues across the emirate.
