Top 10: Book tickets for The Laughter Factory shows, head to Yas Waterworld for the Jump, Bounce and Splash event, and more

Your essential guide to what's happening in the Emirates

Get tickets to see comedians including Carmen Lynch (pictured) on this month's The Laughter Factory Dysfunctional Family Tour. The Laughter Factory

Abu Dhabi & Dubai

Comedy shows

Book tickets for one of The Laughter Factory’s nine shows this month. The Dysfunctional Family tour features Carmen Lynch (pictured) from New York, English comedian Luke Toulson with his laid-back style and dark humour from Scot Mark Nelson.

January 11, 9pm, Mövenpick JBR, Dubai; January 12, 7pm (early show), Senara, The Palm, Dubai; 9pm (late show), Mövenpick JBR, Dubai; January 15, 8pm, Jekyll & Hyde, Currency House, DIFC, Dubai; January 17, 8pm, Park Rotana, Abu Dhabi; January 18, 7pm (early show), On42, Media One Hotel, Dubai Media City; 9pm (late show), Grand Millennium Barsha, Dubai; January 19, 7pm (early show), Jumeirah Golf Estate, Dubai; 9pm (late show), DoubleTree by Hilton, Business Bay, Dubai, Dh140, ages 21+, www.platinumlist.net

Abu Dhabi

Fitness class

Register to take part in the six-week Gulf Multi Sport beginners’ running programme and gain tips on technique from an experienced coach. Training takes place on safe, closed roads at Zayed Sports City. The Monday classes feature interval training and Wednesdays focus on a steady run and form.

Starts Monday, 6pm to 7pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, Dh600, Gulf Multi Sport, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, [e-mail]

Abu Dhabi

Kids’ fun

Visit Orange Wheels indoor entertainment centre at Al Wahda Mall, where children can enjoy play zones, plus a special event today for Science Fiction Day, where they are invited to dress in costume, board a rocket ship and take part in science experiments.

Today, 10am to 10pm, Orange Wheels, Ground floor extension, Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, www.facebook.com/orangewheelsuae

Dubai

Cricket term

Register your children for the second term of the International Cricket Council Academy’s Warriors Programme for ages 6-18, and Cricket Cubs Programme for ages 3-6. The 15-week term includes coaching, physical preparation and game play under the guidance of Level 3 and Level 4 qualified staff. Players will receive a full training kit, workbook, regular feedback and more.

Term starts January 9, various timings, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City, Dubai, www.iccacademy.net

Register your children for the ICC Academy Warriors or Cricket Cubs term, which begins on Tuesday. ICC Academy

Dubai

Kids’ fun

KidZania Dubai celebrates the cooler weather with its Winter Games. The fun includes a mirrored maze, reindeer ring-toss, snowball battles, snowy letter hunts, building snowmen, and more. A winter chorus will perform each day from a cabin in the main plaza, where snow will fall every evening and prizes will be drawn at 8pm.

Daily until Saturday, 10am to 11pm, Dh150 entry, plus Dh25 for access to the Winter Games zone, KidZania Dubai, Level 2, The Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, www.kidzania.ae

Take part in the seasonal Winter Games at KidZania at The Dubai Mall. KidZania

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Dubai

Concerts

Dubai Jazz Festival returns with headliners, 1980s pop legends Duran Duran (Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, Ordinary World) on the first night, American singer-songwriter John Legend (All of Me, Green Light, You & I) on the second, and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin (Livin' la Vida Loca, Vente Pa' Ca) on the third and final night. Additional acts will also be announced. The event, now in its 16th year, features top international musicians across the jazz, blues and pop genres.

February 21 to 23, from 6pm, from Dh300, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, Dubai, www.ticketmaster.ae

Abu Dhabi

Performances

Abu Dhabi Festival has a wide programme of events scheduled including The Merchants of Bollywood theatrical dance performance, Waves of My Life by Emirati composer Ihab Darwish with the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, and two nights of eclectic live performances at Festival in the Park. There will be talks, workshops and exhibitions throughout the month.

February 19 to March 30, various timings and prices, locations including Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, www.800tickets.com/abudhabifestival

Abu Dhabi

Exhibition

Curated for London's Design Museum, In the Making by British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby shows more than 20 objects mid-manufacture, placing the aesthetic of the unfinished in the spotlight. Items include tennis balls, banknotes, coins, diamonds and even a cricket bat (pictured). The exhibition celebrates beauty in the production process of everyday objects, before they reach their final form.

Daily until February 11, 10am to 8pm, Tuesdays to Sundays (closed Mondays), Warehouse421, Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, www.warehouse421.ae

The exhibition In the Making continues at Warehouse421 and includes works such as this cricket bat captured mid-manufacturing (pictured, a detail). Copyright György Kőrössy

Dubai

Festive fun

The festive fun at BurJuman mall continues with a winter wonderland the whole family can enjoy, complete with festive decor, a snow-fight zone, arts and crafts, activities, and even snowfall every 30 minutes. There is also an 8.4-metre vertical display of 1,000 teddy bears, which will be given away to lucky shoppers and visitors.

Daily until Saturday, mall open 10am to 10pm; activities from 3pm to 10pm, BurJuman, Dubai, www.facebook.com/BurJuman

Abu Dhabi

Family fun

Visit Yas Waterworld for the Jump, Bounce and Splash event with its fun water games and activities. Enjoy two water trampolines, interactive games, the Splash Squad entertainers, a belly-flop contest on Saturday, plus all the regular attractions.

Daily until Saturday, 10am to 6pm, from Dh185 for a Friends and Family Pass, Amwaj Wave Pool, Yas Waterworld, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.yaswaterworld.com