Everything to Know About Quoz Arts Fest 2026

Dubai’s vibrant Quoz Arts Fest returns for its 14th edition on Saturday, 24 January and Sunday, 25 January 2026, transforming Alserkal Avenue and the surrounding Al Quoz Creative Zone into a sprawling celebration of contemporary art, performance, music, workshops and community culture. Known for blurring boundaries between artists and audiences, the festival invites visitors to wander warehouse spaces, lanes and public areas filled with creative discovery.

Dates, Venues, and Tickets

Quoz Arts Fest 2026 takes place over the final weekend of January across Alserkal Avenue, Dubai’s creative heartland, and nearby studios and pop-up venues that make up the Al Quoz Creative Zone. To attend, guests can purchase a AED 100 day pass via Platinumlist, granting access to performances, installations, workshops and family activities. Entry is free for registered visitors under 18 and above 60, making the festival inclusive for a wide range of attendees.

Music, Performance and Immersive Art

At the core of the festival are live performances and sonic explorations that showcase both established and emerging artists. The music lineup boasts powerful sets from Palestinian hip-hop collective DAM and Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan, whose sound carries rich cultural resonance through blended traditional and contemporary influences. Complementing them are genre-bending acts like TootArd and Gayathri Krishnan, adding Levantine rhythms, desert blues and soulful South Asian textures to the weekend’s sonic palette.

Quoz Arts Fest also features From the Lips to the Moon, a collaborative spoken-word and music experience created especially for the festival and hosted by Pouya Ehsaei and Tara Fatehi; this immersive performance weaves voice, gesture and improvisation into a continuously evolving soundscape. French artist Jean-Baptiste André presents Floe, a nomadic project — blending visual installation by Vincent Lamouroux with choreographed performance that invites audiences to rethink the stage as a space of motion and encounter.

Workshops, Talks and Interactive Zones

Quoz Arts Fest is more than performances — it’s a place for creative exchange and learning. Throughout the weekend, visitors can attend artist talks and hands-on workshops led by local and regional practitioners working across disciplines.

The creatives speaking at the event will include Behzad Khosravi Noori, Emel Mathlouthi, Omar Offendum, and Asma Elbadawi. 

These sessions often focus on creative practice, experimentation, storytelling and community engagement, offering both beginners and seasoned creatives opportunities to explore new artistic techniques, ask questions and share insights.

Participatory art sessions and reflective conversations are woven into the programme, ranging from spoken word and sound exploration to discussions that examine artistic processes and cultural narrative. Emerging creatives also get a spotlight through Stage 2.0, a platform dedicated to UAE-based and regional talent, encouraging collaboration and experimentation.

Installations, Film and Family Highlights

Quoz Arts Fest’s visual landscape is anchored by installations like TAPE Dubai by Numen/For Use, presented for the first time in the UAE inside Concrete. This site-specific structure, created from layers of elastic tape, functions as both sculpture and inhabitable space, hosting performances within its organic form and engaging audiences in spatial exploration.

Film lovers can enjoy Reel Palestine, presented in partnership with Cinema Akil, showcasing independent Palestinian cinema alongside a lively souk of more than fifty vendors offering crafts, design objects and culinary experiences rooted in Palestinian heritage.

For families, the festival offers sensory-led environments and creative play areas designed for children, encouraging tactile exploration and imaginative interaction. These inclusive zones make the event a welcoming destination for visitors of all ages.

Food, Community and Culture

The festival extends beyond art and performance into culinary pop-ups, warehouse takeovers and food experiences that bring people together around coffee, bites and conversation. Curated food lanes and neighbourhood eateries add a delicious dimension to the cultural weekend, creating spaces where visitors can pause, refuel and connect with the creative community.

Why Quoz Arts Fest Matters

Quoz Arts Fest 2026 stands as a highlight in Dubai’s cultural calendar, a place where art, music, dialogue and community converge. Its dynamic programme of performances, installations, workshops and talks offers something for everyone, from seasoned art enthusiasts to curious first-time visitors. By activating streets, warehouses and public spaces, the festival celebrates creative expression in all its forms, inviting visitors to not just view art but to participate, reflect and connect.

Whether you’re drawn by live music, thought-provoking conversations, immersive installations or family-friendly workshops, Quoz Arts Fest 2026 promises a cultural weekend rich with inspiration and discovery.