Comic Stans: All the huge comedy shows coming to the UAE in 2025
Hilarity ensues…
Laughter is the best medicine, that’s what they say, isn’t it? It’s not a universal truth, sometimes antibiotics make more sense, but when it comes to existential ennui or maladies of the mind, stand-up comedy gets to the site of pain, fast. And if you’re in need of some comic relief, the good news is that there’s a whole team of world-class surgical stand-ups due to hit stages across the UAE, throughout 2025.
Comedy Mixtape Fest
When: January 19, 2025
Showcasing some of the best talent from the South Asian circuit, Comedy Mixtape Fest will include sets from such hilarious headliners as Harsh Gujral, Kenny Sebastian, Anubhav Singh Bassi, Samay Raina, Ravi Gupta, Prashasti Singh, Mohd Suhel, Urjita Wani, Vivek Desai and more.
World Trade Centre, Jan 19, Dhs175. dubai.platinumlist.net
Jimmy Carr
When: January 11, 2025
Controversial lolsmith Jimmy Carr is coming to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi to chortle away the new year blues. The British comedian will be bringing his Laughs Funny (appropriate for a man whose own laugh sounds like a startled goose) tour to the Etihad Arena this month. In addition to writing books, hosting panel shows and podcasts and doing stand-up, Jimmy is something of a comedy professor, and has somehow managed to formulate a three-word joke: Stationary store moves.
Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Jan 11, from Dhs295. etihadarena.ae
Al Murray
When: January 20, 2025
Murray’s main character – The Pub Landlord is one of the finest (and longest-running, with 30 years behind the figurative bar and counting) agents of British satire ever created. It’s essentially a vehicle to send up ‘little England’ conservatism, with (remember it’s satire) swipes at casual xenophobia and, ahem, the Germans in particular. He’s in town with his new show, Guv Island which would almost certainly not pass any form of HR screening.
Dubai Opera, Jan 20, tickets from Dhs195. dubaiopera.com
Guz Khan
When: January 20, 2025
Do you know what is statistically the most depressing day of the year? The third Monday in Janurary, Blue Monday. This year it falls on January 20, which is surely why – and call me a conspiracy theorist if you must – Dubai has not one but two top-tier UK comics visiting. Joining Al Murray on the Dubai Opera bill is star of stage and screen, BAFTA-nominated Man Like Mobeen – Guz Khan. We just have one question. Does that make Murray Uncle Shady?
Dubai Opera, Jan 20, tickets from Dhs195. dubai.platinumlist.net
Jack & Michael Whitehall
When: February 14, 2025
Nothing says Valentine’s Day quite like a father-and-son comedy act. Ok, so maybe it’s not the most romantic night out, but for fans of great comedy – and hit Netflix show, Travels With My Father – this is an unmissable date. Expect tall tales, excruciatingly awkward family revelations and frenzied squabbling in perfect Received Pronunciation timbre.
Coca-Cola Arena, Feb 14 2025, prices from Dhs350. @cocacolaarena
Celeste Barber
When: April 29, 2025
Scourge of Instagram celebrities, actress, writer, Australian national treasure and comedian extraordinaire, Celeste Barber is headed for the hallowed stage of Dubai Opera this April. It’s part of her Backup Dancer tour that has seen a sold-out string of shows in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Dubai Opera, Apr 29, 2025, from Dhs195. livenation.me.
Nate Bargatze
When: May 3, 2025
Grammy-nominated comedian, podcaster, producer, and unofficially “The Nicest Man in Stand-Up”, Nate Bargatze will be in town for the one-night-only Middle Eastern leg of his Big, Dumb Eyes tour. His sets typically feature strong reconteur skills, with self-deprecating monologues (which is possibly where the tour got its name) and highly relatable observational bits on the madness of modern life.
Coca-Cola Arena, City Walk, Saturday May 3, 2025. livenation.me
The Laughter Factory
When: throughout the year
If you’re in the market for something reliable, and efficient, with great gas mileage and one lady owner, have we got the motor for you. There’s no better place in the UAE to consistently watch people on stage saying funny things, live and relatively uncensored – than at The Laughter Factory. This operation is the Gulf’s oldest comedy night, raising guffaws and slating in-laws since 1997. The format typically sees a trio of headliners coming to a variety of venues across the UAE. For January, 2025 there’s a special edition – where Netflix star Schalk Bezuidenhout has dates in Dubai (Jan 24, Media City Agenda) and Abu Dhabi (Jan 25, The Club) for a live performance of his hour-long Crowd Pleaser show (Dhs210, earlybird from Dhs160).
Multiple locations, tickets from Dhs160. thelaughterfactory.com
DIY Comedy
Do an improv class at The Courtyard
“Everyone says I should be on the stage”. Prove it. The Courtyard Playhouse in Al Quoz has been providing a platform for the dramatic arts since 2013, and in between their own ovation-courting performances, comedy nights and National Theatre Live screenings – they offer a range of workshops for kids and adults, including improv. And whilst it might not be technically possible to teach spontaneous creativity, the improvisation maestros at Courtyard can arm you with a humourist’s tool kit for stitching together hilarious hypotheticals from the loose end of whoever’s line it is anyway.
The Courtyard, Al Quoz, the next Improv Monthly Mashup is on March 10, 4.30pm to 6pm, Dhs200. courtyardplayhouse.com
