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Dubai Comedy Festival returns to the city: Zakir Khan, Omid Djalili to take the stage
The 11-day fest of jokes will run from October 2 to 12 at the Coca-Cola Arena and Dubai Opera
- PUBLISHED: Thu 1 May 2025, 11:23 AM
Alright, alright, alright. If you thought the opportunities to laugh, giggle, or guffaw were turning slim, you are absolutely…incorrect.
Dubai Comedy Festival is making a comeback in a big way with side-splitting routines that will have you tearing up. The 11-day fest of jokes will run from October 2 to 12 at the Coca-Cola Arena and Dubai Opera. This year, the fest is doing something special – it’s delivering hilarious performances in a range of languages including English, Arabic, and Hindi.
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To book tickets, head to www.dubaicomedyfest.ae.
Wondering who’s already booked? Here’s a list of the first headliners that have already been confirmed:
Tom Segura
Comedian, actor, and writer Tom Segura will take centre stage at the Coca-Cola Arena on October 2. He is best known for his Netflix specials Ball Hog (2020), Disgraceful (2018), Mostly Stories (2016), and Completely Normal (2014). This is a 16+ show.
From Dh295 (Bronze). Oct 2, 8pm. Coca-Cola Arena.
Omid Djalili
The British-Persian funnyman will take the stage Dubai Opera as well this year. He has appeared in a number of films as a stereotypical Middle Eastern background character and began hosting the ITV game show Winning Combination in 2020. This October, Djalili brings his critically acclaimed new show NAMASTE to Dubai, where he calmly bows to his inner rage before letting loose with a hilarious tirade on the absurd state of the world.
From Dh195 (Silver). Oct 5, 6pm. Dubai Opera.
Akaash Singh
Get ready for a belly ache from all the laughing you are going to do on October 5 when you see American comedian, podcaster, and actor Akaash Singh at Dubai Opera. Having made his mark with appearances on MTV’s Guy Code and Wild’n Out, Netflix’s Brown Nation, and HBO’s The Leftovers, Singh later shifted his focus from TV to podcasting. Together with fellow funny man Andrew Schulz, he created Flagrant, which has amassed millions of listeners.
From Dh195 (Silver). Oct 5, 9pm. Dubai Opera.
Morgan Jay
This musical comic is ready for laughs. He’s making his way over to Dubai for a genre-bending performance. You might know him from appearances on MTV’s Wild ‘N Out, NBC, Comedy Central, or from his social media, or as the real-life version of the guy from Ratatouille.
From Dh250 (Silver). Oct 6, 9.30pm. Dubai Opera.
Joanne McNally
Irish comedian, writer, and actress Joanne McNally most certainly has the gift of the gab, and she’s bringing it back to Dubai this October for not one but two solo shows at Dubai Opera. A primetime TV favourite, she’s brought the laughs on Taskmaster, The Jonathan Ross Show, The Big Fat Quiz of Everything, and plenty more. Joanne last stormed the Dubai Comedy Festival stage in 2023 with Vogue Williams in their sell-out show My Therapist Ghosted Me, offering a hilarious deep dive into dating disasters, social media stress, and everything in between. This time, she’s flying solo with all-new material, still single, still chaotic, and delivering her unfiltered take on life.
From Dh195 (Silver). Oct 7, 6.30pm. Dubai Opera.
John Achkar
Comedian, entrepreneur, consultant, and everything in between, John Achkar is set to light up Dubai Opera. He first made waves with Stand-Up Baladi — the first Lebanese stand-up comedy series in Arabic — and continued to win over audiences with hit specials like No Worries (2020). A crowd favourite at Dubai Comedy Festival 2023, Achkar back with fresh material, ready to deliver another night of clever, culturally tuned comedy.
From Dh175 (Silver). Oct 11, 9pm. Dubai Opera.
Zakir Khan
Indian comic Zakir Khan is briging a brand-new show to the Coca-Cola Arena this October. Having risen to prominence in 2012 after winning Comedy Central India’s Best Stand-Up Comedian competition, Khan has since become one of the most recognisable names in Indian comedy. After captivating Dubai Comedy Festival audiences in 2024 with a sold-out 150-minute Hindi-language set, the sakht launda returns — this time, with even more laughs in store.
Dh195 (lower-tier silver). Oct 12, 8pm. Coca-Cola Arena