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Dubai Comedy Festival 2026: Vir Das, Munawar Faruqui among first acts; all you need to know
The seventh edition returns from October 9-18 with Vir Das, Munawar Faruqui, Mo Gilligan and more
- PUBLISHED: Mon 27 Jul 2026, 4:54 PM UPDATED: Mon 27 Jul 2026, 4:55 PM
A little laughter therapy never hurt anyone. And if you've been looking for an excuse to swap another dinner outing for a night of live comedy, Dubai Comedy Festival is back with 10 days of stand-up and sketches across the city.
For UAE residents, it remains one of the season's biggest live-entertainment events, with this year's festival positioned as a multilingual, multi-venue celebration of comedy. A first wave of performers has already been announced, with more names expected in the coming weeks.
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Designed as a citywide comedy platform, the festival brings together international stand-up stars, regional favourites and local talent. According to the official organisers, the 2026 edition will feature more than 50 artists across over 40 shows at three-plus venues.
In a city as diverse as Dubai, where audiences enjoy comedy in English, Arabic, Hindi and other languages, the festival's broad programming makes it accessible to a wide range of residents. Rather than focusing on a single style of stand-up, this year's edition aims to showcase comedy across cultures and languages.
Dates and venues
The festival will run from Friday, October 9, to Sunday, October 18. Confirmed venues currently include Dubai Opera, New Covent Garden Theatre at Mall of the Emirates and Coca-Cola Arena.
The official festival website also provides transport guidance for each venue, including Dubai Metro access for Dubai Opera and Mall of the Emirates, and directions to Coca-Cola Arena via City Walk.
First wave of acts
The first announced performers include Mo Gilligan, Vir Das, Jamie Lever, Munawar Faruqui, Amit Tandon, John Achkar, Shane Todd, Alexander Merkul, and the Kuwaiti theatrical production Mohandis Al Thauq Al Aam.
Munawar Faruqui is scheduled to perform on October 11 at Dubai Opera, while Vir Das will close the festival with a performance on October 18 at Coca-Cola Arena.
Organisers have described this as the first announcement, with additional acts expected to be revealed closer to the festival.
Tickets and planning
Tickets for the first wave of shows went on sale on July 14 and are available through the festival's official website and authorised ticketing partners.
Residents planning to attend can secure tickets now, especially for headline comedians and weekend performances, which are expected to be in high demand. Since the festival spans multiple venues and languages, it's also worth checking each show's venue, language and format before booking.
Now in its seventh edition, the Dubai Comedy Festival has established itself as one of the city's signature live-entertainment events. For those looking for a fun night out, it offers a packed calendar of international stars, regional favourites and homegrown talent spread across some of Dubai's biggest stages.
