UAE in May: Theatre, MMA, concerts, cinema and dining deals supercharge the social calendar.
Dubai: Something is shifting in the UAE's social calendar, and May is when things are starting to kick off. After weeks of quieter evenings, the country is gearing up for a run of live events and film releases that covers just about every taste. Theatre, stand-up, Arabic music, electronic, Brazilian pop, a West End classic, elite MMA and one of the most loaded cinema lineups of the year are all arriving in the same four weeks.
If you have been waiting for a reason to get out of the house, May is making a very strong case. For the theatre crowd Short+Sweet Dubai returns to New Covent Garden Theatre at Mall of the Emirates, bringing an evening of ten-minute plays that somehow manages to pack in a rom-com, a bank heist, a family drama and an absurd comedy all before you get home. Tickets start from Dh80.
Running alongside it, X Fest DXB at The Junction in Alserkal Avenue is a six-week festival of original short-form theatre from writers and directors across the UAE. Week three, running 2 to 3 May, is dedicated entirely to non-English language performances. Tickets from Dh120.
For a laugh Indian comedian Gaurav Gupta brings brand new material to Sheikh Rashid Auditorium on 2 May. A dentist by day and one of India's sharpest stand-ups by night, his shows are known for crowd work that keeps audiences on their toes. In Hindi. Tickets from Dh150. Russian comedian Nurlan Saburov takes the Dubai Opera stage on 7 May for his first-ever appearance at the venue. Sharp, observational and genuinely funny, this one is for the Russian-speaking crowd. Tickets from Dh290. Adults only.
