Quoz Arts Fest (QAF) is back, and once again, it’s turning Al Quoz into one big playground for creativity from January 24-25. This annual arts and culture festival brings curious minds together at Alserkal Avenue, celebrating everything that’s unexpected, offbeat, and full of cultural flavour. Designed for people who love to explore beyond the usual, QAF blends art, music, performance, food, and conversation into a festival that feels open, layered, and always a little ahead of the curve. I have even more exciting details where that came from, so keep reading to find out more. (And be sure to stick around till the very end to find out how you can unlock free entry!)
Also read: Taste of Dubai 2026 Is Back! – Dates, Restaurants & What You Can Expect
A Festival Built Around Discovery
At its core, Quoz Arts Fest is all about storytelling. From emerging artists to experimental formats, the festival shines a light on voices from the region and its diaspora. Every experience is thoughtfully put together to spark connection, reward curiosity, and invite visitors to wander, pause, and discover something new around every corner.
Art That You Can Walk Through & Be Part Of)
QAF 2026 features large-scale, experimental, and participatory art installations that transform the neighbourhood into a space for movement, shared moments, and collective interaction. One of the biggest highlights this year is TAPE Dubai by Numen/For Use, presented inside Concrete for the first time in Dubai.
This internationally acclaimed collective unveils a cocoon-like, site-specific structure inspired by patterns found in nature and built through communal making. Visitors are welcome to move through the installation, blurring the lines between sculpture, architecture, and performance. The TAPE project has already travelled to more than ten cities including Paris, Tokyo, Milan, and Moscow. And now it takes on a new form inside the art hub of Dubai. Across Alserkal Avenue, additional exhibitions, public artworks, and warehouse takeovers continue this experimental spirit. Offering fresh ways to experience contemporary art in public spaces.
Powerful Sounds & Boundary-Pushing Performances
This year’s performance programme brings together some of the region’s most inventive artists. With sounds shaped by cultural memory, modern storytelling, and bold sonic experimentation.
On Day One, audiences can expect a high-energy, powerful set from DAM, the pioneering Palestinian hip-hop collective, alongside Gayathri Krishnan, who blends soulful South Asian influences into rich, atmospheric music.
Day Two features Yasmine Hamdan, the Lebanese singer-songwriter known for her emotive, genre-defying sound, and TootArd, delivering a mix of Levantine grooves, desert blues, and playful rhythms. The day also includes From the Lips to the Moon. A special spoken-word and music collaboration created for QAF by Pouya Ehsaei and Tara Fatehi. Inviting listeners into an immersive soundscape shaped by voice, gesture, and improvisation.
Across both days, visitors can experience Floe by Jean-Baptiste André. A choreographed performance staged within a striking, site-specific visual installation by Vincent Lamouroux.
A Creative Space Just for Kids
Families are very much part of the QAF experience. The Kids Warehouse Takeover at Jossa Warehouse 45 offers a sensory-led environment designed especially for young visitors. With soft structures, tactile materials, and playful activity zones, children are encouraged to explore through touch, movement, and imagination. It’s a welcoming space to pause, reconnect, and let creativity run free. Making sure visitors of all ages can enjoy the festival together.
Happening on Saturday, 24 and Sunday, 25 January 2026, across Alserkal Avenue and the wider Al Quoz Creative Zone. A one-day pass is AED 100, while a two-day pass costs AED 200.
Entry is free with registration for visitors under 18 and above 60! You can get your tickets right on their website.
