Quoz Arts Fest 2026 returns with experimental installations and Live Performances
The 14th edition brings regional and international artists, music and community programmes to Alserkal Avenue
What is Quoz Arts Fest?
Quoz Arts Fest is the region’s leading community-driven arts and culture festival, returning for its 14th edition on 24 and 25 January 2026, transforming Alserkal Avenue and the wider Al Quoz Creative Zone into a two-day hub of art and music.
Presented by Alserkal, the annual festival brings together experimental installations, live performances, exhibitions, workshops, film screenings and food pop-ups, with a programme designed for audiences of all ages.
The 2026 edition places a strong emphasis on practices that invite movement, participation and shared listening, encouraging new ways of engaging with art in public space. Across warehouses, courtyards and purpose-built venues, the festival will feature a mix of established and emerging voices from the region along with international practitioners.
A central highlight is TAPE Dubai by internationally acclaimed collective Numen/For Use, presented for the first time in the city at Concrete. Known for their large-scale, cocoon-like structures made from elastic tape, the installation blurs the boundaries between sculpture and architecture. Built through communal making, the structure invites visitors to move through and inhabit the space, with performances taking place inside the installation over the course of the weekend.
The music programme brings together artists whose work bridges cultural memory and contemporary sound. Performances include sets by Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan and Palestinian hip-hop collective DAM, as well as genre-blending acts such as TootArd and Gayathri Krishnan. The festival will also present From the Lips to the Moon, a collaborative sonic performance created especially for Quoz Arts Fest, hosted by Pouya Ehsaei and Tara Fatehi and shaped by spoken word, improvisation and live music.
“Over the years, Quoz Arts Fest has grown alongside Dubai’s creative community creating a space where artists, neighbours, and visitors can move, gather, and explore new forms of connection. The 2026 edition highlights the depth of regional talent. Artists whose work reflects the pulse, perspective and creative energy of the region and brings together the local artisans whose craft and culinary expressions shape the cultural fabric of the festival.”, says Basmah El Bittar, Director of Alserkal Avenue.
Film and community programming continue to play a key role. Reel Palestine returns in partnership with Cinema Akil, presenting screenings of independent Palestinian cinema alongside a curated souk featuring crafts, design and food rooted in Palestinian heritage. Families can explore a sensory-led environment designed for children. At the same time, a
multimedia presentation by Mawaheb highlights works by adults of determination, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to accessibility and inclusive practice.
Curated food pop-ups, warehouse takeovers and neighbourhood concepts will run throughout the weekend, positioning Quoz Arts Fest as a full-day cultural destination that brings together art, music and community across Al Quoz.
When is Quoz Arts Fest 2026?
24 & 25 January 2026
Where is Quoz Arts Fest?
Alserkal Avenue and the wider Al Quoz Creative Zone, Dubai
Visit: quoz-arts-fest
Mariam Khawer is a Dubai-based writer and PR professional whose work spans food, art, and travel across the region. When she isn’t chasing deadlines, she’s likely at a gallery opening, testing out a new restaurant, piecing together one of her mixed-media art projects or at home with her four cats, who keep her on her toes.
