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Art & Photography, Alserkal Avenue
Quoz Arts Fest returns to Alserkal Avenue for its 14th edition
Text Gayathri Pullare
If you’re one for exploring the city’s creative circle, you’re bound to be a regular at Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue. An eclectic mix of art galleries, wellness spaces, design studios, cosy cafés, and an independent film theatre, the offbeat area has become the rendezvous of choice for the emirate’s aesthetes. This vibrant ecosystem makes it the natural choice to host Quoz Arts Fest, one of Dubai’s most prestigious annual cultural celebrations.
The festival returns for its 14th edition on January 24 and January 25, spreading across Alserkal Avenue and the wider Al Quoz Creative Zone. Over two days, experimental installations, live music, exhibitions, workshops, and food pop-ups unfold across the warehouses and outdoor spaces.
One of the main draws this year is Numen/For Use’s TAPE project, presented inside Concrete, the iconic building in the centre of the Avenue, for the first time in Dubai. Known for large-scale, site-specific installations, the international collective constructs cocoon-like forms using elastic tape that is stretched and layered. It starts as a set of lines extending across the room, then thickens into a space capable of holding multiple performers inside.
Quoz Arts Fest is also well known for spotlighting indie music, and this year’s line-up is no different. The programme brings together artists working across genres like hip-hop, electronic, and R&B, alongside experimental fusion forms. Palestinian collective DAM and Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan lead with performances shaped by strong cultural memory and contemporary storytelling.
Syrian rock duo TootArd and LA-based artist Gayathri Krishnan add interest through genre-blurring sets that draw on Levantine rhythms, blues and South Asia’s Carnatic influences. Veering into more experimental territory, From the Lips to the Moon is a collaborative performance hosted by Pouya Ehsaei and Tara Fatehi, unfolding as a mix of spoken word, music, and improvisation.
Meanwhile, acrobat and dancer Jean-Baptiste André presents Floe in collaboration with Tunis’ Dream City Festival, a travelling project that combines an installation by visual artist Vincent Lamouroux with choreographed performance. Additionally, Stage 2.0 returns for the fourth time, running concurrently to the main programme to provide a platform for emerging local artists in the UAE.
Reel Palestine also makes a comeback, partnering once again with Cinema Akil to present independent Palestinian films alongside a souk of more than fifty vendors offering crafts, artefacts, and traditional Palestinian food. A sensory-led environment at Jossa Warehouse 45 invites young artists-to-be to engage through touch, movement and imaginative play, with soft structures and activity zones designed for exploration. A multimedia presentation by Mawaheb, featuring works by people of determination, reinforces the festival’s ongoing commitment to accessibility and inclusive creative practice.
Basmah El Bittar, Director of Alserkal Avenue, notes, “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.”
Tickets are available via Platinumlist. Entry is free for visitors under 18 and above 60, while all other visitors can access the festival with a day pass for AED 100 until January 23. Tickets purchased on January 24 and January 25 will be priced at AED 120.