Stand-up in the UAE runs in English, Arabic and more. In Dubai, Pepperoni Comedy Club, which calls itself the UAE's first official comedy club, has shows through the week by the World Trade Center, from showcases of local comedians to Arabic stand-up; The Laughter Factory, which staged its first comedy night at the Hyatt Regency Deira 30 years ago, flies comedians in from the UK and the USA for monthly tours of hotel rooms in Dubai and Abu Dhabi; and the Dubai Comedy Festival's seventh edition runs from 9 to 18 October 2026 in more than five languages. In Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Comedy Season brings Russell Peters, Mo Amer and Maz Jobrani to Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
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The short answer
For stand-up comedy in the United Arab Emirates, D.O.C. lists 3 rooms and nights in 2 cities — Dubai (2) and Abu Dhabi — each with a dated show coming up as of 11 October 2026. Below: each room's nights, its open mic and how comics get on, tickets and the age rule; the festivals.
D.O.C.'s UAE page: the comedy club, the comedy nights and the arena shows in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with what is on next, the Dubai Comedy Festival and the routes in for comics.
Stand-up comedy in Dubai
For stand-up comedy in Dubai, Pepperoni Comedy Club at the 25hours Hotel One Central by the World Trade Center has shows through the week, in English and Arabic, and The Laughter Factory's monthly tours play hotel rooms from Barsha Heights to DAMAC Hills and the Palm.
25 Jump Street, 25hours Hotel One Central, World Trade Center, Dubai
ShowsThe UAE's first official comedy club, in its own words, beside an American-Italian diner: on its October 2026 listings, Joke Jam showcases of Dubai's local comedians, dating shows, a Halloween roast, solo hours and Arabic stand-up, among them Ahmed Magdy's Batal Men Warak on Sunday 25 October. source ↗
ListedJoke Jam: four of Dubai's local comedians in one night — Friday 23 October 2026, 7pm, on its calendar as of 11 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedComics with the talent to make people laugh email its talent address, given on its site, for opportunities to perform. source ↗
TicketsShow tickets are sold separately from dinner, through Tick'it; drinks come from the bar, with no service in the comedy room; a 15-minute grace period for late arrivals, and shows are recorded. source ↗
Age21 and over for its shows, with ID checked at the door. source ↗
AlsoFor the Dubai Comedy Festival it hosts seven nights of the DCF x Pepperoni Comedy Club Comedy Showcase, from 12 to 18 October 2026: international headliners and local favourites, 90 minutes, in English, 18 and over. source ↗
ShowsMonthly tours of comedians flown in from the UK, the USA and elsewhere, playing hotel rooms across Dubai and Abu Dhabi; over 30 years the club has brought Russell Peters, Vir Das, Kevin Bridges, Michael McIntyre and Jack Whitehall to the Gulf. source ↗
ListedThe November 2026 tour: John Fothergill, Valentina, TBONE, Nicole Drinkwater and Ahmad — Friday 6 November 2026, 8.30pm, on its calendar as of 11 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the promoter in person.
TicketsEarly-bird tickets AED 140 until 27 October; seating is limited, and early booking is recommended. source ↗
AlsoThe November tour's other nights: Studio One Hotel (7 and 14 November), The Club, Abu Dhabi (8 November), Radisson DAMAC Hills (13 November) and Dukes The Palm (14 November 2026). source ↗
For stand-up comedy in Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Comedy Season brings international headliners to Etihad Arena on Yas Island this autumn, and The Laughter Factory's monthly tour stops at The Club, Abu Dhabi.
Etihad Arena Music venue with stand-up · Abu Dhabi
Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
ShowsThe largest indoor entertainment venue in the Middle East, in its own words, with stand-up among its concerts and sport: Russell Peters on 25 October, Mo Amer on 6 November and Maz Jobrani on 7 November 2026 on its listings. source ↗
ListedRussell Peters, for one night only — Sunday 25 October 2026, on its calendar as of 11 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the club in person.
TicketsFrom AED 275 for Russell Peters; accessible seating through its concierge team. source ↗
AlsoThe Abu Dhabi Comedy Season returns to Yas Island in 2026 as a full season of comedy, kicking off on 11 October, with Morgan Jay in its line-up and more international acts to be announced through the season. source ↗
Now in its seventh edition: ten days of comedy across Dubai in more than five languages, at Dubai Opera, Coca-Cola Arena, The New Covent Garden Theatre, Emirates Theatre and Pepperoni Comedy Club. Its 2026 line-up includes Mo Gilligan, Katherine Ryan, Zarna Garg and Amit Tandon at Dubai Opera, Arabic-language acts, French, Russian and Urdu stand-up, and Vir Das, in English, at Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday 18 October. source ↗
For comics: getting on stage in the United Arab Emirates
The routes into stand-up comedy in the United Arab Emirates that the rooms and festivals publish themselves.
Comics with the talent to make people laugh email the club's talent address, given on its site, for opportunities to perform; its Joke Jam nights put four of Dubai's local comedians on one bill. source ↗
A stand-up course taught by the professional comedians The Laughter Factory flies in from the UK and the USA each month: transcribing your act, refining your delivery and getting the most out of your material, in monthly workshops while the acts are in town. source ↗
Dubomedy, founded in Dubai in 2008 by the comedians Mina Liccione and Ali Al Sayed, has introduced thousands of people to stand-up and improv through its arts school, where its 2026 courses are under way. source ↗
Each room's line above says whether it runs an open mic and how it books. At home in the United States,
Stage Time has open mics by night and the Gig Board has calls for comics.
Questions about stand-up comedy in the United Arab Emirates
Where can I see stand-up comedy in the United Arab Emirates?
In Dubai, Pepperoni Comedy Club and The Laughter Factory; in Abu Dhabi, Etihad Arena. Each had a dated show coming up as of 11 October 2026; its line above has the address, the nights and the age rule.
Where can I see English stand-up comedy in Dubai?
Pepperoni Comedy Club by the World Trade Center has English shows through the week, among them its Dubai Comedy Festival showcase from 12 to 18 October 2026; The Laughter Factory's November tour, with comedians from the UK and elsewhere, starts at the Grand Millennium Dubai on Friday 6 November.
Is there Arabic stand-up comedy in Dubai?
Yes: Pepperoni Comedy Club lists Ahmed Magdy's Arabic stand-up show Batal Men Warak on Sunday 25 October 2026, and the Dubai Comedy Festival has Arabic-language acts in its line-up.
When is the Dubai Comedy Festival 2026?
From Friday 9 to Sunday 18 October 2026, its seventh edition, at Dubai Opera, Coca-Cola Arena, The New Covent Garden Theatre, Emirates Theatre and Pepperoni Comedy Club.
What age do you need to be for comedy shows in Dubai?
Pepperoni Comedy Club's shows are 21 and over, with ID checked at the door, and The Laughter Factory's are for over-21s only.
What age do you need to be for comedy clubs in the United Arab Emirates?
Each room sets its own rule:
Pepperoni Comedy Club: 21 and over for its shows, with ID checked at the door
The Laughter Factory: over 21s only
Etihad Arena: 16 and over for Russell Peters
How do new comedians get into stand-up comedy in the United Arab Emirates?
Pepperoni Comedy Club: perform — Comics with the talent to make people laugh email the club's talent address, given on its site, for opportunities to perform; its Joke Jam nights put four of Dubai's local comedians on one bill.
TLF Academy, The Laughter Factory — A stand-up course taught by the professional comedians The Laughter Factory flies in from the UK and the USA each month: transcribing your act, refining your delivery and getting the most out of your material, in monthly workshops while the acts are in town.
Dubomedy Arts School, Dubai — Dubomedy, founded in Dubai in 2008 by the comedians Mina Liccione and Ali Al Sayed, has introduced thousands of people to stand-up and improv through its arts school, where its 2026 courses are under way.
Sources
The facts on this page come from the rooms', festivals' and awards' own websites, as of 11 October 2026; the
comedians' lines are from their SUCDb records, which carry their own sources. 6 sites, 11 pages:
