In the early 2010s, Alserkal Avenue was little more than a cluster of repurposed warehouses tucked inside Dubai’s industrial heart. Few could have predicted the cultural powerhouse it would become. But for long-time Al Quoz residents – artists, fabricators, poets, skateboarders, and early adopters who believed in the district’s creative potential – the neighbourhood’s evolution has been a shared triumph. Alserkal has always been shaped as much by those who wandered into its galleries as by those who founded them. Watching Quoz Arts Fest grow from a modest annual gathering into one of the region’s most anticipated cultural weekends has become, for many, a way to witness Dubai’s creative identity in real time.
This year, the festival returns for its 14th edition on 24–25 January 2026, transforming Alserkal Avenue and the wider Al Quoz Creative Zone into a hub of performances, installations, exhibitions, workshops, and pop-ups. Organisers say the programme foregrounds communal encounters: works designed for movement, listening, and participation rather than passive observation.
One of the festival’s headline attractions is TAPE by the Croatian collective Numen/For Use, installed for the first time inside Concrete. Crafted from layers of transparent tape stretched into cocoon-like membranes, the work blurs the line between architecture and sculpture. Past iterations have been featured at venues such as the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Garage Museum in Moscow. At Quoz Arts Fest, TAPE will also host live performances, inviting audiences to activate the structure from within.
Music and performance remain central. The line-up includes established regional names – Palestinian hip-hop collective DAM and Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan – alongside genre-defying acts like TootArd and vocalist Gayathri Krishnan. The festival premieres From the Lips to the Moon, a new spoken-word and sonic collaboration led by Pouya Ehsaei and Tara Fatehi, and features choreographic and nomadic projects such as Floe by Jean-Baptiste André, staged within a sculptural field by Vincent Lamouroux.
Community programming continues to be a priority. Reel Palestine, in partnership with Cinema Akil, returns with film screenings and a souk of over 50 vendors, while families can explore a sensory-led play environment at Jossa Warehouse 45. Mawaheb will present a multimedia showcase featuring works by adults of determination, highlighting the festival’s commitment to accessibility and inclusive practice.
Across the lanes, curated food pop-ups and warehouse takeovers will provide the festival’s social infrastructure, turning the Avenue into a full-day destination for art, culture, and culinary exploration.
Tickets are available via Platinumlist. Entry is free for registered visitors under 18 and those over 60, while day passes are priced at AED 100. Strategic partners include Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Al Quoz Creative Zone in association with Dubai Calendar, with MINI AGMC as lead partner and support from Jotun, Emirates NBD, and Fujifilm.
Fourteen years after its inception, Quoz Arts Fest is both a showcase of regional creativity and a cherished local ritual. Equal parts discovery and reunion, the festival offers moments of noise and stillness alike. For residents who have watched Alserkal Avenue transform – and for attendees immersing themselves in it – the weekend is proof that a city’s cultural life is built through repeated gatherings, incremental risks, and the persistent work of artists and communities who insist on making public space their own.
