Quoz Arts Fest 2026 has concluded. Its 14th edition took place on 24–25 January at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai. This guide records that edition’s art, music and practical arrangements. Use Alserkal’s current announcements for another edition: old festival tickets, performance lists and workshop schedules do not establish what is available now.
Quoz Arts Fest brings several parts of Alserkal Avenue’s cultural life into one weekend: gallery exhibitions, installations, music, film and food. The 2026 edition offers a useful example of the format, but it is now an archive. For a current visit, choose between an ordinary Avenue day and a future festival date. Those experiences have different programmes and may have different access terms.
Our view: this is an event to explore, rather than a route to complete. Pick the performances or screenings you genuinely want and leave the rest of the visit flexible. That suits a neighbourhood of galleries and different cultural spaces better than trying to see every advertised attraction. It also gives a mixed-interest group room to split up and meet again.
An installation such as TAPE offers a different encounter from a conventional picture exhibition. Read the entry instructions and watch how the space is being used before joining. A work’s appeal can lie in participating, observing or understanding how it occupies the building. Spend time with the work before moving on. Look at how the structure changes the space, and decide whether you want to take part or watch it from outside.
Allow time to move between the spaces. A film, a gallery visit and a live set each ask for a different kind of attention; switching between them works best when you are not already late for the next booking. For families, agree a meeting point and a few priorities. An arts festival is more enjoyable when everyone understands the pace of the day.
The 2026 programme named music acts including Yasmine Hamdan and DAM, alongside TAPE Dubai at Concrete. Those are the historical highlights covered below. They should not be treated as the lineup or installation list for a later edition.
For a future festival, read the programme before choosing your arrival time. If one booking matters most, make that the anchor and fit other stops around it. Comfortable footwear and time for breaks are sensible choices; a promise that the entire day will feel relaxed is not something a guide can make for every visitor.
The useful plan combines a few fixed choices with room to discover the Avenue. Check which activities need a separate booking, how festival admission works and the route between the spaces you want. This guide separates the completed 2026 details from advice you can use when planning another visit, with the aim of helping you choose the parts of the day that matter to you.
The completed 2026 edition
The 2026 festival ran on Saturday, 24 January and Sunday, 25 January. The organiser’s programme page records the edition, and the Dubai Media Office described it as the 14th. The date belongs to that event, not a recurring ticket that lets you attend at any time.
Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz was the festival’s main base. Its galleries, cultural spaces and lanes give the event a different structure from a single concert venue. Use the map to identify the exact building for a booked activity. A general Avenue address is useful for reaching the neighbourhood, but not enough to find a film or performance after its start time.
How the Avenue shapes the festival
The Avenue brings together galleries and other cultural businesses in former industrial spaces. A festival can connect those spaces through additional activity, but each has its own programme and opening arrangements. If you plan to see a particular gallery, look at what it is exhibiting on your date. A festival’s overall description cannot tell you which exhibition is still running months later.
Choosing between art, music and film
The 2026 programme combined installations, music, performances, workshops and food. The appeal is variety, but a useful personal itinerary still needs choices. Decide whether the centre of your day is art, a music booking, a film or a family activity. Then choose a second experience that offers something different, instead of filling every gap simply because it appears on the same poster.
Reel Palestine: Independent Film & Cultural Exchange with Cinema Akil
Reel Palestine’s 2026 programme at Cinema Akil overlapped with the festival weekend. The cinema’s programme specifically warned that access to Alserkal Avenue on 24–25 January was ticketed. A cinema or theatre booking and Avenue-wide festival admission were not automatically interchangeable. That distinction matters when comparing the cost of a day that includes more than one activity.
The Reel Palestine souk added a shopping and food element alongside the films. For a future edition, check the souk’s own dates and the Avenue access rules. A programme may run across several days while a souk occupies selected weekends. Choose the date for the element you want rather than assuming every advertised feature operates throughout the full film festival.
The announced 2026 music programme
The announced 2026 music programme included Yasmine Hamdan, DAM, TootArd and Gayathri Krishnan. That range gives music listeners a reason to follow the festival beyond its gallery programme. For another edition, wait for the actual lineup and times before booking around a specific act. A familiar performer in an old guide is not confirmation of a return appearance.
The announced programme also included From the Lips to the Moon and a platform for emerging performers. For a visitor, the useful question is which session you can attend and how it fits beside your other bookings. A commissioning credit describes the programme; it does not give every visitor access to a performance outside its scheduled time.
TAPE Dubai at Concrete
TAPE Dubai by Numen/For Use was presented at Concrete as a suspended, cocoon-like installation. Its interest lies in the way a temporary structure changes the use of the building. That makes the space and the visitor’s position part of the work, rather than leaving the audience outside an object on a plinth.
The 2026 description invited visitors to explore the installation’s interior and included performances within it. Participation should follow the installation team’s rules. Do not assume a crawling route suits every age, mobility requirement or comfort level simply because the wider festival includes family activities. Ask about access before queuing if that determines whether you can take part. Watching can still be a valid way to engage with the work.
Planning a family visit
For families, choose a manageable selection of activities instead of treating the entire programme as child-focused. Check age guidance for films and workshops, and allow time for food and rest. A festival that welcomes families still contains different kinds of art and performance. The useful decision is which part suits your group, rather than assuming every space offers the same experience.
Jossa Warehouse 45: A Dedicated Space for Kids & Families
The 2026 programme identified Jossa Warehouse 45 in Lane 3 as a family space with soft structures and activity zones. That was a specific programme feature. It should not be used as a permanent promise of supervised childcare or as confirmation that the same installation is available on an ordinary Avenue visit. For the next festival, check the family programme and supervision requirements.
Workshop bookings
For a workshop, read the booking conditions before building the day around it. Check the age range, start time and whether a separate reservation is required. Then leave enough time to arrive at the right space. A general festival ticket does not settle every workshop’s capacity or materials arrangements; the individual session listing is the practical reference.
Admission and travel
Start with the organiser’s current programme, identify your priority activities and check their access conditions. Then plan travel around your first fixed booking. That sequence avoids two common problems: paying for a specific activity without the necessary Avenue admission, and reaching the neighbourhood after the event you wanted has started.
Ticket Information: Is Al Quoz Arts Fest Free?
The 2026 festival was not generally free. The ticket seller’s Fringe Theatre listing set out Avenue admission separately: a one-day pass at AED100 and a two-day pass at AED200, with free entry upon registration for under-18s and visitors above 60. It explicitly said a Fringe Theatre ticket did not replace the festival ticket. These are historical 2026 terms, not prices for a future edition. Read the new edition’s admission rules before paying for an associated film, workshop or show.
Getting There & Around: Transportation and Parking
Choose a route to Alserkal Avenue and account for the final journey from the station or drop-off point. Festival-day arrangements can differ from an ordinary visit.
- Metro and onward travel: use RTA’s current journey planner for a route to Alserkal Avenue. RTA announced in September 2026 that ONPASSIVE station would be renamed Garmin; the old Noor Bank name in earlier guides is outdated. Allow for the onward bus, taxi or walking route rather than assuming a station is at the festival entrance.
- Ride-Sharing & Taxis: Services like Uber and Careem are readily available throughout Dubai and offer convenient drop-off options directly at Alserkal Avenue. Taxis are also plentiful.
- Parking: check the organiser’s festival-day instructions and allow for the walk to your booked venue. Do not assume a particular parking space or free festival parking without reading the current arrangements.
Festival Hours & Navigation Tips
The 2026 dates have passed. For a future edition, the organiser’s daily programme is the reference for opening hours and individual start times. An ordinary gallery schedule, a concert slot and festival-wide access hours are different details; do not use one as a substitute for the other.
Save the programme and map before arriving. Mark the buildings for fixed bookings, then leave enough room to move between them. Pick a meeting point if your group plans to separate. The value of a walkable festival is the freedom to explore, but that works better when you know where and when the next commitment begins.
Allowing time for food
The Avenue’s cafés and restaurants provide options beyond temporary festival food stalls. For a future festival, check the actual vendor programme and any restaurant booking you want to make. Food availability does not guarantee short queues, and a workshop or film ticket does not ordinarily include a meal unless its listing says so. Allow a break instead of trying to eat on the way to a screening.
Use the 2026 archive to understand the format and discover artists. Use the organiser’s current programme to make a new booking. Our recommendation is to choose a few meaningful stops and give them enough time; collecting the largest number of activities is not the same as having a better art day.
References
- Alserkal: Quoz Arts Fest 2026 programme page.
- Cinema Akil: 2026 Reel Palestine programme and festival-access notice.
- Platinumlist: 2026 Fringe Theatre and separate Avenue admission conditions.
- RTA: September 2026 station-renaming announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions (Quoz Arts Fest)
What is Quoz Arts Fest?
Alserkal’s art and culture festival at Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz, Dubai. The 2026 edition was its 14th.
When is Quoz Arts Fest?
The 2026 edition ran on 24–25 January and has concluded. Use the organiser’s current announcements for a new edition.
Where is Quoz Arts Fest held?
At Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz, Dubai. Check the map for the specific building hosting your booking.
How much is entry to Quoz Arts Fest?
The 2026 ticket listing gave a one-day pass at AED100 and a two-day pass at AED200, with free registered entry for under-18s and visitors above 60. Future editions need their own prices.
What can you see and do there?
The 2026 programme combined art, music, installations, film, workshops and food, including TAPE Dubai at Concrete. A later edition needs its own programme.
How do I get to Alserkal Avenue?
Use the current RTA route planner and the organiser’s location instructions. Allow for the onward journey from Metro or your drop-off point; the old Noor Bank station name is outdated.
