Sunday was the first day of Abu Dhabi Comedy Season, as Morgan Jay made a stop in the capital as part of his The Goofy Guy Tour. Bringing his TikTok on-screen humour to the stage at Etihad Arena, he set the standard for a season of comedy still to come.
Russell Peters, Mo Amer, Maz Jobrani and Whitney Cummings are among the performers heading to the capital between October and January.
The programme offers a mix of international stars and regional favourites, from the storytelling of Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges to the political satire of Maz Jobrani and the improvisational humour of Egyptian performer Mina Nader.
Most shows will take place at Etihad Arena in Yas Island as part of the third Abu Dhabi Comedy Season, which has previously welcomed Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Trevor Noah and Bill Burr. Smaller venues are also getting involved, including The Club, which will host a special anniversary programme of The Laughter Factory.
Here are the comedy performances announced for Abu Dhabi between October and February.
1. Russell Peters: October 25 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Long before social media became an essential tool for comedians, Russell Peters was attracting millions of viewers through clips of his stand-up routines. The Canadian, whose parents emigrated from India, became internationally recognised for his observations about immigrant families, accents and misunderstandings between cultures. His specials include Outsourced; Red, White and Brown; and Deported. Audience interaction remains central to his performances, with Peters frequently turning conversations with spectators into some of the evening's biggest laughs.
Tickets from Dh275 ($75)
2. Mo Amer: November 6 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Palestinian-American comedian Mo Amer has taken his experiences of displacement and immigration from the comedy stage to television. Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents and raised in Houston, Amer created the semi-autobiographical Netflix series Mo with Ramy Youssef. The series won a Peabody Award in 2023 and concluded with its second season in 2025. His stand-up similarly draws on questions of belonging, family and identity, subjects he approaches through humour informed by his experiences of navigating different cultures.
Tickets from Dh325
3. Maz Jobrani: November 7 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
When the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour emerged in the 2000s, it offered American audiences a different perspective on the Middle East at a time when regional identities were frequently reduced to political stereotypes. Iranian-American comedian Maz Jobrani was among its founding performers, using humour to challenge assumptions about Arabs and Iranians. He has since built an international career spanning television, film and stand-up specials, with politics, parenting and contemporary society continuing to provide material. He appeared at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Comedy Week in 2024.
Tickets from Dh275
4. The Laughter Factory: November 8 at The Club, Abu Dhabi
The UAE's stand-up scene looked considerably different when The Laughter Factory was launched in Dubai in 1996. International comedy clubs were uncommon and arena-sized performances by visiting comedians had yet to become regular fixtures. Three decades later, the organisation is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a UAE tour that includes Abu Dhabi. 30 Years of Laughs continues its tradition of bringing established and emerging comedians to smaller venues, offering the intimacy and spontaneity of a traditional comedy-club evening.
The show starts at 7pm; tickets from Dh140
5. Amine Radi: November 19 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Moroccan comedian Amine Radi brings a distinctly North African flavour to Abu Dhabi's comedy programme. His performance moves between French and Arabic, drawing on the humour of everyday exchanges, social expectations and the complications of modern relationships. Radi has developed an audience across the francophone world through performances built around animated delivery and increasingly elaborate stories. His appearance will also be phone-free, with electronic devices secured in pouches during the performance, keeping the focus firmly on the stage.
Tickets from Dh150
6. Anubhav Singh Bassi: November 21 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
A seemingly ordinary anecdote can become an elaborate comic adventure in the hands of Indian stand-up performer Anubhav Singh Bassi. His relaxed delivery gives stories room to develop, with friendships, student life and questionable youthful decisions supplying much of his material. Bassi's performances have attracted millions of views online, introducing his Hindi-language humour to audiences beyond India. His latest show, Kisi Ko Batana Mat, meaning Don't Tell Anyone, continues this approach, finding absurdity in situations that often begin innocently enough.
The show starts at 6pm; tickets from Dh125
7. Aries Spears: November 21 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Few comedians can switch between famous impersonating personalities as convincingly as Aries Spears. The American performer spent eight seasons on the sketch comedy programme Mad TV, where his impressions of entertainers and public figures helped establish his reputation. Michael Jackson, Eddie Murphy and Shaquille O'Neal are among the celebrities he has imitated. Beyond impersonations, Spears has developed a more confrontational approach to stand-up, exploring race, entertainment and American social attitudes. His Abu Dhabi performance offers a mixture of observational humour and the character work that made him famous.
The show starts at 10pm; tickets start at Dh120
8. Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola: November 22 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Generations of Filipino television viewers will recognise Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola from the long-running variety programme Eat Bulaga!. The comedy partners are particularly known for their sketches, recurring characters and ability to improvise around the unexpected. Their Abu Dhabi production, The Ultimate Dabarkads Comedy, brings that chemistry to the stage through sketches, live music and audience participation. Presented in Tagalog and English, the afternoon show is also among the few family-friendly performances in the comedy calendar, with no minimum age restriction.
Tickets from Dh99
9. NEMR: November 22 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Lebanese-American comedian NEMR brings his Rampant Disorder show to Abu Dhabi as part of the Wagef stand-up comedy road tour, presented by MBC Group. Having grown up between Lebanon and the US, he has frequently drawn on the contradictions of those experiences, particularly the expectations placed on young people by their families and communities. His latest production takes a wider look at relationships, culture and the disorder of modern life, delivered through the energetic storytelling that has helped him attract audiences across the Middle East and internationally.
Tickets from Dh150
10. Mina Nader: November 22 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
No two Mina Nader performances are quite alike. The Egyptian comedian builds much of his Arabic-language stand-up around conversations with spectators, transforming unexpected answers and personal anecdotes into improvised material. With more than 16 years of experience, Nader has performed across the Middle East, Europe and North America. Organisers credit him with more than 500 sold-out shows, a reflection of the following he has developed through his interactive approach. His Abu Dhabi appearance continues that format, with the audience helping shape the evening's direction.
Doors open at 8pm; tickets start from Dh195
11. Kevin Bridges: January 9 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges has a talent for extracting humour from the ordinary frustrations of life. Growing up in Clydebank, near Glasgow, provided much of the inspiration for his early routines, which examine working-class experiences and the peculiarities of everyday behaviour. His distinctive Glaswegian delivery has become part of his appeal, helping him build a substantial following across Britain and internationally. Bridges has also written two books, including his autobiography We Need to Talk About … Kevin Bridges, documenting his journey from aspiring comedian to arena headliner.
The show starts at 8pm; tickets from Dh295
12. Whitney Cummings: January 31 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Creating one successful American sitcom is difficult enough, but Whitney Cummings helped launch two during the same television season. In 2011, she created and starred in NBC's Whitney while also co-creating the CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls. She has since continued working across television, stand-up and podcasting, hosting Good For You and releasing several comedy specials. Her routines frequently examine relationships, gender expectations and contemporary social habits. Her Big Baby tour brings her to the UAE for the first time.
Show starts at 6pm; tickets from Dh215
13. Paul Smith: January 31 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Liverpudlian comedian Paul Smith has found international success by making the audience a central part of his performances. Clips filmed at the city's Hot Water Comedy Club have attracted millions of views, largely because of his ability to build jokes around unpredictable exchanges with spectators. His latest show, HAPPY, combines that spontaneous approach with stories about finding humour in the frustrations and complications of daily life. The performance also marks his first appearance at Etihad Arena, closing January's comedy line-up with an emphasis on improvisation.
The show starts at 9.30pm; tickets from Dh275