Updated 9 November 2026
Choose your November arts night by what you want to do after you arrive. At Expo City Dubai, you can spend time with a digital artwork indoors and then watch projections overhead at Al Wasl. At Down to Earth on Jaddaf Waterfront, Saturday’s programme has live music as late as 10 pm, while Sunday wraps up at 8 pm. At Alserkal Avenue, the opening of History Otherwise gives you a reason to go to one exhibition and look slowly, with other Art Week venues to consider if their hours suit you. All three use different kinds of access and give you a different amount of control over your evening. ISEA artworks by venue · Down to Earth dates and registration · Alserkal Art Week
| Pick it for | November 2026 date | What you need before going |
|---|---|---|
| A digital artwork at House of Arts and projections under Al Wasl Dome | Both run together 8–15 November at Expo City Dubai | Use ISEA’s free live programme registration. Check the dome start because the organiser’s listings differ |
| Galleries, hands-on activities and a live set beside the Creek | 14 November, 3–10 pm. 15 November, 3–8 pm | Register for Down to Earth. Arrive early at any limited-capacity session you want |
| An exhibition opening and a closer look at Arab modernism | 15 November opening at Concrete. Alserkal Art Week runs 15–22 November | Confirm the reception time, access and last entry with the venue, especially if arriving later |
Expo City for an exhibition and projections after dark
ISEA’s November live programme gives House of Arts a 10 am–10 pm window from 6 to 15 November. Its artwork there is Simulacral Terrains, credited to Omair Faizullah, Roberto Fabbri, Marco Sosa and Lina Ahmad. The listing gives the gallery and the work by name, so you can make this the first stop rather than wandering around Expo City looking for an installation. The venue is on Unity Avenue. If people are arriving at different times, send that address and agree to regroup at the dome later. ISEA venue listings and artists · ISEA route to House of Arts
At Al Wasl Plaza Dome, ISEA lists Fantomatyka by Sandro Bocci, Posidonia by Xavi Bové and The Rising Dusk by Milkorva from 8 to 15 November. The current venue table shows 6–10 pm, while a second official version lists 7–10 pm. If you want to arrive at six, start at House of Arts and check the actual dome start with the organiser. After seven is the common window in the two listings. That window describes when the programme is available. Ask when the piece you want comes up, especially if you only have time for a short visit. Current ISEA venue table · Alternate ISEA venue listing
The opening reel shows guests standing beneath Al Wasl’s patterned canopy lit in blue and purple. The organisers describe the evening as a special gathering with a dome projection and a guided visit to House of Arts. Use that footage to judge the scale of the space. Plan your own visit around the three works in the published public programme. From the plaza, take a moment to find where you can watch comfortably. A group that likes to see a whole image may prefer a different position from someone who wants the light to fill their field of view. If standing or strong moving projections are an issue for someone in the group, ask the organiser about seating and effects before making the dome the only stop. ISEA public programme and venue list
The organiser says its Live Artistic Programme is free with registration and gives a registration link in its FAQ. The linked form is labelled for the free live pass and asks visitors to create an account and verify an email address. Do this before leaving if you want to spend your first few minutes looking at the work. The live pass is separate from the online academic programme. Check whether your registration or confirmation gives a venue-specific instruction. The guide for this edition points visitors to the Expo 2020 Red Line station and estimates about 12 minutes on foot from there to House of Arts. Check which train branch you need and allow time for the walk, especially if the dome is your only reason for going. Keep the official directions for each venue handy so you can choose the right pin on arrival. ISEA registration and access · Free live pass form · Expo City transport directions
Jaddaf Waterfront for making, looking and staying for music
Down to Earth takes place across Jameel Arts Centre and Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park. The programme runs 3–10 pm on Saturday 14 November and 3–8 pm on Sunday 15 November. It is free and open to all ages, with registration through the event page. The linked form lets you choose Saturday, Sunday or both. The daily programmes say that sessions are first come, first served. Treat event registration and a place at a worktable as two different things. Pick one session before you leave home, then keep a gallery or drop-in activity in mind if that session fills. Down to Earth event page · Down to Earth RSVP
Saturday gives you the fuller evening. The 6:30–7:30 pm forest lamp workshop at the Art Jameel Shop uses natural textures and warm light to make a small scene you can take home. At 7–8 pm, the Flora, Fauna, Fungi talk is in the Project Space, so doing both in full would mean splitting the group. The Roof Terrace then lists Ethnotronika from 8 to 9 pm with handpan and fujara, followed by Urban Roots from 9 to 10 pm. Choose the earlier workshop and a later set if you want both making and listening. If you can only reach the site after eight, use the Roof Terrace programme as your anchor and check which galleries are still admitting visitors. Saturday’s published programme and locations
Sunday works better for an earlier finish. From 6 to 7 pm, the programme lists Srj’s sitar performance in the Chihuahuan Garden and a bookbinding workshop at the Art Jameel Shop. They overlap, so choose which part matters more. If you arrive near six, leave time to find the garden or check for workshop space before heading straight to the market. The lobby drop-ins run within the event window and give families a less rigid option. The salt-leaf activity compares what happens to leaves in fresh water and salt water, tying the making and experiments to the ideas in the Artist’s Garden. Check the age and adult accompaniment notes for the particular activity you choose. Sunday programme, locations and age guidance
For a gallery-led visit on Saturday, the programme gives a 5:30–6:30 pm exhibition tour, starting in the lobby. It includes the Artists’ Rooms and Afrah Shafiq’s videogame installation, which draws on illustrated children’s books from the Soviet Union that circulated in India. This is a better starting point for someone who wants context for the work than going straight to a workshop. The forest lamp session starts as the tour ends, so leave room to find the shop if you hope to do both. If you need a gap to eat, the same programme lists Bazaar Bites at Creekside and the Sculpture Park until 10 pm. For food before a set, pick a time that gives you a chance to reach the Roof Terrace before the music. Jameel’s Saturday tour and market schedule
Set the meeting point by the Jameel welcome desk if part of the group wants galleries and others are heading to the sculpture park. The centre estimates a 12-minute walk from Al Jaddaf Green Line station, and its map distinguishes the lobby, gardens, park and roof. The ordinary visit page gives an 8 pm closing time, so use the dated programme for the later Saturday performances and check gallery access separately. If a guest needs a step-free route to the music or somewhere to sit during a set, check that specific location with the venue. People who want to look at the work without waiting for the music can use the official gallery and garden listings to make a shorter visit, then leave when the rest of the group moves upstairs. Jameel visitor map and access · Artist’s Garden commission
Alserkal Avenue for an exhibition opening with time to look
History Otherwise: Women Modernists from the Arab World opens Sunday 15 November at Concrete, the exhibition venue within Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz. Alserkal’s programme and joint announcement with Barjeel Art Foundation give the venue and edition dates of 15–22 November. Published opening coverage puts the first evening’s opening at 6 pm. Confirm that hour and the final admission time with the venue before setting out, particularly if you can only arrive later. Use the opening as an early-evening plan and check separate hours if you choose another day. Alserkal Art Week programme · Opening-time coverage
The organisers say the exhibition starts with archival exhibition posters, dating from the 1940s through the 1990s. They give a way into the work before you look closely at particular artists. Look at where and when those artists showed, then choose a few works to spend time with. The exhibition draws from the Barjeel collection, with artists including Baya, Etel Adnan, Samia Halaby and Inji Efflatoun. One way through is to notice what changes when you move between the posters, which announce work in public, and the artworks themselves. If you are going with someone who knows some of the artists, pick one artist each and compare what drew you to the work. Alserkal’s exhibition description
Plan the visit around Concrete first. The wider week has exhibitions across multiple units, with opening dates that differ from the programme’s overall dates. If you want a second stop, check its warehouse and exact hours before adding it. For example, Alserkal lists The Days Go On at Warehouse 11 and Flawed Images at Warehouse 31A as opening on 16 November. Neither is a stop to rely on for the 15 November opening visit. If you go later in the week for one of those exhibitions, check its gallery hours before pairing it with Concrete. If friends are coming from different directions, share the building name as well as the district. Meeting at the exhibition entrance makes it easier to start when you have a limited evening window. Alserkal’s exhibition listings by unit and date
Choose by your real arrival time
For an arrival after 8 pm through 15 November, the Expo City windows give you a plausible gallery-and-projection visit. Pick the dome first if the projections are your priority and check their order. On Saturday 14 November, Down to Earth gives you a specific alternative with two scheduled Roof Terrace sets. On Sunday 15 November, choose Alserkal if you can reach the opening and want to see the exhibition at your own pace. Choose Jaddaf if you can get there for a fixed session and want the workshop or sitar. With any of the three, confirm when the part you want actually starts, whether you need a separate registration and how long you’ll have once you reach the door. ISEA locations and times · Jameel’s daily programmes · Alserkal Art Week
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