American comedian Tom Segura will open the 2025 Dubai Comedy Festival. Photo: Dubai Comedy Festival
American comedian Tom Segura will open the 2025 Dubai Comedy Festival. Photo: Dubai Comedy Festival
American comedian Tom Segura will open the 2025 Dubai Comedy Festival. Photo: Dubai Comedy Festival
American comedian Tom Segura will open the 2025 Dubai Comedy Festival. Photo: Dubai Comedy Festival

Dubai Comedy Festival returns with Tom Segura, Joanne McNally, Zakir Khan and more


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

The Dubai Comedy Festival is back, with Tom Segura, Joanne McNally, Morgan Jay and Zakir Khan among the acts confirmed for this year’s event.

The annual event will run for a fifth year from October 2 to 12. It will feature international and regional stand-up stars at various venues, including Dubai Opera and Coca-Cola Arena.

Segura, one of the biggest names in global stand-up, will open the festival on October 2 with his Come Together tour at Coca-Cola Arena. The American comedian, known for his Netflix specials Ball Hog and Disgraceful, previously performed at last year's festival.

British-Iranian comedian Omid Djalili will take the stage at Dubai Opera on October 5. Known for his film appearances and sharp observational humour, he returns with his new show Namaste. He will be joined on the same night by Akaash Singh, the US podcaster and comedian behind the popular Flagrant show.

Irish comedian Joanne McNally, who previously appeared at the festival in 2023 with Vogue Williams, returns for two solo shows on October 7. She brings new material to Dubai Opera, touching on topics ranging from dating to social media.

Making his Dubai debut is LA-based comedian and musician Morgan Jay, who performs on October 6 at Dubai Opera. Known for his blend of music and comedy, Jay will take to the stage with a set that promises plenty of audience interaction.

Indian comedian Zakir Khan closes the festival on October 12 at Coca-Cola Arena. After a sold-out 150-minute set last year, Khan returns with a new show in Hindi.

Also in the line-up is Lebanese comedian John Achkar, who performs on October 11. He made his mark with the Arabic-language comedy series Stand-Up Baladi and returns to Dubai Opera with new material.

The festival will feature shows in several languages, including English, Arabic and Hindi, as well as interactive experiences across the city.

Dubai Comedy Festival 2025 line-up

Tom Segura – October 2 at the Coca-Cola Arena; show starts at 8pm

Omid Djalili – October 5 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 6pm

Akaash Singh – October 5 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 9pm

Morgan Jay – October 6 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 9.30pm

Joanne McNally – October 7 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 6.30pm

John Achkar – October 11 at Dubai Opera; show starts at 9pm

Zakir Khan – October 12 at Coca-Cola Arena; show starts at 8pm

Tickets are available now

Sole survivors
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  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Updated: May 01, 2025, 5:25 AM`