A comedy club that opened less than a year ago is about to play one of the largest stages in the city. Pepperoni Comedy Club turns one this month, and rather than mark the occasion at home, it is moving the party to Dubai Opera for a one-night anniversary show on Saturday, 17 October.
The show forms part of Dubai Comedy Festival 2026, and runs for 90 minutes.
From a 120-seat room to Downtown’s main stage
The contrast is the story here. Pepperoni’s own comedy room seats 120 — an intimate space where performers work close to the audience and the material lands in a room small enough to feel every reaction.
Dubai Opera is a different proposition entirely: a purpose-built Downtown venue on a scale that most touring acts aspire to. Taking a first-birthday show there is a statement of intent from a club that only opened its doors in late 2025.
Who’s on the bill
The anniversary line-up leans international, with three performers taking the stage.
Redouane Bougheraba, the French comedy star, headlines the bill. He is joined by Kris Fade, the Dubai radio presenter and long-standing fixture of the city’s broadcast scene, and French comedian Nino Arial.
Hosting duties fall to Abz Ali and Noha Bashir, who will steer the evening between sets.
A night in two languages
One detail sets this show apart from a standard stand-up bill: performances run in both French and English.
That is a deliberate choice rather than an incidental one. Dubai’s French-speaking community is substantial, and a bilingual programme opens the room to an audience that an English-only line-up would not reach. With two French acts on the bill alongside an English-language broadcaster, the show is built to work for both halves of the room.
One year at 25 Jump Street
Pepperoni Comedy Club opened at 25 Jump Street in late 2025 and has spent its first year establishing itself as a venue where the comedy is only part of the offer.
The site combines the 120-seat comedy room with an Italian-American diner and an outdoor terrace — a format designed so that dinner, drinks and a show happen in one place rather than requiring a night planned across three venues.
In twelve months, the club has booked a mix of international headliners and emerging local performers. Among the highlights were sold-out performances by Bassem Youssef, the Egyptian satirist whose shows draw well across the region.
That blend — recognisable touring names alongside acts still building an audience — is the model most successful comedy clubs run on, and it is what gives a room a reason to exist between the big bookings.
A busy week beyond the birthday
The anniversary show sits inside a broader run for Pepperoni, which is also an official Dubai Comedy Festival venue this year.
On 17 October, Daniel Fernandez brings his English-language stand-up show Do You Know Who I Am? to Pepperoni itself. The following night, 18 October, Lebanese comedian Mario Bassil takes the same stage.
Nino Arial also appears twice across the weekend. Beyond the Dubai Opera bill, he performs at Covent Garden Theatre, Mall of the Emirates, on 18 October.
Tickets for all of these shows are handled through Dubai Comedy Festival.
Worth noting for anyone planning their weekend: the Daniel Fernandez show at Pepperoni and the anniversary show at Dubai Opera both fall on Saturday, 17 October, at separate venues. They are not an either-or in principle, but Downtown Dubai and Jumeirah are not neighbours, and the Opera show does not start until 9.30pm — so picking one is the realistic approach.
Timings and tickets
Doors at Dubai Opera open at 9pm, with the show beginning at 9.30pm. The late start suits a Saturday night and leaves room for dinner beforehand.
Tickets start at Dhs175, with VIP seating available at Dhs550. For a 90-minute bill featuring a French headliner, a familiar local name and two hosts, the entry price sits at the accessible end for a Dubai Opera booking.
Why the timing works
October is a strong month for live entertainment in Dubai. The weather has turned, the cultural calendar has restarted after the summer lull, and Dubai Comedy Festival concentrates a large volume of touring comedy into a short window.
For Pepperoni, aligning its birthday with the festival is smart scheduling. It places the club in front of an audience already out looking for comedy, and the Dubai Opera booking gives a year-old venue a visibility boost that its own 120-seat room could never deliver on its own.
Need to know
What: Pepperoni Comedy Club first anniversary show, part of Dubai Comedy Festival 2026
Where: Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai
When: Saturday, 17 October — doors 9pm, show 9.30pm, running 90 minutes
Line-up: Redouane Bougheraba, Kris Fade, Nino Arial; hosted by Abz Ali and Noha Bashir
Languages: French and English
Cost: From Dhs175; VIP from Dhs550
Follow: @pepperoni_comedyclub on Instagram
