This year’s Ramadan Nights programming centres on two fun-filled nights for visitors of all ages and families on Saturday April 9 and April 16 from 9pm till midnight.

Get to know the exhibitions, participate in workshops for both adults and children by a locally-based creative, do a hands-on activity at one of our stations or enjoy a late night treat at our farm to fork restaurant Teible or one of our local food vendors!

Ramadan Nights are free and open to all. Limited capacity artist-led workshop participation will be granted on a first come, first served basis.

APRIL 9 PROGRAMME

9:00-9:30pm | 11:00-11:30pm | Exhibition tour, Lobby meeting point | Join this “express tour” to gain special insight on the current exhibitions at the Jameel.

9:15 pm  – 10:30 pm |10:45 – 12:00 am | Workshop: Paperclay play led by Quarter Moon Studio, Colonnade |Paperclay is an eco-friendly material made from waste paper, clay soil and organic starches. Participants explore creative ways to reuse waste material and build versatile lightweight objects. Paperclay is similar to standard air-dry clay but is slightly more coarse in texture, giving participants a fun and sustainable token to take home by the end of the night. Come prepared to feel inspired and get messy!

9:15 pm  – 10:30 pm |10:45 – 12:00 am | Workshop: Melt and pour led by Rouba Shaath of Saboona, Project Space | In this hands-on making workshop, participants learn to repurpose leftovers, herbs and spices as part of a waste-conscious soap project. Participants make a soap specific to their tastes and desires through the melt and pour soap making process. The workshop is open to all ages; participants below the age of 12 will require an accompanying guardian to help them.

9:30 pm  – 10:30 pm |10:30 – 12:00 am | Workshop: Cloth bag printing led by Yes4us, Colonnade | Customise your own tote bags! This workshop aims to foster and encourage sustainable art practices encouraging participants to replace single-use plastic bags and learn to recycle cloth bags into tangible and symbolic artworks. 

9:00 pm  – 12:00 am |Self-led Activity Station: Food sculptures, Lobby | Inspired by Jameel Library Salma Serry’s research on menus from the 1960s to the 1990s, looking at food histories of UAE’s migrant communities. We invite you to recreate and bring the food items listed in the menus to life using clay and watercolours! 

9:00 pm  – 12:00 am | Self-led Activity Station: Spoon family, Lobby | Create your family members and characters out of wooden spoons and upcycled fabric scraps!

9:00 pm  – 12:00 am |Self-led Activity Station: Chalk prints, Lobby | Explore the process of creating mesmerising floating chalk prints!

9:30 – 10:30 pm |Ramadan Storytime in Arabic with Samya Ayish, Library| Follow along with Samya Ayish in this Arabic-language storytime at Jameel Library, featuring books from the Jameel Library Children’s Ramadan Reading List. (Limited capacity)

10:30 pm  – 11:30 pm | The Assembly (featuring Lubnah Ansari): A Reading Vigil, Library | A witnessing circle in Jameel Library where we remember scholars, writers, artists who are no longer with us, but have left a mark on how we engage with the world. Bring your favorite paragraph by bell hooks, a poem by Etel Adnan, or whoever has moved you. Let us delve in together to remember those who have taught us about love.

9:30 pm – 12:00 am |Under the stars: Henna and carrom, Roof Terrace | Enjoy the Jameel Arts Centre’s Roof Terrace with family and friends over a game of carrom and your very own choice of henna designs in celebration of Ramadan gatherings.

Shopping | Browse a collection of the holy month’s seasonal finds or get a head start on your Eid shopping at Art Jameel Shop, home for all that is current in contemporary art, design, architecture and culture.

All night eats | Treat yourself to a beverage, sweet treat or popcorn from local vendors as you spend your Ramadan night with friends and family. And if you are seeking a gourmet farm to fork meal, Teible, Jameel Arts Centre’s new eatery can accommodate your suhoor meal.