The Awakening of Winter: Circus Students’ Annual Performance 2026 in Dubai

The Awakening of Winter: Circus Students’ Annual Performance 2026 in Dubai is the yearly showcase from Dubai Circus School, staged at the Theatre of Digital Art (ToDA) in Souk Madinat Jumeirah on Saturday 14 November. The school’s young students take to the stage for a winter-themed production that mixes circus, aerial arts, acrobatics, dance and music, and they share it with professional circus and performing artists. The show begins at 5:30pm and runs for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

A student show with a winter story

The organisers sum it up with a simple line: this is where young dreams take centre stage and the magic of winter comes alive. Every act sits inside a festive, winter-inspired circus world, so rather than a string of separate routines, the evening is built as one production with a seasonal theme running through it. Choreography and music link the acts together, and each young performer gets a moment in the spotlight.

The performance is a celebration of what the students have worked on over the year. Dubai Circus School frames the show around courage, creativity, community and a touch of fantasy, and it is the school’s chance to put that training in front of a real audience under theatre lights. For the children taking part, it is a big night; for the families watching, it is a chance to see how far they have come.

Who is Dubai Circus School?

Dubai Circus School teaches circus arts to children and adults from a converted warehouse in Al Quoz, on Umm Suqeim Road. It was co-founded by Colombian art director and producer Marcela Bello and instructor Javier Galeano, and its team includes more than a dozen coaches. Most of its students are young, with children’s programmes covering ages 4 to 17, alongside classes for adults.

The timetable is broad. Students learn aerial disciplines such as silks, hoop, hammock and trapeze, as well as trampoline, ground acrobatics, handstands, juggling, walking ball, stilts, hula hoop and parkour. The school describes its mission as challenging and inspiring people through art, creativity, physical skill and empowerment, and coaches there have spoken about the confidence and self-expression children gain from learning to climb, wrap and drop on aerial silks.

What you will see on stage

The programme has not been published act by act, but the official listing confirms the ingredients of the evening:

• Circus skills from the school’s students, drawn from the disciplines they train in each week.
• Aerial arts, the school’s speciality, performed above the stage.
• Acrobatics and dance, woven together with choreography and music to tell the winter story.
• Professional guest artists, who perform alongside the students and give the show the feel of a full production rather than a class recital.

That pairing of emerging talent with professional artistry is what sets the annual performance apart. Younger performers get to share the stage with people who do this for a living, and the audience gets a more polished, festive show as a result. The organisers describe it as designed to delight audiences of all ages.

The venue: Theatre of Digital Art

ToDA sits inside Souk Madinat Jumeirah and opened to the public in 2020. It is best known as an immersive digital art space: around 1,800 square metres with surround sound and projection screens covering the walls and ceiling. Its first exhibition turned works by artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, Cézanne and Kandinsky into digital displays you could walk through, and the space has since hosted concerts and other live performances. For a circus show with a winter theme, it makes an atmospheric setting.

Seats at the performance are allocated in every category and assigned when you book, so families can sit together and know where they will be before arriving. Doors open at 5pm, half an hour before the 5:30pm start.

Getting to Souk Madinat Jumeirah

The official listing gives clear directions. By car, take Sheikh Zayed Road (E11), exit at interchange 5, merge onto Umm Suqeim Road (D63) and follow the signs for Souk Madinat Jumeirah, then use the parking areas near the souk. By Metro, ride to Mall of the Emirates station and take a taxi or ride-hailing car for the short final leg to the souk entrance. A taxi to the Madinat Jumeirah complex works from anywhere in the city.

Who it suits

This is first and foremost a show for the families and friends of Dubai Circus School students, but it is open to anyone who enjoys circus and wants a short, early-evening outing with children. The minimum age is 3, so it works for preschoolers, and at 70 minutes it is a manageable length for younger audiences. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult, and everyone, adults and children alike, needs their own valid ticket.

It is also worth a look for families thinking about circus classes. Watching students of different ages perform aerial and acrobatic routines is a good way to see what the training leads to. If your children are keen to try something new themselves, our workshops and classes page lists more ideas.

Before you go

A few house rules apply inside the theatre. Food and drinks are not allowed, and professional cameras are not permitted, so leave the big lens at home. Tickets are valid only for the date, time and show booked, and there are no refunds or exchanges once seats are chosen.

The show finishes in the early evening, which leaves time for dinner at Souk Madinat Jumeirah afterwards. For more ideas for children this season, see our guide to kids’ events in Dubai, browse things to do in November, or explore more things to do in Dubai.