Bella’s Big Emotion Playdate 2026 in Dubai

Bella’s Big Emotion Playdate 2026 in Dubai is a 60-minute interactive musical for young children at The Junction, the black box theatre in Alserkal Avenue, on Sunday 15 November. Performed in English, it follows Zoe and her puppet friends Bella the Bunny and Percy the Puppy on a playful journey through four big feelings, with original songs, movement and plenty of chances for children to join in. Doors open at 10:45am, which makes it an easy Sunday morning outing for families with little ones.

The story: four big feelings

The show is built around four emotions that every small child knows well: happiness, anger, sadness and fear. Zoe leads the way, and Bella and Percy help her explore each feeling in turn, so children meet them one at a time rather than all at once.

The aim, as the organisers describe it, is to help children recognise their feelings, express them, and discover simple ways to manage them. That is done through play rather than lessons: songs, storytelling, movement and laughter carry the ideas, and the puppets give children friendly characters to identify with when a feeling is big or confusing.

Who are Zoe, Bella and Percy?

• Zoe: the guide who leads the playdate and invites the audience to join in.
• Bella the Bunny: the show’s title character, at the centre of the emotional journey.
• Percy the Puppy: Bella’s friend and fellow explorer of big feelings.

Together, the three characters give children friendly faces to follow through each feeling, from the happy moments to the scary ones.

Why Big Emotion Playdate in Dubai is different

This is not a show where children are expected to sit still and watch. Audience participation is part of the format, so little ones are invited to sing, move and respond as the story unfolds. The songs are original to the production, and the 60-minute running time is pitched for young attention spans.

For many families, the value continues after the curtain. The characters and songs give parents a shared reference point at home: a child who remembers how Bella felt when she was angry, or what Percy did when he was scared, has a simple way to talk about their own feelings. It works as a gentle first theatre experience and as a conversation starter in one.

The venue: The Junction, Alserkal Avenue

The Junction is Dubai’s black box theatre and performing arts space, created by performers for performers. It opened in 2015 with a local production of Noël Coward’s The Vortex, and its stage hall seats 159, which keeps shows close and intimate, ideal for young children who like to see the puppets up close. The programme ranges from theatre and dance to stand-up comedy, magic shows and an a cappella festival, in languages including English, Arabic, Hindi, French and Italian.

The theatre sits in Unit H72 of Alserkal Avenue, the arts district in Al Quoz that grew from around 2007, when galleries began moving into former industrial warehouses. Backed by patron Abdelmonem bin Eisa Alserkal, it is now home to commercial galleries, exhibition spaces, design stores and restaurants, so it is easy to turn the show into a longer morning out with a coffee and a wander afterwards.

Getting there

By car, leave Sheikh Zayed Road at the Al Manara exit (43), turn right onto Al Manara Street, then right onto 8th Street. At the roundabout, take the second exit onto 17th Street, and Alserkal Avenue is on the left. By Metro, take the Red Line to Garmin Metro Station (formerly Noor Bank), then a short taxi or bus ride. The station sits on Sheikh Zayed Road between Al Quoz and Al Safa. It opened as Noor Bank in 2010, became Al Safa, after the surrounding district, in 2020 and Onpassive in 2023, and the RTA began rebranding it as Garmin in September 2026 under a 10-year naming-rights deal, so older maps and apps may still show an earlier name. Taxis can reach Alserkal Avenue easily from anywhere in Dubai. Parking is not covered on the event page.

Who it suits

The show is made for young children and their families. No formal age range is given, but the format, with puppets, songs and a one-hour running time, is aimed squarely at toddlers, preschoolers and children in the early school years. It suits children who love puppets and singing along, and parents looking for a meaningful activity that is gentle rather than loud.

Doors open at 10:45am, and the session is listed as finishing by midday, the same 10:45am to 12pm slot shown on the Visit Dubai events calendar. If plans change, Platinumlist offers a resale option to pass your ticket to another family.

For more ideas for little ones, browse our kids’ events in Dubai, see things to do this weekend, or explore what’s on in November.