Lamhayab with Yassar Lemghari 2026 in Dubai

Lamhayab with Yassar Lemghari brings one of Morocco’s best-loved comedians back to Dubai on Friday 25 December 2026, for a stand-up night performed entirely in Moroccan Darija at the Emirates Theatre in Jumeirah. Presented by Mystic Entertainment, which has also brought Arabic stand-up such as Bader Saleh to the city, together with Enara Events, it follows his earlier Lamhayab date at the same theatre in June 2026 and a run of shows that the organisers say sold out around the world.

Who is Yassar Lemghari?

Yassar Lemghari was born in Casablanca in 1988 and works as a comedian, actor and screenwriter. His break came in 2010, when he won a televised talent search for new comic voices in Morocco. He then joined the Emoraji comedy collective, touring Moroccan stand-up stages before moving into film and television.

A big boost came when Jamel Debbouze brought him to the Marrakech du Rire festival, the comedy festival Debbouze founded in 2011, which is staged each year in the courtyard of the historic El Badi Palace in Marrakech and has given many French and Moroccan stand-ups their first big audience. Being picked out there put Lemghari in front of comedy fans well beyond Morocco. Lemghari has since become a familiar face on Moroccan screens:

• Films: 30 Melyoun (30 Million), the hit comedy with the duo Driss and Mehdi, as well as My Friend, Microphone and Eko et ses amis au Marrakech du Rire
• Television: Ouled Ali, Souhlifa (parts 1 and 2), Jniyen, Dirou Niya and Zenqat Essaada

A comedian who sells out at home

On stage, he is known for one-man shows that draw on his own life. His earlier show Weld Nass told the story of his life before fame, when nobody knew who he was. In December 2021, Moroccan news site Le360 reported that the Casablanca date of that tour, at the Megarama, sold out within two days of being announced, after an earlier tour had been cut short at the start of the pandemic.

What to expect from Lamhayab

The organisers describe Lamhayab as a high-energy show full of humour, culture and emotion. Because it is performed in Darija, the jokes play on the expressions, references and everyday situations that Moroccans recognise instantly, the small cultural details that rarely survive translation. Given how much of his earlier stage work drew on his own story, expect plenty of personal material alongside observations about Moroccan life. That is exactly the appeal for Moroccans living in the UAE, who rarely get to hear stand-up in their own dialect.

If you speak another form of Arabic, you will catch a fair amount, but Darija has its own vocabulary and rhythm, so the show is best enjoyed by audiences who know the dialect well. The show starts at 8:30pm, with doors opening at 8pm, and there are no supporting acts listed.

The venue: Emirates Theatre, Jumeirah

The Emirates Theatre is the auditorium of Emirates International School on Al Thanya Street in Jumeirah, a regular stage for Arabic and international comedy in Dubai. Seating is split into four categories:

• VIP and Platinum: allocated, numbered seats on the ground floor
• Gold: unnumbered general admission on the ground floor
• Silver: unnumbered general admission on the first floor

There is no lift in the building. The auditorium is reached by a few steps, and the Silver level is upstairs. In special cases, people of determination holding VIP tickets may be admitted through an emergency door, so contact the organisers before booking if level access matters to you.

House rules

• Age: strictly 14 and over, and there is no waiting area for children.
• Food and drink: only water is allowed in the auditorium. Snacks and drinks can be bought at the venue or nearby café and eaten in the foyer.
• Phones: photography and filming are not allowed once the show starts.
• Smoking: smoking and vaping are not allowed inside or outside the premises, except in designated areas.
• Tickets: the organiser does not allow exchanges, upgrades or downgrades.

Getting there and parking

Paid RTA parking is available outside the school, but spaces are limited on show nights. By car, follow Al Safa Street and turn onto Al Thanya Street, where the school is on the right. Most taxi drivers know the venue.

Who it suits

Lamhayab is made for Moroccan audiences in the UAE, Darija speakers from across the Maghreb and anyone who has followed Yassar Lemghari’s films and TV work. Falling on a Friday during the festive break, it is an easy night out with friends who share the dialect. It also makes a different kind of plan for 25 December if your group would rather spend the evening laughing in Darija than sitting down to a festive dinner, and the 8:30pm start leaves time for a meal in Jumeirah first.

For more laughs, see our comedy shows in Dubai, browse things to do in Dubai, or plan the week with things to do in December and what’s on.